getting results the agile way doug langille email / web / twitter: me @douglangille.ca
TRANSCRIPT
Let’s take a moment…
3
Triangulating Ideas
Gather your team. Evaluate the ground. Plot your course. Take a bearing. March forward. Take a bearing. Course-correct. Cheat right. Place one foot in front of the other. Find the Control Point. Celebrate your win. Re-evaluate. Learn. Adapt strategy. Improve. Take the next bearing. Place one foot in front of the other. March forward.
Any Given Saturday
• Mow the lawn• Stain the deck• Trim the boxwood• Call restaurant for reservations• Finish requirements analysis for
Monday• Find a babysitter• Get cash from bank• Return library books• ad nauseum et infinatum
CC Image from Wikimedia
A Designed Saturday
1. Enjoyed reading a book on my deck2. Had an awesome date night with the love of my life3. Ready to knock their socks off on Monday
• Mow the lawn• Stain the deck• Trim the boxwood• Call restaurant for reservations• Finish requirements analysis for Monday• Find a babysitter• Get cash from bank• Return library books
CC Image from Flickr
A Designed Week
Flowing Value
Daily Rhythm of Results
Focus on what matters. Prioritize. MUST, SHOULD & COULDRecap your Wins.
Musts, Shoulds & Coulds
• Quadrant 1• Do It Now• Phone, In Person
• Quadrant 2• Decide When to Do It• Project Work
• Quadrant 3• Delegate it• IM, Texts, Most Email
• Quadrant 4• Dump It• Twitter, Web, News
Make compelling stories out of your Wins.
Turn a mundane or routine task into a powerful victory by connecting it to your values.
Rather than “duty shift on the front desk”, try “I helped students succeed”.
Agile Results for TeamsHINT: Focus on Outcomes, not Activities.
3 Wins for the WeekIdentify three wins for the week at the team level. Encourage individuals to identify their three wins for the week.
This is Monday Vision.
3 Wins for the DayEncourage individuals to drive for three wins each day.
These are Daily Outcomes.
3 Wins for the MonthIdentify three wins for the month at the team level. Encourage individuals to identify their three wins for the month.
Monthly Theme/FocusOne driving theme for the month, such as “simplicity” … something helps move wins forward and give meaning to the month.
This is a Monthly Improvement Sprint.
“Ten at Ten”If you have a “ten at ten” meeting (ten minutes at 10:00 am), then you can ask folks
what they got done, what they are working on, and where they need help.
This gets everybody on the same page fast, helps debottleneck the team, and helps acknowledge the work being done.
Weekly Team MeetingIn the team meeting, go around the table and ask folks to talk about their wins.
Friday ReflectionIndividuals on the team, and you, should reflect on three things going well and three things to improve. Carry the lessons forward and bake them into each new week. This builds continuous improvement.
35 Hour Work WeekDrive the team to a 35 hour work week baseline. Brains are better
when they are rested and relaxed. Use the time-boxing at the week level to ruthlessly prioritize and focus on flowing value.
Sweet SpotPush people to spend more time in their strengths and less time in the
things that drain them.
PairingPair people up on the team to rapidly cross-pollinate skills and to spread
and amplify success.
Kanban
Burndown Chart
Questions?
References
JD Meier is a Principal Program Manager on the Microsoft Enterprise Strategy team. Over the course of leading many projects, many teams, and many adventures, he’s learned how to get results and balance life.
• http://sourcesofinsight.com • http://gettingresults.com • http://www.30daysofgettingresults.com• http://blogs.msdn.com/b/jmeier
• http://www.asianefficiency.com/agile-results • http://news.sciencemag.org/social-sciences/2011/01/hugs-follow-3-second-rule• http://www.ted.com/talks/bruce_feiler_agile_programming_for_your_family
The System in a Nutshell
Manifesto for Agile Software Development
We are uncovering better ways of developingsoftware by doing it and helping others do it.
Through this work we have come to value:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items onthe right, we value the items on the left more.
Principles behind the Agile Manifesto
Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the
customer's competitive advantage.Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the
shorter timescale.Business people and developers must work together
daily throughout the project.Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them
the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-
to-face conversation.Working software is the primary measure of progress.
Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to
maintain a constant pace indefinitely.Continuous attention to technical excellence and good
design enhances agility.Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work
not done--is essential.The best architectures, requirements, and
designs emerge from self-organizing teams.At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become
more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.
We follow these principles: