CASE STUDY 2:

AGILE PROJECT RESCUE

AGILE PROJECT RESCUE IN A WATERFALL ENVIRONMENT BY KEVIN MURRAY KEVIN.MURRAY@VALTECH.CO.UK, TWITTER: @KEV_C_MURRAY

BACKGROUND

GOVERNMENT PROJECT

SUPPOSED TO BE JUST A COTS UPGRADE AND SMALL MIGRATION

THE PROJECT HAD ALL THE HALLMARKS OF FAILURE: SPIRALLING COSTS

DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BUSINESS CUSTOMER,

TEAM MORAL AT ROCK BOTTOM

LITTLE VISIBILITY BY THE MANAGEMENT OF THE CHALLENGES THE PROJECT FACED

I WAS THE 14th PROJECT MANAGER IN LESS THAN 2 YEARS

BASELINE THE REQUIREMENTS

VERY INEXPERIENCED USER GROUP, WHO HAD NOT DEFINED THE REQUIREMENTS PROPERLY

BUSINESS CUSTOMER WAS IN DAILY COMMUNICATION WITH THE DEVELOPERS

NOT EVERYONE ON THE CUSTOMER’S TEAM UNDERSTOOD THE PROBLEM THAT THEY WERE CAUSING

WORKED TOGETHER WITH THE CUSTOMER TO AGREE A NEW BASE LINED SCOPE, PLAN AND PRICE

EACH SUBSEQUENT CHANGE WOULD NOW GO THROUGH A FORMAL CHANGE REQUEST PROCESS

INTRODUCE PRODUCT OWNER ROLE

CUSTOMER’S SENIOR PM TO OWN THE PRODUCT BACKLOG

PRODUCT OWNER TO ACT AS THE SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT FOR CUSTOMER’S BUSINESS TEAM

IT WAS AGREED WITH ALL STAKEHOLDERS THAT ANY FUTURE CHANGE WOULD HAVE ITS IMPACT ASSESSED AND BE INTRODUCED AT A TIME APPROPRIATE TO THE DEVELOPERS

THE MAIN BENEFIT HERE WAS THAT CLARITY OF SCOPE WAS ENSURED

BECOME A TEAM MEMBER

PREVIOUS PMs WOULD SIT AWAY FROM THE TEAM

POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE TEAM, WHO WERE PREVIOUSLY FEELING DETACHED

AVAILABLE TO ANSWER OR TAKE AWAY ANY OF THE TEAMS PROBLEMS

KEEP THE TEAM AS INFORMED AND UP TO DATE AS POSSIBLE

THIS WASN’T A FREE FOR ALL, CONVENTIONAL DAILY STAND UP MEETINGS WERE INTRODUCED

INTRODUCE DAILY STANDUP MEETINGS

DAILY 15 MINUTE STAND UPS REPLACED A DAILY 2 HOUR LONG CUSTOMER FACING MEETING

INTIMIDATING CUSTOMER NOT PRESENT

INITIALLY THIS DID NOT GO DOWN TOO WELL WITH EVERYONE

INTRODUCED THE THREE QUESTIONS: ‘WHAT HAVE YOU DONE SINCE THE LAST STAND UP?’,

‘WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING BETWEEN NOW AND THE NEXT MEETING?’

‘WHAT IS GETTING IN THE WAY OF DOING YOUR WORK?’

INTRODUCE TASK BOARD

THE DAILY STAND UP MEETINGS TOOK PLACE IN FRONT OF A LARGE, PREVIOUSLY UNUSED WHITE BOARD

THE TEAM WERE PREVIOUSLY NOT AWARE OF THE OVERALL PROJECT PROGRESS

THE TASK BOARD HELPED MORAL

HELPED IDENTIFY AND DEAL WITH ANY IMPEDIMENTS IN A TIMELY MANNER

EMPOWER THE WHOLE TEAM

THE WHOLE TEAM GOT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PRIORITISATION AND ESTIMATION

PREVIOUSLY THIS TYPE OF RESPONSIBILITY WAS ONLY DEEMED SUITABLE FOR THE TEAM LEADER

HELPED RELIEVE SOME OF THE BURDEN ON THE TEAM LEADER AND MOTIVATED THE REST OF THE TEAM

INTRODUCE RETROSPECTIVES

WHILE WE NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE TRUE POST SPRINT RETROSPECTIVES, WE DID ARRANGE A NUMBER OF RETROSPECTIVES, WHICH OCCURRED:

AFTER A PARTICULAR WAVE OF CHANGE REQUESTS HAD BEEN IMPLEMENTED

AFTER UAT AND

AFTER GO LIVE

DESPITE BLAME CULTURE WITHIN THE ORGANISATION, WE WERE ABLE TO FOSTER CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK TO ALL TEAMS WHICH ENSURED THAT PAST MISTAKES WERE NOT REPEATED

DO FOOD

PROJECT OUTCOME

THE PROJECT WAS SUCCESSFULLY DELIVERED 5 MONTHS AFTER I JOINED

ONLY THREE WEEKS LATER THAN HAD INITIALLY BEEN AGREED IN THE REVISED BASELINE OF THE PROJECT PLAN

THE FINAL 5 MONTHS OF THE PROJECT WAS ON BUDGET

THIS LED TO A RENEWED LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE FROM THE AND FURTHER RELEASES HAVE BEEN COMMISSIONED

MORE IMPORTANTLY THE PROJECT EXPERIENCE IS NOW SEEN AS A POSITIVE ONE FOR THE TEAM

?

ANY QUESTIONS …

kevin.murray@valtech.co.uk

http://www.valtech.co.uk

http://blog.valtech.co.uk

http://twitter.com/valtech

http://twitter.com/Kev_C_Murray