Ready Set Change - Agile Adoptions and Transformations - Codemash2016

A recent survey found that 94% of companies plan to adopt Agile in the next year. Astoundingly over 50% of all Agile transformations either fall short or fail outright.

This talk provides insights into where adoptions & transformations go wrong and how to avoid them

Transcript

1. Ready,  Set,  Change!     An  Explora+on  of  Agile  Transforma+ons   Nivia  S.  Henry  
2. Learning  Objec6ves   •  Why  organiza+ons  “go  agile”   •  The  difference  between  local  and  large  scale   agile  efforts   •  Common  failure  scenarios  &  avoiding  them  
3. Agenda   •  Agile  Value  Proposi+on   •  Adop+on  or  Transforma+on?   •  Scaling  Frameworks   •  Failure  Modes   •  Avoiding  the  PiMalls   •  The  Moral  of  the  Story  
4. Nivia  S.  Henry   You  might  know  me  from:     Summa:  hNp://www.summa-­‐tech.com/   TwiFer:  @lanooba  |  @PiNAgile                  LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/nivia   PiFAgile:  meetup.com/PiNsburghAgile   My  day  job  includes:     •  Agile  transforma+on  leadership   •  Agile  coaching   •  Product  management   •  Product  ownership   •  Program  &  project  execu+on   •  People  leadership   •  Workshop  facilita+on  
5. Condi+ons  for  Change   Purpose   People  need  context  and  inspira+on     Posi6ve  Reinforcement   Recognize  and  reward  those  who  are  willing  to  try  out  new  behaviors  –  even  if  it   fails   Skills   Provide  those  undergoing  change  as  much  training  as  needed  in  order  to  bolster   their  confidence   Models   Working  examples    provide  guidance  &  reassurance    
6. 6   Increased  team   collabora/on  across  and   within  business  and   technology   Priori/za/on  and   collabora/on  increases   produc/vity  by  20-­‐50%     Itera/ve  delivery   shortens  /me  to  market   by  30-­‐75%   Built-­‐in  QA  decreases   defects  by  50%     Agile  Value  Proposi6on    
7. Common  Reasons  for  “Going  Agile”   Source:  VersionOne’s  9th  Annual  State  of  Agile  Report    
8. ADOPTION  vs.   TRANSFORMATION  
9. a·∙dopt   /əˈdäpt/       :  to  take  by  choice   into  a  rela+onship   Agile  à   ß  You   Photo:  hNp://pixdaus.com/+ger-­‐hug-­‐kevin-­‐richardson-­‐facts-­‐ about-­‐this-­‐photo-­‐see-­‐commen/items/view/574666/  
10. Agile  Adop6on  PaNerns   •  Technology-­‐driven   •  Informal  processes   •  Lightweight  tools     •  Fast  feedback  cycle     Flexibility  >  Synchroniza6on  
11. What  is  Being  Adopted?   Source:  VersionOne’s  9th  Annual  State  of  Agile  Report    
12. trans·∙form   /tran(t)sˈfôrm/     :  to  change  in  composi+on  or  structure   Before  Agile   ASer  Agile   Photo:  Jazzastudios.com  
13. Agile  Transforma6on  PaNerns   •  Leadership-­‐driven   •  Formal  processes   •  Enterprise  tools   •  Cadence-­‐driven   Synchroniza6on  >  Flexibility  
14. Transforma+on  Context   Enterprise     Departments/ Program   Products   Teams   Scaling  Frameworks     Xtreme  Programming   Scrum/KanBan  
15. SCALING  FRAMEWORKS  
16. Scaled  Agile  Framework  (SAFe)     •  Focuses  on  workflow   synchroniza+on   •  Three  levels  of  management   (porMolio,  program,  product/ team)   •  Funds  virtual  organiza+ons  called   Agile  Release  Trains  (ARTs)   •  Governance  occurs  at  program   level   Graphic:  hNp://www.scaledagileframework.com/    
