StoryBox - A story of getting things done the Agile way

Transcript

1. StoryBox | A Story of getting things done the agile way Adrian Liem July 2013 STORYBOX A story of getting things done the agile way
2. StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way 1. Background of UBC 2. The Ask 3. Our Approach 4. The Result 5. Lessons learned 6. Questions Overview
3. UBC : The University of British Columbia StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Not to be confused with...  ”BC” - Boston College  a university in Central America  University Baptist Church  Union of the Baltic Cities  United BioSource Corporation  Uganda Broadcasting Corporation
4. THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA UBC
5. VANCOUVER KELOWNA
6. VANCOUVER KELOWNA
7. UBC StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way The University of British Columbia  2 campuses: Vancouver and Kelowna, BC, Canada  57,706 students  8,440 international students from 149 countries  11,836 degrees granted  275,000 alumni in 120 countries  10,186 faculty and 6,716 sta  $2 billion annual operating budget  $519 million per year in research funding for 7,990 projects  153 companies spun o from UBC research  $10 billion in economic impact
8. Marketing & Communications StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way UBC Pre-2012  Coordinated by Public A airs (with limited mandate)  Strong focus on media relations  Some university-wide initiatives (Re-branding 2007)  No formal, central Marcomm team  At the best of times: informal, internal collaboration  At the worst of times...
9. FIEFDOMS IN AN EMPIRE http://www.flickr.com/photos/glodjib/
10. Marcomm at UBC StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way De-centralized, distributed, dispersed  150+ sta with part or full-time responsibility for marcomm  spread across two campuses, multiple satellite locations  no direct line of reporting to central  no central unit with formal responsibility for university-wide marketing communications strategy
11. 2012: A new beginning StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Communications and Marketing O ce  Brand team  Design team  Web team  P + Digital Storyteller + Market Researcher Public A airs O ce  Media Specialists  Brand team  Design team  Web team  Photographer { hotographer
12. UBC Communications and Marketing StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Our Raison D’Etre Bring our brand to life Compel our target audiences to engage with the university Enable an integrated distributed model of marcomm
13. Integrated whatnow? StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way “Integrated Distributed”  Autonomous entities with formalized ties to central initiatives  Some dual-line reporting, some restructuring  Increased level of collaboration and internal communication  (ask us again in two years)
14. Elevate through Storytelling StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Our Goals  Improve our storytelling CAPACITY  Build our storytelling MUSCLE  Increase storytelling COLLABORATION
15. The Blessing StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way UBC is story-rich
16. The Curse UBC is story-rich StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way
17. How can we find the best ways to tell the right stories to our target audiences?
18. How can we find the best ways to tell the right stories to our target audiences?
19. The Needs StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Problems we’re trying to solve  What stories should we tell in this year’s annual report?  Who else within UBC is writing a story on social sustainability?  What has already been written about Professor X?  Our President is travelling to Asia - what stories can he tell about UBC’s involvement in the Asia Pacific region?  How can we elevate and shine a light on the best stories from the pockets of campus?
20. The “ask”: StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Help me find UBC stories. I’m looking for...  Our best stories  Stories about [insert field of research]  Stories relevant to [insert target audience]  Stories happening in [insert international location]  Stories demonstrating [insert strategic pillar]  Stories with photos / video  Fully-fleshed out stories, but also the seeds of an idea for a story
21. Build me a “stories database” StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Situation Analysis  Unclear and undefined requirements  We don’t know what we don’t know  No idea how many stories we have about what/whom  No direct connections to many of our story sources  Complex organizational environment  Embedded culture of decentralization  Juggling multiple projects with limited resources  Need a working solution in 3 months
22. Traditional Approach StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way One Step at a Time  Discovery + Research  User Experience  Design  Develop + Produce  Test > Refine > Test  Release + Take to Market
23. Like a waterfall StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Planning Analysis Design Implementation Maintenance
24. Waterfall Method StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Stages  Discovery + Research  User Experience  Design  Develop + Produce  Test > Refine > Test  Release + Take to Market Deliverables  Project Brief, Strategy  IA structure, Wireframes  Mockups/Comps  “Beta” site, Content  QA notes  Big splash campaign
25. StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Waterfall Strengths Linear Clear steps Well-defined Discrete stages, defined roles Predictable Fixed timeframe, fixed budgets Planning Analysis Design Implementation Maintenance
26. A JUGGERNAUT http://www.flickr.com/photos/justingood/
27. Waterfall Risks StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way  Success hinges on each stage before it  Requirements can change rapidly  Small margin for error  Di cult and costly to change course midway  Learning and knowledge transfer is limited
28. Project-Specific Risks StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Decentralized Environment. Face many unknowns, takes time to capture full set of needs. Technically, easy. Organizationally, very hard. Need widespread participation. High risk of being thrown a loopball midway through. Short timeframe. Don’t have much time to turn-ship.
