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Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Michael MahManaging Partner
QSM Associates, Inc.75 South Church Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201413-499-0988
Fax 413-447-7322e-mail: michael.mah@qsma.com
Website: www.qsma.comBlog: www.optimalfriction.com
COHAAThe Path to Agility
May 26, 2011
"Ugly Teams: Managing Difficult Conversations in Agile and Offshoring”
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Defects Found
6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60 66 72 78 84 90
05/17
'03
06/28 08/09 09/20 11/01 12/13 01/24
'04
03/06 04/17 05/29 07/10 08/21 10/02 11/13 12/25 02/05
'05
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Defe
cts
109876543101098765
Current Plan Actuals Green Control Bound Yellow Control Bound Project: CEP
Defects vs. Industry Average
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Example Offshore Project
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Gantt Chart By Sub-Phase<July Baseline Plan>
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Apr
'03
May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan
'04
Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
Inception
Elaboration 1
Elaboration 2
Elaboration 3
Construction 1 - Pre-FIT
Construction 2 - FIT
Construction 3 - UAT 1
Construction 4 - UAT 2
Construction 5 - Prod DataLoad
Production Pilot
Post Production
Sub-P
hases
1110765320
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Nov 19
Forecast to Complete (4 Month Delay)
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
-----Original Message-----
From: Tom DeMarco
[mailto:tdemarco@systemsguild.com]
To: Michael Mah
Michael,
[We need to contend with] a fairly angry CFO of the Nicholas Carr school who is demanding to [know] that he's not paying for a bunch of software dunderheads…
Best,
t
A Consultant’s Nightmare
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
“Chunk it, routinize it, digitize it,
…and then send it offshore”
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Knowledge vs. Routine Work
� Expert Thinking: Requiring creativity and expert problem solving, design of new products.
� Complex Communication: High paying jobs in design, innovation, and management of others with face-to-face interaction.
� Routine Cognitive Tasks: Work that follows well-defined logical rules, such as call center and data processing. Some routing software coding.
� Routine manual tasks: Physical labor jobs such as blue-collar assembly line work.
� Nonroutine manual tasks: Physical labor jobs difficult to automate requiring optical recognition, fine motor control, including a range of factory jobs.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
“mike exhausted.jpg” when you Google “Deathmarch”
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
“He noticed that the Feedback principle is a key feature of life forms from the simplest plants to the most complex animals, which change their reactions in response to their environment”
Norbert Wiener, 1894-1964
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We Have to “Think Systems…”
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Feedback Principle
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A Systems View - Real Work, Necessary Friction, and Optional Chaos for Teams
OptionalChaos
Effort that goes directly into transcribing knowledge you already have into the system being built
The work necessary to discover
knowledge you do not already have
The “Brownian Motion” of the project. It is waste
NecessaryFriction
Real Work
Source:
Armour, Phillip G. ”Real Work, Necessary
Friction, Optional Chaos”
Communications of the ACM
Vol 47 No 6 June 2004
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Short-Cycle Chaotic Projects
Duration
Eff
ort
/Co
st
Projectsthat are highly compressed experience somewhat higher levels of “Necessary Friction” but MUCH higher levels of “Optional Chaos”
Projectsthat are highly compressed experience somewhat higher levels of “Necessary Friction” but MUCH higher levels of “Optional Chaos”
Typical “compressedschedule project—only a small percentage of thetotal effort is of any value
RealWork
Source:
Armour, Phillip G.
“Real Work, Necessary Friction,
Optional Chaos”
Communications of the ACM
Vol 47 No 6
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Extended Schedule
Duration
Eff
ort
/Co
st
Onprojectsthat have the luxuryof extendedschedules, almostall of the effort expendedis useful and necessary work
Typical “relaxed” schedule solution--very
little “chaotic” behavior and unnecessary rework
RealWork
Source:
Armour, Phillip G.
“Real Work, Necessary Friction,
Optional Chaos”
Communications of the ACM
Vol 47 No 6
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
The Mix of Work
Duration
Eff
ort
/Co
st
Each projecthas some degree of eachof these categories of effort, but their relative levelsare not constant!
Real WorkRealWork Typical “mid-point”
solution effort mix
Source:
Armour, Phillip G.
“Real Work, Necessary Friction,
Optional Chaos”
Communications of the ACM
Vol 47 No 6
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Core Problem: They Aren’t Listening
�They are listening to their own “internal voice”
�Their internal voice blocks our voice
�Their internal voice is saying:
“your interpretation is wrong”
“you don’t understand our constraints”
“you don’t know what’s important”
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How to get Past Their Internal Voice?
