Post on 25-May-2020
Just Enough: Minimally Viable Agile
Troy Tu'le Lean Agile Coach KanFlow.com troy@kanflow.com @troytu:le
KC PMI Professional Development Days
Minimum Viable Agile
Borrowing from the Product Development concept of MVP or Minimum Viable Product. "The minimum viable product is that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort."
What is it?
Minimum Viable Agile
Minimum Viable Agile is a search for Agile practices and ceremonies, informed by Lean and Agile theory, that produces the maximum amount of customer value, with the least amount of effort.
(Or Just Enough practices and ceremonies to be effective).
What is it?
Agile Is…?
Burn Down Charts
SEcky Notes
Card Walls
Kanban Boards Standup MeeEngs
RetrospecEves
Pair Programming
TDD
Sprint Planning
Planning Poker Velocity Story Points
User Stories
Release Planning
EsEmaEon
Team Room
DefiniEon of Done
WIP Limits
Agile Is…
(Actual Google Search, BTW)
The Agile Dysfunction Spiral
Detailed sprint planning
Formal sprint commitment
Work the sprint Unfinished work
We need to get be:er at
planning sprints
Coaching to help improve sprint planning
Sprint planning takes longer
Management Applies pressure
Culture of Blame creeps back in…
Team works overEme
Are we really just aVer be#er sprints?
Cargo Cult (Agile)
Many early Agile a:empts simply installed pracEces (recipes).
Warning! Following recipes leads to Cargo Cult Agile
Mob Programming
Mob Programming: The original MVA?
No Stand up meeEng
Product Owner engaged
Driver – Navigators – 15 min. rotaEons
Everyone takes a full lunch break!
All the needed experEse in same room All the
Brilliant People Working on the same problem At the same Eme
On the same computer
Mob Programming: The original MVA? Reduces or Eliminates: 1. Standup or other alignment meeEngs 2. Detailed planning-‐only sessions 3. The need for esEmates 4. Context Switching 5. Burn-‐down charts for performance tracking 6. Code Reviews
Increases: 1. Quality 2. CollaboraEon 3. ProducEvity 4. SaEsfacEon
Mob Programming: Why does it work? Sample Emeline of a user story or requirement.
Time 2
= wait Eme
weeks = touch Eme
weeks
4 -‐ 10 4 -‐ 10 2
Customer Request
PrioriEzed in Product Backlog
Backlog Grooming Planning Into a Sprint
Story Completed
(tacit knowledge decay)
The Essence of Agile
Focus
Learning
Simplicity (The art of the work not done.)
(CollaboraEon is an outcome.)
(Feedback loops enable improvements)
Customer Value (We wouldn’t be here otherwise.)
The Essence of Agile
Focus Learning
Simplicity Customer Value
• Visualize work • WIP limits • Cadence
• RetrospecEves • Small batches • ATDD and CI • ConEnuous Delivery
• Measurement based planning • Emergent Architecture
• Track progress of Value, not tasks • Customer based metrics
Visceral Reaction Disclaimer
We might cover some “controversial” topics.
Minimum Viable Agile
Let’s take a closer look at some tradiEonal Agile pracEces in need of improvement.
1. Story Point based Velocity 2. Sprint Burn Downs
Story Points based Velocity
Story Points based Velocity
Courtesy of Bennet Vallet
Director of Development
Siemens Health Services
Expected DistribuEon Actual DistribuEon
Story Point based Velocity (refactored)
Planning in the world of MVA
OpAon #1 Hours-‐long tradiEonal sprint planning meeEngs spent playing planning poker and a team arguing about the difference between 2’s and 3’s.
OpAon #2 Short story slicing meeEng where the focus is on understanding and slicing large stories. “Do we understand this story? If not, let’s keep slicing.”
1 2 3 5 8 13 21 40 100
Right-‐sizing the work
Planning in the world of MVA
Input Q Design Develop Test Done
3
1 2
9
7
8
6
4
5
Cycle Time
Throughput
10
14 days from this point
5 stories per week
Sprint Burn Downs
Why do we assume this is the wrong place for this team to be?
Work
Time
Nature of the Work
Manufacturing = repeatable processes Product Development = one Eme processes
One-‐Eme processes are non-‐determinisAc in nature
Nature of the Work
DeterminisAc Approach
Project Start
Knowledge
“Complete” Planned AcEvity
Non-‐determinisAc Reality
Project Start
Knowledge
“Complete” ?
What Customer Really Wants Be:er Knowledge
Project Managers in the middle, pulling out their hair
Sprint Burn Downs
This is a problem. What exactly do we do now?
Work
Time
It’s not acAonable!
Sprint Burn Downs (refactored)
AcAonable InformaAon!
Sprint Burn Downs (refactored)
(from Ac.onableAgile.com)
Work
Time
AcEonable InformaEon!
Coaching Minimum Viable Agile
• Training teams on estimation techniques or schemes.
• Focusing on making fixed scope, fixed time, commitment-based sprints work.
• Teaching teams how to use burn-down charts. • Teaching teams to use Velocity to plan releases.
Less of:
Coaching Minimum Viable Agile
• Coaching teams to Limit their WIP to achieve better focus.
• Using simple and pragmatic time-boxes for better risk management.
• Teaching teams how to visualize their work. • Coaching teams to conduct retrospectives and
adopt continuous improvement. • Planning releases based on historical
measurements.
More of:
Where does Agile go from here?
The first 15 years of Agile prompted us to ask:
“What are all the pracEces we need to adopt to be successful?”
Minimum Viable Agile prompts us to ask:
“Now, what pracEces do we change or discard to be successful?”
Just Enough: Minimally Viable Agile
Troy Tu'le Lean Agile Coach KanFlow.com troy@kanflow.com @troytu:le
KC PMI Professional Development Days
Thank you!