Design Thinking and Agile?

Tathagat Varma http://thoughtleadership.in

Let’s explore…

• What is Agile?

• What is Design Thinking?

• Design Thinking + Agile = ?

Nature of work is changing…

Craft Structure Networks

Agile Manifesto, 2001

Scrum, an agile framework

Agile Mindset

Source: Carol Dweck, Linda Rising

Agile = Single Loop Learning?

Problem-solving is not a straight line!

Source: Damien Newman

Design Thinking

Design Thinking = Double Loop Learning?

Design Sprint, a DT framework by Google Ventures

• A framework for teams to solve and test design problems

• A five-day process to validate a prototype for a key problem

DT + Agile = ?• DT addresses developing empathy about users and

exploring innovative solutions using divergent thinking and prototyping them iteratively and generating user feedback before zeroing-in to a possible solution, and might be perceived a bit too open-ended

• Agile addresses solving problems by incrementally and iteratively building thin slices of working software without explicitly realising how are those requirements really created

• Can they work together? What does it even mean?

Innovation inside Agile?• While nothing stops a team from experimenting ideas, agile

methodologies generally *expect* well-groomed backlog items

• Regular backlog grooming could help improve clarity and thus sprint planning, but it might still leave the backlog items unvalidated

• If design is still being worked upon in a sprint, it could lead to more rework or waste, and impact the velocity and predictability

• Who feeds items into the backlog? How are they validated?

Dual-Track Scrum• Not just the PO, but the entire team collaborates to quickly

prototype and validate the product backlog items before committing to build them

• Valuable (PO, BA)

• Usable (UX, Design)

• Feasible (Dev, QA)

• Dual tracks:

• Discovery Track: generate validated product backlog items

• Delivery Track: generate releasable software

Dual-Track Scrum

http://www.slideshare.net/andreaneu/ux-in-a-dual-track-agile-world

Discovery vs. Delivery

https://agilemichaeldougherty.wordpress.com/2015/09/07/61/

Recap• Solving “unknown-unknown” problems requires exploring

newer solutions that might have never been tried

• Design Thinking helps address the “why”. We are not trying to answer if this product can be built, but what are the real pain points?

• Agile helps address the “how” part by building deliverables in short cycles that could accelerate the feedback cycle

• Combining them could create a complementary and win-win solution

References• How to combine Design Thinking and Agile in Practice, https://medium.com/startup-study-group/how-to-combine-design-thinking-and-

agile-in-practice-36c9fc75c6e6#.cym7g2ee0

• Agile & Design Thinking: Completing or Complementing, http://www.thedesigngym.com/agile-design-thinking-competing-completing/

• Case Study: How Safeway leveraged Design Thinking and and Agile Market Research to Build a Fast and Effective Innovation Process, http://www.gutcheckit.com/resources/case-study-how-safeway-leveraged-design-thinking-and-agile-market-research-to-build-a-fast-and-effective-innovation-process

• Design Thinking + SAP Agile: 1+1=3, http://www.sap.com/netherlands/ms/sap-agile/agile-design.html

• Uniting Agile and Design Thinking Methods, http://www.summa.com/blog/uniting-agile-and-design-thinking

• Design Thinking and Agile Development, http://www.slideshare.net/wajansen/design-thinking-and-agile-development

• The Squiggle of Design, http://cargocollective.com/central/The-Design-Squiggle

• Elevate your Agile with Design Thinking, http://blog.deloitte.com.au/agile/2015/08/19/elevate-your-agile-with-design-thinking/#.V2sjrpN97dd

• Dual Track Scrum, https://agilemichaeldougherty.wordpress.com/2015/09/07/61/

• Dual Track Scrum, http://svpg.com/dual-track-scrum/

• Dual track Scrum in brief, http://aaron.sanders.name/dual-track-scrum-brief/

• Common Agile Practices aren’t for Startups, http://jpattonassociates.com/common-agile-isnt-for-startups/#more-1105