17. Scaled  Scrum/Nexus   •  Focuses  on  cross-­‐team  dependency-­‐management   •  Work  items  parsed  interchangeably  to  teams     •  Scrum  team  concept  remains  unchanged   •  Governance  occurs  via  Scrums  of  Scrum  (SoS)   Graphic:  hNps://www.scrum.org/Resources/The-­‐Nexus-­‐Guide  
18. Large  Scale  Scrum  (LeSS)     •  Focuses  on  scaling  product  ownership   •  Abolishes  PMO  &  non-­‐feature  teams   •  Interdependent  teams  organized  by  features   •  Governance  occurs  within  each  feature  team   Graphic:  less.works.com  
19. Disciplined  Agile  Delivery  (DaD)     •  Focus  on  managing  agile  within  an  IT  organiza+on   •  Governance  occurs  via  mul+ple  delivery  and   community  of  prac+ce  teams   Graphic:  hNp://www.disciplinedagiledelivery.com/agility-­‐at-­‐scale/disciplined-­‐agile-­‐2/  
20. Framework  Commonali+es   •  Priori+zing  and  flowing  work  to  mul+ple  groups   •  Managing  differing  levels  of  backlogs  and   requirements  decomposi+on   •  Ins+lling  common  sprint/release  cadences     Note:  they  all  assume  a  solid  founda+on  based  on  XP   and  Scrum  (or  Kanban)  
21. FAILURE  MODES  
22. Adop+on  Failure  Modes   Photo:  hNp://www.maxxgraphix.co/shop/product_info.php? cPath=40_75&products_id=5249&osCsid=a6d677d396ef5430 890eab326458600b  
23. Agile  Manifesto   Graphic:  agilemanifesto.org  
24. Failure  Mode  1:     Processes  over  Individuals   •  Failure  to  build  allies   •  Cargo-­‐cult  agile     •  Agile  zealotry  
25. Failure  Mode  2:   Comprehensive  Documenta+on  over  Working  Soxware     •  Meaningless  BUF  (Big-­‐Upfront-­‐Plans)  plans   •  Phase  gates  prior  to  “agile  sprints”   •  Massive  test  plans  vs.  lightweight  tests  and   automa+on  
26. Failure  Mode  3:   Contracts  over  Collabora+on   •  Maintaining  func+onal  siloes   •  Failing  to  integrate  suppor+ng  func+ons   •  Cold  hand-­‐offs  during  SDLC  
27. Failure  Mode  4:     Following  a  Plan  over  Responding  to  Change   •  Arduous  change  management  process   •  Rolling  wave  sprints   •  Long  release  cycle  +mes  
28. Transforma+on  Failure  Modes   Photo:  hNp://meg-­‐galac+cat.tumblr.com/post/ 76464299259/happy-­‐she-­‐hulk-­‐day-­‐i-­‐picked-­‐up-­‐a-­‐copy-­‐ during-­‐my   Img:  hNps://justaddtea.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/ burgos___she_hulk_rage_by_deaddog2007-­‐ e1422708388554.jpg  
29. Failed  Transforma+on  Root  Causes   Source:  VersionOne’s  9th  Annual  State  of  Agile  Report    
30. Failure  Mode  1:   New  Process,  Same  Culture   •  Trea+ng  transforma+on  as  process  revision   •  Failure  to  ar+culate  the  purpose   •  Lack  of  training  and  room  for  learning  curve    
31. Failure  Mode  2:   Lack  of  Execu+ve  Support   •  Lack  of  execu+ve  sponsor  &  champion(s)   •  Discon+nuity  between  teams  and  leadership   levels   •  Absentee/unaccountable  leaders  
32. Failure  Mode  3:   DIY  Transforma+on   •  Replica+ng,  not  scaling   •  Lack  of  in-­‐house  agile  experience   •  Undefined  future  state    
33. Failure  Mode  4:   Lack  of  Synchroniza+on   •  Compe+ng  priori+es   •  Funding  projects  instead  of  teams   •  Inconsistent  prac+ces  
34. AVOIDING  THE  PITFALLS  
35. Adop+on  Virtuous  Cycle   Assess   Execute   Improve  