29. Our Strategy StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Confront the Challenges Head-On  Involve our end-users in the process  Actively solicit and be receptive to feedback  Build prototypes to help define the scope  Be prepared to change course, to “pivot”
30. StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way What’s the alternative?
31. AGILE! http://www.flickr.com/photos/bortescristian/
32. Agile StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way a agile Quick, light, nimble A Agile Software development methods where solutions evolve through an iterative and incremental approach.
33. StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Our Approach a A
34. DISCLAIMER StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way I agile. (but I’m not Spiderman)
35. Agile StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Basics  Reaction to heavyhanded nature of waterfall methods  An iterative and incremental approach  People and interactions over processes and tools  Cross-functional, self-organizing teams  ”Customer collaboration”  Build working solutions that can be immediately evaluated  Adapt and respond to change
36. Agile StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Key Principles  Reaction to heavyhanded nature of waterfall methods  An iterative and incremental approach  People and interactions over processes and tools  Cross-functional, self-organizing teams  ”Customer collaboration”  Build working solutions that can be immediately evaluated  Adapt and respond to change
37. StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way People over Processes + Tools (But there are still Processes + Tools)
38. User Stories StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Short, simple descriptions of a feature told from the perspective of the person who desires the new capability.
39. User Stories StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way The Template: As a [type of user], I want [some goal], so that [some reason].
40. As a [type of user], I want [some goal], so that [some reason]. User Stories StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Example As an Editor for a campus publication, I want to be able to search for stories by date, so that I can find stories for our back-to-school edition.
41. Example As an Editor for a campus publication, I want to be able to search for stories by date, so that I can find stories for our back-to-school edition. User Stories StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way User Goal Reason As a [type of user], I want [some goal], so that [some reason].
42. Person Feature Benefit (motivation) Example As an Editor for a campus publication, I want to be able to search for stories by date, so that I can find stories for our back-to-school edition. As a [type of user], I want [some goal], so that [some reason]. User Stories StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way
43. User Stories StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Form + Formats  Sticky notes, index cards, spreadsheets, online tools http://www.flickr.com/photos/expatminister/
44. The Value of User Stories StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Benefits  Captures desired features in a simple, concise way  Simplifies task of gathering requirements  Shifts focus from writing about requirements to discussing them enabling the team to respond faster
45. Scrums StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Rugby: An analogy - scrum to get the ball - sprint - pass the ball back + forth - go the distance as a unit http://www. ickr.com/photos/muzzanese/
46. Scrums in Agile StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Scrum: A model for organizing meetings Planning Meeting  Meetings to organize cycles of work  aka “Sprint Planning Meeting”  Pick user stories to build out during the next “sprint” Daily Scrums  Timeboxed meeting to provide status updates  What did you work on? What are you going to work on? What obstacles do you face?
47. Sprints in Agile StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Sprints: When the work happens Timeboxed  1 sprint = 1 week to 1 month  Most common length of a sprint: 2 weeks Outcomes  Set of new features  Designed, developed, tested, ready for release  1 sprint = 1 cycle of work, the next “set” of features
48. Agile StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way SCRUM Decide what you’re going to do. SPRINT Do it. Scrum Sprint Scrum Sprint Scrum
49. “Product Backlog” StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Formalized User Stories
50. Product Backlog StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Person Feature Benefit
51. Grooming the Backlog StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Some stories are “epics” and will take more than 1 sprint. Example As a Writer, when I add a new story about social sustainability, I want the system to email our photographer, and our Public A airs o ce, and everyone who needs to know about the story.
