accelerating agile transformation - excellarate...• certified scrum master, 11+ years experience...

www.synerzip.com © 2010, SmoothApps. All rights reserved.

No part of this presentation can be shared or reproduced without the written permission of SmoothApps.1

Accelerating Agile

TransformationPatterns and Reusable Solutions



About The Presenter

• Certified Scrum Master, 11+ years experience

delivering multi-million dollar enterprise class apps

in companies of different sizes - giants like Cisco &

Avaya, a start-up and mid-sized company.

• Most recently - Program Manager in Cisco’s IP

Communication Business Unit, helped with the training,

customization and roll-out of Scrum in a hybrid Agile-

Waterfall environment.

• Previously - Technical Manager at Avaya, participated in

the Agile Transformation of a global engineering team

delivering Contact Center Reporting solutions.



Goals

1. Introduce a frame-work for Accelerating Agile

Transformation

2. Provide practical techniques for use

immediately after this call



• Common Agile Impediments:

Common Impediments

– Fad of the day �

– Yet another meeting?

– What’s wrong?

– Fluid Release Content

– They just don’t get it!

– Chickens behaving like pigs

– Silos, misaligned Goals

– Inaccessible Customer

– Death by fire-drills

– They just don’t get it!

• Are all the impediments unique to each organization?

OR

• Any common patterns and reusable solutions?



Patterns

• Design Patterns:

“A general reusable solution to a commonly

occurring problem…

A description or template for how to solve a problem

that can be used in many different situations”

• Some Examples:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_pattern_(computer_science)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architectural_pattern_(computer_science)

– Singleton

– Pub / Sub

– Façade

– Proxy

– MVC

– P2P

– SoA

– ETL



• When we engineer a system, we don’t code from

scratch

– We identify patterns and reuse solutions

– Can we adapt this approach to remove Agile Impediments?

• Accelerating Agile Transformation using Patterns

• A frame-work with three pillars:

– Pillar 1: Patterns in Change

– Pillar 2: Patterns in Personality

– Pillar 3: Patterns in Conflict

• One practical technique each

Accelerating Agile Transformation



Pillar 1 – Patterns in Change“Change is the only constant.”,

-Heraclitus (535 BC - 475 BC)

• Harvard Business School Professor and international Change Leadership Guru - John Kotter:

– Over 70% of all change efforts do not meet their objectives

– Only 10% of all change efforts exceed expectations

– Why? What can we learn-

• Common patterns in all 10% of successful change efforts

• A reusable 8 Step Process



A. Set the Stage

1. Create a sense of urgency.

2. Pull together the guiding team.

B. Decide What to Do

3. Develop the Change Vision and Strategy.

C. Make it Happen

4. Communicate for Understanding and Buy In.

5. Empower Others to Act.

6. Produce Short Term Wins.

7. Don’t Let Up.

D. Make It Stick

8. Create a New Culture.

Pillar 1 – Patterns in Change

Where we often start

Where we should start



• The most important step –

– Create a sense of urgency

• Address the questions-

– Why are we introducing Agile? Why now?

– What is not working well?

– What if we preserve the status quo?

• How would it affect stake holders?

• How would it impact business metrics?

• What stories / facts do we have to support this?




Without compelling answers…

STOP AGILE TRANSFORMATION NOW!

• Risks:

– Setting teams up for failure

– Constantly on the defensive

– Death of a thousand paper cuts




• Be pragmatic:

– Tweak Agile where possible

– But avoid over-tweaking

• Satisfying every demand to make Agile look

like the legacy process is self defeating

– If we succeed, we may fail!

– Whatever is left behind probably isn’t Agile.

• Avoid the weeds. Raise the conversation.




• Create a sense of urgency. Address the questions-

– Why are we introducing Agile? Why now?

– What is not working well?

– What if we preserve the status quo?

• How would it affect stake holders?

• How would it impact business metrics?

• What stories / facts do we have to support this?




• Challenge 1: How have you created a sense of

urgency for your Agile Transformation?