�Repetition and rephrasing don’t always help
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
What Does Help?
�Don’t talk. Listen…(remember, you’re negotiating not with what they’re saying, but with what they’re thinking)
�Benefits of Listening Well:
You learn what they care about.
Once their internal voice feels heard, it quiets down.
Then they can focus on you.
Difficult Software Conversations
“Facing tough problems with heart”
Difficult Conversations:
The “What Happened?” Conversation
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
We Argue about Who’s Right
I’m right..No you’re
not…
But
Difficult Conversations are
never about facts
They’re about judgments,
values, interpretations, and
expectations….
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
TWO OF THE
MOST POWERFUL AND EFFECTIVE
OF ALL
HUMAN FEARS
ARE THE FEAR OF FAILURE
AND THE FEAR OF SUCCESS
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Costs of Focusing on Blame
�We don’t learn
�We get the problem wrong, so our “solutions” don’t work
�Relationships are damaged, while the problem stays
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From Truth to Perception: Ask, “How Do You See It?”
�When your internal voice says: “They’re
wrong, mean, stupid, wrong, evil…”
�Change to: I wonder why they see it
differently? What’s their side of the story?
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Three Key Shifts
� Truth Perceptions
How you see things is valid, but part of the story. What’s their story?
� Blame Joint Contribution
Take responsibility for your part, but not theirs.
� Intent Impact
Speak about how things impacted you, ask how things impacted them.
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Climb Down the Ladder of Inference
Conclusions“I’m right; YOU’RE WRONG.”
Explore my Reasoning/InterpretationsHow do my past experiences impact this? What
beliefs cause me to see it this way?
Part of the StoryWhat do I notice? What do I ignore? What
might the other person notice that I don’t?
INFORMATIONINFORMATIONINFORMATIONINFORMATION
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Blame vs. Contribution
BlameBlameBlameBlame
JointJointJointJointCCCCoooonnnnttttrrrriiiibbbbuuuuttttiiiioooonnnn
My Contribution
Your Contribution
Improve
Together
What Punishment?
Who’s Fault?
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Common Contributions
1. Intersections of style, interests, expectations
2. Unclear understanding of agreement, changes, or why important
3. Failure to offer help / failure to ask for help
4. Failure to clarify consequences of changes, of non-performance
5. Avoiding until now / being unapproachable
6. Unclear authority
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Take Part of the Responsibility
Shift from:Shift from:Shift from:Shift from: To:To:To:To:
This is their fault This is their fault This is their fault This is their fault (or)(or)(or)(or)This is my faultThis is my faultThis is my faultThis is my fault
Accepting Accepting Accepting Accepting responsibility responsibility responsibility responsibility makes me lookmakes me lookmakes me lookmakes me lookweakweakweakweak
We have each We have each We have each We have each contributed to the contributed to the contributed to the contributed to the current situationcurrent situationcurrent situationcurrent situation
Accepting Accepting Accepting Accepting part of thepart of thepart of thepart of theresponsibility gives responsibility gives responsibility gives responsibility gives me the power to me the power to me the power to me the power to change thingschange thingschange thingschange things
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Contribution and Accountability
� Joint contribution doesn’t mean no one played a part
� Even when (especially when) you played a part, it’s important to talk about how both sides contributed to the problem
� Why? Because when you understand your part, you discover better ways to solve the problem, and can talk about them more easily
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From Intention to Impact
Intentions matter
But other people’s intentions are invisible to us
So we make up their intentions based on:
- The impact on us
- Our feelings
We often assume the worst
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Don’t Judge Intentions(at first)
Shift from:Shift from:Shift from:Shift from: To:To:To:To:
They meant itThey meant itThey meant itThey meant it They may have good,They may have good,They may have good,They may have good,conflicting, or noconflicting, or noconflicting, or noconflicting, or nointentionsintentionsintentionsintentions
What’s importantWhat’s importantWhat’s importantWhat’s important Our good intentionsOur good intentionsOur good intentionsOur good intentionsis that I had goodis that I had goodis that I had goodis that I had good don’t sanitize a baddon’t sanitize a baddon’t sanitize a baddon’t sanitize a badintentionsintentionsintentionsintentions impactimpactimpactimpact
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Bottom Line on What Happened
� Perceptions: Treat your perspective as legitimate but limited. Inquire into theirs
� Contribution: Ask what you’ve each contributed to the problem. Think about how to change your own contribution
� Impacts: Speak to the impact of their actions on you, not to their intentions
Difficult Conversations:
The Feelings Conversation
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Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Common ways:
To Avoid Certain Feelings,
We Translate, or “Convert” Them
� Judgments: “That’s wrong”
� Characterizations: “You’re stupid”
� Arguments: “What makes you think…”
� Problem Solving: “Here’s the answer…”
Impact? Defensiveness, misunderstandings,
poor problem solving, damaged relationships
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Your Emotional Footprint
How does this change at different times,
in different places, and with different
people?