52. Breaking down an “epic” StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way As a Writer, I want the ability to tag a story with, for example the words “social sustainability”, so that I can describe my story as specifically as I can. As a Writer, I want the system to notify other people that I have added a story they might be interested in, so that they can read my story and then decide if they can use it for their own work. As an Editor, I want the ability to be notified when a particular type of story, for example a story about “social sustainability”, has been added to the system, so that I can stay on top of the latest stories as soon as they’re released.
53. Person Feature Benefit (motivation) Example As a Writer, I want the ability to tag a story with, for example the words “social sustainability”, so that I can describey my story as specifically as I can. As a [type of user], I want [some goal], so that [some reason]. User Stories StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way
54. Product Backlog StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Status + Priority Broader Feature Set / Epics
55. Great! Let’s build it! http://www.flickr.com/photos/cabbit/
56. If you build it... http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindus/
57. ... ... ... http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenniferbatty/
58. Agile beyond software StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Where?  Internal consultations  Workshops What?  Cross-functional teams  Feedback loops  Respond to change
59. Buy-in Agile beyond software... StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Collaboration Why?
60. Cross-functional Teams Knowledge Exchange Agile beyond software... StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Why? (we find out what we don’t know)
61. Why? Agile beyond software... StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way  Increases collaboration, collaboration encourages buy-in  Cross-functional teams increases knowledge exchange  Able to adapt to feedback and change  Able to test hypotheses before investing too much time
62. Agile approach to Workshops StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way  Facilitate cross-functional collaboration  Set up the physical space to support discussions (mini scrums)  Explicitly talk about the desire for feedback, iterations, cycles  Incorporate feedback  Describe what has changed each time (proof points)  Experiment, be prepared to change on the fly
63. Outcomes StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way What we thought we needed  Structured categorization system (Taxonomy)  Open-ended tagging system (Folksonomy)  Open-ended meta-data
64. Outcomes StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way What we actually needed  Structured categorization system (Taxonomy)  Open-ended tagging systems (Folksonomyies)  Open-ended meta-data + To build a shared understanding of a “story” + Technology to enable workflows not replace them Multiple (that could grow over time) Specific
65. Hierarchy of Needs StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way (thanks Maslow)
66. Hierarchy of Needs StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Decentralized Environment +
67. Di erent Sets of Needs StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Open Tags Structured Categories Local Needs Institutional Needs
68. Open Tags Structured Categories Local Institutional Bingo! Aligning our Needs + Goals StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way (i Venn diagrams)
69. Great! Let’s build it! http://www.flickr.com/photos/cabbit/
70. WordPress StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Why?  Suitable  Core features align well with overall goals + needs  Familiar and easy to use  Many sta already using WordPress  Internal expertise in WordPress development  Higher probability of adoption  Sustainable  Technical infrastructure already in place  Flexible  Well-suited for rapid iterations and revisions
71. WordPress StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Basic Setup w/ Customizations  Custom Theme  Custom post type: “Stories”  Custom taxonomies  Open-ended tags  Managed categorization
72. WordPress: Add New Post
73. StoryBox: Add New Story
74. Story Attributes
75. Taxonomy Structured categorization Reflects institutional attributes an institutional lens StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way
76. Folksonomy Multiple folksonomies Open-ended tagging Grows based on specific, unique needs the local perspectives StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way
77. StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Local Perspective Institutional Lens Bingo!
84. StoryBox Results StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way  Zero to working prototype in 1 month  Within 6 months: 500+ stories 139 people 68 units (departments, o ces)  Actively used for the 2012/2013 Annual Report
85. StoryBox Next Steps StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Not all roses...  Pressing need to better understand local/distributed needs and interests Phase 2  Build further into day-to-day workflows  Tie in to broader storytelling strategy
86. Agile - Why it worked for us StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way Well-defined goals, unknown “end product”  We knew the problem well, we weren’t sure about the solution Scratching our own itch  We had direct access to our “end users”  We were a sub-set of our end users Right team, right infrastructure  We had people willing to be agile and to try Agile  We had a suitable technical infrastructure in place
87. Considering Agile? StoryBox | A story of getting things done the agile way What to look for  “In-house” projects  Have “T-Shaped” people who work well in teams  Undefined scope, unclear end product  Need for speed, short timeframes  Direct access to target market
88. StoryBox | A Story of getting things done the agile way Thank you! Adrian Liem adrian.liem@ubc.ca @adrianliem