Pillar 2 – Patterns in Personality

• Consider an upgrade…

• Lack of time, staff, money

• 2 extremes:

– Test 1, hope for the best

– Test all, never release

• Or, be pragmatic:

– Cover the bases

– Use Pareto’s 80-20 rule…

“Roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.”

Linux

Mac

Vista

XP

Linux

Server

Windows

Server

Servers →

Clients↓

Linux

Mac

Vista

XP

Linux

Server

Windows

Server

Servers →

Clients↓

Linux

Mac

Vista

XP

Linux

Server

Windows

Server

Servers →

Clients↓

Linux

Mac

Vista

XP

Linux

Server

Windows

Server

Servers →

Clients↓




• As with Software Upgrade, so with ‘Organizational

Upgrade’:

– One size does not fit all

– And we cannot address all situations

• People deal with changes in different ways:

– Some are stimulated, excited

– Others are depressed, stuck

– Many are somewhere in between

• Cover the bases:

– Understand the pattern

– Manage the change(From Introduction to Type and Change – by Nancy J. Barger and Linda K. Kirby, Publisher – CPP, Inc. 2004)



“People do not resist change – people change all the time.

What people resist is having others impose change on them.”

- Margaret Wheatley

• For you, the change is intentional:

– Exciting, timely, problem-solving

• For others, it is imposed:

– Arbitrary, abrupt, problematic

• Ignore this gap and cripple your change!

(Introduction to Type and Change – by Nancy J. Barger and Linda K. Kirby, Publisher – CPP, Inc. 2004)




• The MBTI assessment - developed by Katherine Briggs

and Isabel Myers based on the theory of Carl Jung

• Type preferences are similar to handedness-

– Most of us are capable of using both our hands.

– We probably prefer to use one of our hands in certain

situations.

– If the need arises, we can probably switch.

– It just may not feel as natural.




• The MBTI indicates our preferences in four areas…

• There are 16 MBTI personality types.

• We feel most comfortable in our preferred styles.

• But we can always “FLEX” our type as needed.

Extraversion (E)

Sensing (S)

Thinking (T)

Judging (J)

Intraversion (I)

Intuition (N)

Feeling (F)

Perceiving (P)

Directing energy, attention

Taking in information

Making decisions

Completing tasks

Preference PairArea / Scale




• Personality type influences our needs during

change:

– How we want to be informed

– What kind of information we want

– What criteria we use to support or resist

– How we want to be involved in the change

– How we want the change plan to be structured





• Applying personality type to Agile Transformation

• Three steps, three check-lists

1. Take charge of your own needs

2. Attend to the needs of others

3. Take action as a group





Intraversion (I)

– Read, reflect and decide

• 1x1’s, small groups?

Intuition (N)

– Big picture

• Tie to org. vision, mission, goals?

Feeling (F)

– Impact on people

• Lower stress, better relationships?

Perceiving (P)

– Spontaneity and flexibility

• Adjusting the backlog?

• Step 2: Attending to the needs of others:

Extraversion (E)

– Discuss and develop ideas

• Town halls?

Sensing (S)

– Real data, specifics on why, how

• Quantify lost revenue?

Thinking (T)

– Logic, chance to ask why

• Dead code?

Judging (J)

– Clear goals, schedules, time-lines

• Engage in Sprint Planning?

Preference Pairs





• Challenge 2: How have you tailored your Agile

Transformation for personality types?




Pillar 3: Conflict Resolution• The one guarantee is conflict!

• Conflict is…

any situation

in which your

expectations, concerns or desires

differ from those of

another person

• Conflict itself is neutral

• Managing conflicts generates good or bad outcomes

(Introduction to Conflict Management – Kenneth W. Thomas, Publisher – CPP, Inc. 2002

Introduction to Conflict and Teams – Kenneth W. Thomas and Gail Fann Thomas, Publisher – CPP, Inc. 2004)



• Mismanaged conflict:

Pillar 3: Conflict Resolution

– Damaged relationships

– Poor decisions

– Deadlocks

– Disengagement

– Project failure!

• This is the leadership challenge!



– Understanding others

– Innovations

– Self managing teams

– Higher engagement

– Project Success!

