First you build the team, then they build the things

Behind every awesome product is a team who trusts one another and works well together. This is the positive case of Conway’s Law, in which a system is a reflection of the organization that built it. At the other extreme is a system built by a team whose members are distrustful, do not collaborate, and are ultimately dysfunctional. The resulting product will inevitably fail its customers.

Rather, we must form a healthy team in order to have a healthy product. How do we do that?

In this talk, we’ll explore 5 (not so easy) tips about doing just that. We’ll inject thinking from past and present leaders; and leverage Lean & Agile principles, to build and sustain a healthy team.

Transcript

1. FIRST  YOU  BUILD  THE  TEAM,   THEN  THEY  BUILD  THE  THING   NIVIA  S.  HENRY   @LANOOBA   #dsmAgile2016  
2. We’re  Here  To  Talk  About   •  The  contribuEon  of  healthy  teams  to  awesome   “things”   •  PaMerns  of  healthy  teams   •  Steps  to  building  &  sustaining  healthy  teams   •  (Anonymous)  Stories  of  healthy  &  unhealthy  Teams   •  GeSng  started   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
3. Nivia  S.  Henry   Day  Job(s)/Passions:   Agile  TransformaEon  |  Coaching  |  Training  |Product  Management   Program  &  Project  ExecuEon  |People  Leadership  |  Workshop   FacilitaEon  |  Unicorn  Herding  |  ExecuEve  Lion  Taming  |  EmoEonal   Bomb  Diffusing   Currently  Agile  Coaching  at  SpoTfy,     Previously  leading  agile  transformaTons  at  Summa     @lanooba  on  TwiMer  
4. My  InspiraTons   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia   @7grok  à       <-­‐  Lyra  C.  Henry  
5. Conway’s  Law   TL;  DR:  A  product  (or  soaware)  is  a  reflecEon  of   the    organizaEon  that  built  it     “OrganizaEons  which  design  systems  are   constrained  to  produce  designs  which  are  copies   of  the  communicaEon  structures  of  these   organizaEons.”     @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
6. @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
7. Pa[erns  of  Healthy  Teams   •  Consistent   •  Self-­‐regulaEng   •  ElasEc   •  Solves  problems   •  Valuable   •  Others?   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
8. But  how  do  you  build  one?   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
9. 2.  Bootstrapping   1.RecruiTng/ Hiring   3.  Building   Environments   4.  Vision  &   Enablement   5.  Kaizen   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia   Here  Are  5  (Not  So)   Easy  Steps  
10. 1.  Hire  for  Aftude,     Train  for  Skill   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
11. Use  UnconvenTonal  RecruiTng  Pipelines   Level  of  Usefulness   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia   •  Meet-­‐Ups   •  Conferences   •  Referrals   •  Customers/Vendors   •  Blind  Submissions   •  Carrier  Pigeons   •  Social  Media   •  Recruiters   Amount    of  Built-­‐in  Vefng  
12. Use  Behavioral  Interviews   •  Soa  Skills  >  Tech  Skills   •  Ask  for  direct  experiences,  not  theory   •  Keep  quesEons  neutral  to  gauge  behavior   •  Diversity  is  not  a  favor,  it’s  a  compeEEve   advantage   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
13. 2.  Build  a  WHOLE  Team   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
14. Team  CreaTon  Steps   Map  the  value   stream   Organize  into   feature  &   component  teams   (or  a  combinaEon)   Bootstrap   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
15. Map  the  Value  Stream   Skillsets   Skillsets   Skillsets   Skillsets   1.  Map  out  the  value  stream   2.  Map  skillsets  to  acEviEes   3.  Map  roles  that  contain  those  skillsets   Skillsets   Skillsets   Skillsets   Skillsets   Skillsets   Skillsets   Skillsets   Skillsets   Skillsets   Skillsets   Skillsets   Skillsets   Skillsets   Skillsets   Skillsets   Skillsets   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
16. Organize  into  Feature  Teams   Feature  A   Feature  B   Feature  C   Use  When:   •  Value  stream  is   concise   •  Autonomous  delivery   is  possible   •  Skills  are  more  cross-­‐ funcEonal   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
17. Organize  into  Component  Teams   Use  When:   •  Value  stream  is  very   large   •  High  level  of   specializaEon   •  Supports  mulEple   products   Component  A   Component  B   Component  C   Feature   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
18. The  Team  Bootstrap  Guide   Ways  of  Working   • GeSng  to  know   • Roles  &   ResponsibiliEes   • Skills  Map   • Decision  Boards   • Working   Agreements   • Vision  &   Mission   Cadence   Kaizen   • Measures   • RecogniEon   • RetrospecEon   • InnovaEon   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
19. @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
20. 3.  Build  &  Sustain  a  Healthy   Environment   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
21. Healthy  Environments  Contain   •  Personal  safety     •  IncenEvized  learning   •  Built-­‐in  collaboraEon   •  Sandboxes  for  experimentaEon   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
22. 4.  Be  The  Lighthouse,     Not  The  Lifeboat   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
23. “Many  people  spend  too  much  Tme   trying  to  be  the  captain  of  the  ship.   Instead,  be  the  lighthouse  and  the   ship  will  find  their  way.”   -­‐someone  from  the  internet   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
24. OrganizaTonal  Leadership   ExecuEve   Mid-­‐level   Frontline   Individual   • Vision   • Values   • Focus   • Alignment   • ExecuEon   • CreaEvity   • Enablement   • Accountability   • Transparency   • Curiosity   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
25. Frontline  Leaders  Enable   •  Ubiquitous  informaEon   •  Traceability  to  vision  &  values   •  Homeostasis   •  Feedback     •  Trust!!!!!!   •  Others?   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
26. AnT-­‐Pa[erns  of  Frontline  Leadership   •  Solving  >  enablement   •  Doesn’t  communicate   expectaEons   •  Communicates  one  way   •  Loses  sight  of  the  vision  &   values   •  Places  barriers  to  learning   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
27. 5.  Relentlessly,     ConTnuously  Improve   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
28. Kaizen  All  The  Things   •  Team  happiness   •  Team  health-­‐checks   •  10%  Time   •  Personal  development   •  Team  fun  Eme   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
29. 4.  Build  &  Sustain  a  Healthy   Environment   SpoTfy  Health  Check   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia   Courtesy  of  Henrik  Kniberg  
30. Let’s  bring  it  all  back  to  awesome   things…   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
31. Pa[erns  of  Healthy  Teams  “Things”   •  Consistent   •  Self-­‐regulaEng   •  ElasEc   •  Solves  problems   •  Valuable   •  Others?   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
32. So  What  Now?   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
33. Start  to  Start   •  Where  are  we?   •  Are  we  healthy?   •  How  can  we  be  healthier?   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
34. (Moar)  Q&A   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia  
35. Thank  you;  let’s  drink!   @lanooba  |  linkedin.com/in/nivia