Managing complex IT software projects

I presented this talk a while back for a customer in Berlin. It gives you an overview where complexity is hidden inside software projects and how agile methodologies can help to remedy the situation.

Transcript

1. MANAGING COMPLEX IT SOFTWARE PROJECTS Thomas Keller Agile Project Manager Mobile Software Engineer Mail: hallo+thomas-keller@grossweber.com Phone: +49 341 392 816 250
2. AGENDA • What makes IT projects so complex? • How can the complexity be reduced? • How can Agile methodologies help? • Q & A 2
3. COMPLEXITY
4. COMPLEXITY • Unclear / unexpressed customer requirements • Lack of ownership (and leadership) • Over-specification and huge architectures • Under-estimation of impact 4
6. REDUCE COMPLEXITY! Customer relations • Setup contracts that support change • Let end users speak with your teams • Deliver early and often to your customers • Determine the MVP and build / optimize upon 6
7. REDUCE COMPLEXITY! Team setup • Create vertical teams around specific topics • Avoid man shuffling / shifting • Setup communities for horizontal knowledge transfer • Trust >> control, alignment >> chaos 7
8. EXCURSUS: ALIGNMENT & AUTONOMY 8
9. REDUCE COMPLEXITY! Tools and Technologies • Let teams pick the tools they’re familiar and comfortable with • Let teams find and use technologies that fit your use case • e.g. micro services vs. monolithic backend, cloud services vs. own backend infrastructure 9
10. REDUCE COMPLEXITY! Transparency • Make the scope and your decisions as transparent as you want the development process to be transparent • Cheer on success and on failure, because you learn from both • Take feedback cycles serious, on several levels • Improve continuously 10
11. REDUCE COMPLEXITY! Quality • Software quality is not an aftermath • Much complexity stems from technical debt • Empower teams to rigorously build quality software • Continuous Integration is a must for continuous delivery 11
12. EXCURSUS: SOFTWARE QUALITY Pick two! 12
13. 13 EXCURSUS: SOFTWARE QUALITY Waterfall Agile
14. 14 EXCURSUS: SOFTWARE QUALITY
15. AGILE METHODOLOGIES What does „Agile“ mean? - For me, to have… • High quality software, developed in short iterations • Motivated individuals that work in a trustful environment • Working practices of good software craftsmanship • Pragmatism and willingness to fail • Constant feedback loops and continuous improvement 15
16. AGILE METHODOLOGIES Scrum XP Lean Kanban … 16
17. AGILE METHODS: SCRUM • Work in sprints, have a PSPI after each • Defined meetings, defined roles, defined artifacts • Ideal for teams / companies new to Agile 17
18. AGILE METHODS: KANBAN • Shares mindset with Scrum, but more flexible (no iterations, no commitment, no enforced roles, no sizing restrictions, …) • Limits WIP to avoid overheating or „jams“ • Ideal for more experienced teams or continuous delivery processes 18
19. AGILE METHODS: XP • Predecessor of Scrum, software-centric • Source of many best practices like e.g. Pair Programming, TDD, Continuous Integration, Collective Code Ownership, Refactoring, Coding standards, Release early and often
20. AGILE METHODS: LEAN • Identify customers and value • Identify how to deliver value • Reduce waste, optimize rigorously • Fulfill customer demand • Aim for perfection => Agile on company level! 20
21. AGILE METHODOLOGIES So, which should we choose? The short answer: It depends… The slightly longer answer: Start with a well-defined framework, then adapt and break the rules! 21
22. EXCURSUS: AGILE FLUENCY • A model to determine how „fluent“ you are doing agile (fluent as in „fluently speaking“), i.e. how fluent your team reacts under pressure • Four levels, each with new benefits, but also new adoption challenges • Find the level for your company that fits your need (and matches the investment you can afford) 22
23. EXCURSUS: 
 AGILE FLUENCY 23
24. WRAP UP • Solve big problems by breaking them down into smaller ones • Invest and trust in your people • Keep it simple and start to automate • Measure, survey, test - take nothing for granted! 24
26. „Thanks for the fish!“ Q & A 26
27. Image resources: • http://geekandpoke.typepad.com/geekandpoke/2012/01/simply-explained-dp.html • http://blog.crisp.se/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/unproject.pdf • https://www.appnovation.com/blog/fixed-vs-estimated-understanding-methodology-triangles • http://geekandpoke.typepad.com/geekandpoke/2011/10/green-it-part-2.html • http://www.agileconnection.com/article/what-does-it-mean-have-agile-mindset • http://www.zenexmachina.com/assets/themes/zxm/images/page-artefacts/scrum-process-01.png • http://leankit.com/kanban/kanban-board/simple-physical-board-w-card-types-e87dbe30.png • http://oanasagile.blogspot.de/2013/11/test-driven-business-for-lean-startup.html • http://martinfowler.com/articles/agileFluency.html 27