• Well managed conflict:



Pillar 3: Conflict Resolution

Cooperativeness

Assert

iveness

• The TKI assessment – Ken Thomas and Ralph Kilmann developed an approach to manage conflicts in a pragmatic, non-emotional, situation based way.

• Two basic, independent dimensions:– Assertiveness: Satisfying your own concerns

– Cooperativeness: Satisfying the other person’s concerns





Win-Lose Win-Win

Lose-Lose Win-Lose

Win-Lose

Your Satisfaction

Other’s Satisfaction

Incr

easing

joint

satis

faction

Dec

reas

ing

join

t

satis

fact

ion

Claim

ing a

bigger piece

Claim

ing a

smaller piece

Pillar 3: Patterns in Conflict



Applying to Agile:Scrum Master vs.

Scrum Team Member-

Daily Scrum Meeting



Win-Lose Win-Win

Lose-Lose Win-Lose

Win-Lose

Your Satisfaction

Other’s Satisfaction

Incr

easing

joint

satis

faction

Dec

reas

ing

join

t

satis

fact

ion

Claim

ing a

bigger piece

Claim

ing a

smaller piece




Applying to Agile:Scrum Master vs.

Scrum Team Member-

Daily Scrum Meeting



• No single best way

• Each has costs and benefits

• Effectiveness:

– Knowing when

– Knowing how / skills

• Skills:

– Maximize benefits

– Minimize costs

• Become self-aware:

– Guard against overuse / underuse






• TKI increases awareness on conflict resolution styles:


• Observe your behavior, notice your tendencies– Understand the costs / benefits

– Guard against overuse / underuse (Introduction to Conflict Management – Kenneth W. Thomas, Publisher – CPP, Inc. 2002




• Challenge 3: What conflict resolution styles do

you over-use? What is the impact?




Tying it all Together

• Accelerating Agile Transformation:

– Pillar 1: Patterns in Change – Plan & Monitor

• Create a sense of urgency

– Pillar 2: Patterns in Personality Type – Design &

Implement

• Address the needs of your team during change

– Pillar 3: Patterns in Conflict – Facilitate Self-

management

• Become self-aware, guard against overuse / underuse



Tying it all Together

• Not all-or-nothing

• Not sequential

• Many options –

– Roll out org-wide

– Begin with key players

– Begin with hot-spots

– Apply the concepts



Questions?

Ravi VermaPrincipal Consultant

SmoothApps,

[email protected]

om214-785-5570

www.synerzip.com

Hemant Elhence,

[email protected]

469.322.0349



Synerzip in a Nut-shell1. Software development partner for small/mid-sized technology

companies• Exclusive focus on small/mid-sized technology companies

• By definition, all Synerzip work is the IP of its respective clients

• Deep experience in full SDLC – design, dev, QA/testing, deployment

• Technology and industry domain agnostic

2. Dedicated team of high caliber software professionals • Seamlessly extends client’s local team, offering full transparency

• NOT just “staff augmentation”, but provide full mgmt support

3. Actually reduces risk of development/delivery• Experienced team - uses appropriate level of engineering discipline

• Practices Agile development – responsive, yet disciplined

4. Reduces cost – dual-shore team, 50% cost advantage

5. Offers long term flexibility – allows (facilitates) taking offshore team captive – aka “BOT” option

34© www.synerzip.com / www.threebeacons.com 2009



About SmoothApps

• Boutique I.T. Management Consulting Firm,

helping organizations with-

– Organizational Development

– Outsourcing Advisory

– Program Management

• Mission–

“Help organizations develop and use I.T. innovatively –

creating sustainable prosperity, excitement and energy

among employees, partners, customers, and

communities.”



Contact Us for a Free Diagnostic

Assessment on

Agile Transformation Readiness

Ravi VermaPrincipal Consultant

SmoothApps,

[email protected]

om214-785-5570

www.synerzip.com

Hemant Elhence,

[email protected]

469.322.0349

accelerating agile transformation - excellarate...• certified scrum master, 11+ years experience...

Documents