Which feelings are okay to express?
Which are not?
How were feelings treated in your
family?
Which feelings are easier for you to
share? Harder? Why?
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But….?
� Decision-making should be objective, right?
�Yes. Talking about feelings actually helps you disentangle them from sound decision-making
� I’m not a therapist – I’ve got work to do
�True. Don’t talk about feelings for the sake of talking about feelings. Raise them only for with a clear purpose, including: � to improve problem solving & communication
� to address footprint intersections
� to improve motivation and morale
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When Expressing Feelings
� Reflect, then negotiate with your feelings. Consider their view, your contribution, and question your attribution of their intentions
� Don’t “mutate” feelings into judgments, characterizations, or attributions
� Expressing emotions ≠ being emotional
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When Others Express Feelings
� Let others have their feelings. Listen and acknowledge *before* trying to solve the problem
� Don’t try to “one-up” the other person’s feelings
� Untangle: hear judgments and accusations as signs of strong feelings being present
Difficult Conversations:
The Identity Conversation
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Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Clues to Identity Issues
� Why is this so hard for me when others seem to handle it easily?
� Why do I sometimes lose my balance in the middle of these conversations?
� Why am I still stuck on what happened yesterday, last week, or last month?
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We Get Knocked Off Balance
� It weakens us
� We avoid conversations we probably should have
� We’re unsure of ourselves
� We “give in” not because it’s right, but because we don’t know what else to do
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Identity Triggers
I’m not the kind of person who:
- Makes mistakes
- Is mean
- Can be made fun of
- Hurts someone’s feelings
- Is irresponsible
- Is a lousy friend
- Is stupid
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We deny what’s might be true, and act “super-defensive”
Coping with an Identity Quake
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Coping with an Identity Quake
� Or we exaggerate everything
Mistake?????Mistake?????Mistake?????Mistake?????
I’m worthless… I’m worthless… I’m worthless… I’m worthless…
Worthless!Worthless!Worthless!Worthless!You made a
mistake
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Balance Your Self-Image
� FROM: I am either a good person, or a bad person
� TO: I’m safe and secure, while understanding all parts of who I am
. .
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Bottom Line on Identity
� Identity earthquakes spark strong reactions, which affects how
we see things
� Before a difficult conversation, ask yourself: what’s happening
inside?
� During the conversation, keep discoveries about yourself as
part of a bigger picture
� Talk about it with someone who cares about you
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Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
www.qsma.com
Copyright QSM Associates, Inc.
Who We Are:� QSM maintains the world’s largest benchmarking database of 8,000+
completed software projects collected worldwide. We put industry
productivity statistics on the desktop.
� The QSM SLIM database contains projects in all industries, waterfall,
Agile, offshore/outsourced, in-house, new development, and
maintenance.
� SLIM tools enable managers to measure and estimate Agile and/or
waterfall projects, and determine ROI.
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Industry Data from the QSM SLIM-Metrics Database
� Spans 20+ years
� Large, worldwide heterogeneous
database contains over 8,000+
projects
� Represents over 685+ million
SLOC, 7+ million function points,
over 600 languages, from 500+
organizations in 18 countries
� Adding 200 – 400 projects/year
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Partial List of Clients
� British Telecom
� SAP
� Microsoft
� Intel
� AT&T/BellSouth
� BMC Software
� Motorola
� VerizonWireless
� Roche Diagnostics
� Fiserv Corp
� IBM Global
� Misys Healthcare
� JPMorganChase
� Boeing
� Bank of New York Mellon
� Lockheed Martin
� Progressive Insurance
� DirecTV
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SLIM-
Estimate:
Size, Schedule,
Cost & Quality
Estimating
SLIM-DataManager
Software Project Metrics Repository
SLIM-Control:
Variance
Analysis
&
Adaptive
Forecasting SLIM-Metrics:
Industry
Benchmarking
& Process
Improvement
SLIM-MasterPlan: Incremental
Development & Project
Aggregation
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For Additional Information
Michael Mahemail: michael.mah@qsma.comwebsite: www.qsma.comblog: www.optimalfriction.comtwitter: @michaelcmahTel: 00 1 413-499-0988
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