36. Adop+on  Cycle  Components   Assess:   ü  Understand  the  pain   ü  Inves+gate  the  boNlenecks   ü  Build  allies   Execute:   ü  Start  with  a  simple  candidate   ü  Compress  the  full  SDLC  into  a   +me-­‐box   Improve:   ü  Measure  results  &  make   them  transparent   ü  Be  passionate,  but  don’t   be  a  zealot  
37. Signs  of  a  Healthy  Adop+on   •  Regular  delivery  of  working   soxware   •  Stable  velocity     •  Engaged  business  partners   •  Visible  interest  in  con+nuous   improvement   •  Growing  interest  in  business   ac+vi+es   •  Shared  sense  of  code  &  quality   ownership   Photo:  Proprietary  to  Nivia  S.  Henry,  with  permission  from   subjects  in  photo  
38. Transforma+on  Virtuous  Cycle   Assess   Design   • People   • Process   • Technology   Transi+on   Inspect  &  Adapt  
39. Assess  the  Current  State  (1)   •  Understand  the  organiza+onal  pain:   –  Five  Whys  exercise   –  Observa+ons  &  interviews   –  External  research   •  Iden+fy  the  boNlenecks:   –  Value  stream  mapping   –  Release  cadence   –  Quality  measures  
40. Assess  the  Current  State  (2)   •  Measure  the  current  organiza+onal  maturity:   –  Delivery   –  Performance   –  Agility   –  Customer  Sa+sfac+on   •  Understand  the  appe+te  for  change:   –  Surveys   –  Leadership  engagement   –  Funding  
41. Design  the  Future  State   People   Governance   Communica+on   strategy   Training   strategy   Feedback  loops   Process   Scaling   framework   Workflow   management   Engineering   prac+ces   KPIs/Measures   Technology   Enterprise  tools   Release/ Version/Config   Management   DEVOPS!  
42. Transi+on  to  the  Future  State   •  Execute  the  roadmap:   –  Number  of  concurrent  groups  to  onboard   –  Enact  strategies  in  itera+ons  (people,  process,  tech)   –  Transi+on  milestones   –  Establish  “transi+on  ambassadors”   •  Onboard  new  groups:   –  Decision  matrix  for  readiness   –  Onboarding  periods/waves   –  Coaching  &  training  
43. Inspect  &  Adapt   •  Establish  feedback  loops:   –  Execu+ve  reviews   –  Onsite  observa+ons   –  Transforma+on  retros   •  Encourage  communi+es  of   prac+ce:   –  By  func+on  or  topic   •  Review  KPIs:   –  Transi+on  backlog   –  Transi+on  dashboard   –  Performance   –  Net  Promoter  Scores  
44. Signs  of  a  Healthy  Transforma+on   •  Regular  delivery  of  working   soxware   •  Engaged  business  partners   •  Consistent  prac+ces   •  Free  flow  of  informa+on   •  Ac+ve  communi+es  of  prac+ce   •  Decentralized  decision  making   •  The  process  is  in  the  background  
45. THE  MORAL  OF  THE  STORY  
46. •  Find  the  purpose   •  (Over)  Communicate  con+nuously   •  Synchronize,  not  centralize   •  Build  skills  and  competencies  through  training   •  Maintain  a  strong  founda+on  though  XP     •  Let  people  experiment   •  Con+nuously  inspect  &  adapt   Success  Factors  
47. Addi+onal  Reading   •  Strategies  for  large-­‐scale  transforma+ons:     hNp://www.slideshare.net/nishanthnow/strategies-­‐for-­‐ largeagiletransforma+on   •  A  tour  of  agile  scaling  models:   hNp://www.infoq.com/news/2015/11/agile-­‐scaling-­‐tour? utm_content=buffer62ba8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twiNer.com &utm_campaign=buffer   •  SAFe:  hNp://www.scaledagileframework.com/   •  LeSS:  hNp://less.works/   •  Why  you  should  NEVER  hug  a  6ger:  hNp://bigcatrescue.org/abuse-­‐issues/ issues/pet-­‐cubs/  
48. AVOIDING  THE  PITFALLS   Q&A  
49. THANK  YOU!