“Team-based development”
The real key to software successy
Paul RamsayNational Consulting ManagerNational Consulting ManagerEquinox Limited
27 J ne 200727 June 2007FINAL – Version 3
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
Agenda
The challenge The realityThe reality The experience The keysThe keys
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
The customer expectation
Time Now
QualityCost PerfectFree
Functionality Everything and more!Functionality Everything and more!
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
The development dilemma
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
The vendor solution
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
The reality …
PeoplePeoplemake it happen
Process can be
p
P
make it happen
Process can bethe “glue” that holdseverything together
Process
ToolsTools can enhanceproductivity and
efficiencyefficiency
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
… in that order!
Despite the platitudes that “people are our greatest asset” people really are your greatest asset – there is no substitute for quality
Good people will always overcome poor or non-existent processes or tools
“An undisciplined carpenter with a power tool becomes a d di i li d t ”dangerous undisciplined carpenter”
The latest methodology or tool won’t save you – there are no silver bulletsno silver bullets
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
People – look for attitude, diversity and depth
Diversity
Depth
“Kii mai koe ki ahau he aha te mea nui o te ao? Maaku e kii atu ki a koe - he tangata he tangata he tangata"“If k d h t i th t t thi I ld“If you asked me what is the greatest thing, I would
tell you - it is people, it is people, it is people"
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
People – develop the “tool-box” concept
Skills:The tools you have in your toolbox (“know what”)
Knowledge:What tool to use and when (“know when”)
Experience: Experience:How to apply the tool (“know how”)
“What’s in your bag of tricks?”
( )
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
People – teamwork makes the dream work
Teamwork: is productive is creative builds character produces new leaders promotes a sense of
belonging
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
Process – tailored to fit
Needs to be tailored to the culture and characteristics ofNeeds to be tailored to the culture and characteristics of your organisation – “one size fits one”
Can either be an accelerator or a brake depending on how p git is applied
High Complexity
Formal Processes
Low Complexity Agile
Processes
Low Flexibility
High Flexibility
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
Process – three key approaches
Agile Visible Responsive Adaptive
Iterative Incremental
“The Learning Spiral”http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/abc/undcur/p50.htm
“Don’t try and drink the ocean”p p
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
Process – managing the lifecycle
N hi i i Nothing exists in isolationDevelopment does not Development does not end with delivery
Software will continue to Software will continue to change – increasing complexity and decayp y y
Design for maintenance Actively manage y g
changes
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
P ti i d t d i i lProcess – supporting mindsets and principles
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/solutionaccelerators/msf/default.mspx
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
Tools – integrated development environment
Development languageUser Version control
Build management
User
Test management Defect management
IDE
Content Context Project management Tracking and reporting
Content Context
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
Tools – Visual Studio Team System
Business Business AnalystAnalystAnalystAnalyst Web Clients and Web Clients and
XML Web ServicesXML Web Services
Operations, QA Operations, QA and Help Deskand Help Desk ThirdThird--Party IDEsParty IDEs
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
QEII National Trust
C t D t b Covenant Database Development
Managing covenants toManaging covenants to protect natural features on private land
First development using Microsoft VSTS Team Foundation ServerFoundation Server
Six month project Team of five peoplep p www.openspace.org.nz
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
NZAID
Scholarship SystemScholarship System Development
Managing scholarships to undertake post-secondary study or vocational training
Five month project Team of seven people www.nzaid.govt.nz
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
Schering-Plough Animal Health
VetPlan System Redevelopment
Original developed by Equinox in 1997 to manage customer loyalty rebate systemloyalty rebate system
Redeveloped in 2007 using latest Microsoft technologies
Six month project Team of seven people http://www.spah.co.nz
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
Three primary keys to a successful team
Co-location Communication Collaboration
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
Co-location
Facilitates team interaction and communication Greater ability to focus on the task at hand with less Greater ability to focus on the task at hand with less
unrelated distractions Improved ability to respond to issues as they ariseImproved ability to respond to issues as they arise Closer working relationships both within the team and with
the customerthe customer Reduced administrative overhead with less “traditional”
monitoring and reporting requiredg p g q
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
Communication
G d i ti kill Good communication skills are essential
As a team grows the As a team grows the number of communication “channels” can grow gexponentially
A common technical l ti i tsolution is to use a
common “bus” or shared repository to replace all the point-to-point connections
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
Collaboration – people
Stakeholders andSponsorp
Monitoringand Reporting
Project ManagerProcessCustomisation
Task Allocation
Development TeamProcess
Guidance
and Tracking
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
Collaboration – teamwork
Combine skills, experience and judgement
Break down barriers between departments and disciplines
Forming, storming, norming and f iperforming
“Keeping the band together”
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
Collaboration – tools
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
Some final observations
Know and trust the team Know and trust the team Invest in training and development – “the grass is always
greenest where it is watered”greenest where it is watered Don’t reinvent the wheel – reuse and improve Collect relevant data unobtrusively with no developer Collect relevant data unobtrusively with no developer-
perceived interference Always do a post implementation review and apply theAlways do a post implementation review and apply the
lessons learned to your next project – “deliberate learning” Finally, remember it is all about the business and y,
delivering business value
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007
Possible next steps
I di id l Individual Look to leverage off what you already know and do Learn about teams and team dynamics Learn about teams and team dynamics
Team How can we work more effectively as a team? How can we work more effectively as a team? What principles and practices do we need to adopt?
OrganisationOrganisation Focus on your greatest asset Encourage team-based delivery supported by innovative g y pp y
processes and tools
www.equinox.co.nz© equinox limited 2007