agile as a change enabler
TRANSCRIPT
Agile as a Change Enabler 11th Annual Insurance-Canada.ca Technology Conference (2013)
Presented by:Andrew PittVP, Financial ServicesIntelliware Development Inc.
© 2014 Intelliware Development Inc.
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Outline
• What is “Agile”?
• The Change Enabler
• Case Studies
• Questions & Answers
© 2014 Intelliware Development Inc.
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The Agile Manifesto
“Agile” is defined by the “Manifesto for Agile Software Development” as:
• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan
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Why do Agile?
Agile development focuses on:
• Customer satisfaction, working software and delivery of value.
• Facilitating changing requirements, even late in the project.
• Communication and collaboration.
• Sustainable pace of change.
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What Agile is not…
Some myths about Agile development:
• No Documentation
• No Upfront Design/Architecture
• No Planning
• No Process
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The business side
Agile is also about effective business change management:
• Manage risk by focusing on business priorities
• Turn big ideas into concrete smaller components
• Expect business value regularly
• Get comfortable with not getting everything at once
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Why does technology change fail?
Studies show time and again the top reasons technology projects fail are:
• Lack of end-user involvement
• Poor/changing requirements
• Unrealistic schedules
• Inflexible and bloated processes
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Establish a vision and trust
First find the vision and then trust the path will be found
• Business and technology are now intertwined
• Do enough discovery and planning to identify the future state and direction
• Trust in the people, process and technology to get started
• Guiding principles articulate the vision without locking down the solution
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Manage risk
Technology projects are fundamentally a risk management exercise
• It’s about planning, not the plan
• Break things into manageable pieces
• Disciplined process bring delivery reliability and anchors the project
• Manage risk actively, not just through “mitigation plans”
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Deliver early and often
Projects need to deliver quickly to establish credibility, and then keep going
• Agile roadmaps are a great way to contain the discovery phase
• We like to have something (even a prototype) in 30 days or less
• Focus on business value and priorities to
• Continuous delivery is key to avoiding “late in the game” surprises
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Process and technology enablers
A few key Agile process and technology enablers to consider:
• Design seed, standards and simplicity
• Collaboration (Stand-ups, code sharing, retrospectives)
• Automation (Build, test, and deploy)
• Continuous Integration and Deployment
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Case Study: Agile Planning for ECM
Problem: Company with a myriad of systems and data sources for supporting business processes and no Enterprise Content Management (ECM) strategy. Multiple failed attempts to get a project off the ground.
Solution: Conducted a roadmap using Agile story writing to develop the high level vision, scope, technology solution and plan (estimates and timeline) based on prioritized business requirements.
Outcome: A business case was developed for a Phase I project that would address the high priority business needs, lay the foundation for the longer term solution and drive ROI to help fund future phases.
© 2014 Intelliware Development Inc.
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Case Study: Incremental Re-platforming
Problem: Company saddled with a cumbersome legacy back office platform. Multi-year discussions on re-platforming without ever building a business case.
Solution: Tackled claims management as a high priority area. Used agile practices to manage a large build and integration project.
Outcome: An award winning solution solved a pressing business need. Early and often delivery used to gain confidence in the new path forward.
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Case Study: Mobile Strategy
Problem: Company with multiple product lines was falling behind the competition without any mobile offering. Debate internally on what to offer was preventing action.
Solution: Listening to the business and customers, an Agile roadmap was used to determine the right technology solution for the future state and what product line to tackle first.
Outcome: The company has a mobile offering that satisfies the largest user group and is providing real feedback for moving forward. Technology platform is being proven and adjusted as appropriate.
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Getting Started
A few thoughts on how to get started (or maybe get unstuck?):
• Pick a project with the right ingredients
• There is no perfect approach
• Give people the tools
• Educate, but don’t procrastinate
© 2014 Intelliware Development Inc.
© 2014 Intelliware Development Inc.