Complexity Thinking for Scrum Teams

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Complexity Thinking for Scrum Teams Anton Rossouw Project Director (AIPM-CPPD) Agile Management Coach

description

This session presents the dilemmas of complexity, and introduces complexity theory models including complex adaptive systems (CAS) and Cynefin to better understand organizational contexts and respond with Innovation. This session should appeal to Agile practitioners interested in exploring complexity and applying practical techniques for improving Agile project outcomes. The session will discuss the following: 1) Introduce complexity theory and offer Cynefin as a valuable and practical tool for Scrum teams to manage changing contexts and operate Scrum as a Complex Adaptive System. 2) Explain how this enhances sense-making during an Agile project e.g. during sprint planning and user story development. 3) Explain how a team can apply different approaches for Cynefin domains e.g. Probe-Sense-Respond vs. Sense-Analyse-Respond. 4) Discuss useful Cognitive-Edge techniques e.g. safe to fail experimentation, butterfly stamping with the backlog, ritual dissent with solution design. 6) Show how Cynefin practices enhance the role of the ScrumMaster to create more effective and responsive teams. 7) Wet the appetite to start experimenting with Cynefin and build on small successes.

Transcript of Complexity Thinking for Scrum Teams

Page 1: Complexity Thinking for Scrum Teams

Complexity Thinking for

Scrum Teams

Anton Rossouw

Project Director (AIPM-CPPD)

Agile Management Coach

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http://photographyhotspots.com.au/photography-location/bronte-

beach/

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“I think the next century (21st) will be the century of complexity”

Stephen Hawking (1942-!)

“I wouldn't give a nickel for the simplicity on this side of

complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other

side of complexity.” Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

“For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple,

and wrong.” H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)

Three wise men…

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Ukiyo-e woodblock print - “The Great Wave” by Hokusai from his subscription series, “Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji,” completed between 1826 and

1833.

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“When we understand that slide, we’ll have won the

war,”

General McChrystal

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http://www.e-ir.info Publication “The Arab Spring of Discontent”

http://m3financialsense.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/tahir-square-is-back.html

“If a revolution destroys a government, but the systematic patterns of thought that

produced that government are left intact, then those patterns will repeat

themselves… There’s so much talk about the system. And so little understanding.”

Robert Pirzig,

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

“95% of the problems in business are system driven and only 5% are people

driven.”

W. Edwards Deming

http://thenepoproject.org/2012/09/26/greeks-protest-against-austerity-with-general-strike/

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Source: Brian Castellani - Complexity Science Map : http://www.art-sciencefactory.com/complexity-map_feb09.html

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Not Everything is Complex

Source: Cilliers, P. (1998) Complexity and postmodernism: Understanding complex systems, London and New York, Routledge

• Complicated System

– Interrelated parts.

– Linear behaviour, Predictable.

– Equal to the sum of its parts.

• Complex System

– Connected elements.

– Non-Linear responses, unpredictable behaviour.

– Positive and Negative feedback, spontaneous emergence.

– Cannot be described by analysing the components alone.

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Source: Sole, R., Goodwin, B., (2000) Signs of Life – How complexity pervades Biology, Basic Books, New York.

In Control Un-Control Out of Control

Stability Evolution/Revolution Catastrophe

Constrictive Principled Conflicted

Regimented Dynamic Chaotic

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Source (22 June 2009) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_adaptive_system Advantage seeking time driven Social Agents

Non Linear Effects

Short Range

Interaction

Constraints

and Simple

Rules

Memory and Culture

Learning and

Capability

Energy Flows

Evolution or Collapse

Possibility Space

“Living”

System

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Scrum artwork by Kenny Rubin http://scrumbook.wordpress.com

Action orientated sense-making group

under pressure and constraints that

responds constantly with and within its

environment to create emergent value

and learning experiences.

New definition of Scrum

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You absorb complexity,

you don’t delude yourself

into thinking you can

eliminate it

Snowden, D.J. Boone, M., (2007) A Leader's Framework for Decision Making. Harvard Business Review, November 2007, pp. 69-76.

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Complex Complicated

Chaotic Simple

Ord

ere

d

Un

ord

ere

d

Disorder

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C=E

C===E C≈E

C≠E

Known- Unknowns Unknown - Unknowns

Unknowables Known - Knowns

Complex Complicated

Chaotic Simple

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Complex Complicated

Chaotic Simple

Strong central,

weak distributed Weak central,

weak distributed

Weak central,

strong distributed

Strong central,

strong distributed

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Best

Practice

Specialist

Practice

Emergent

Practice

Novel

Practice

Complex Complicated

Chaotic Simple

Adoption

Adaption Exaption

Actaption

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Probe

Sense

Respond

Sense

Analyse

Respond

Sense

Categorise

Respond

Act

Sense

Respond

Complex Complicated

Chaotic Simple

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Collapse

Imposition

Converg

ence

Div

erg

ence

JIT Transfer

Exploration

Sta

ndard

isatio

n

Impro

vem

ent

Swarming

Complex Complicated

Chaotic Simple

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Warm and Fuzzy

Distractions

True

Catastrophe

Constraints on system and agents appear

Agent interactions breaking down

Issues requiring expert intervention appear

Obvious

solutions and

opportunities

to crises

appear

Tyranny of

the Experts

Mind-

Numbing

Bureaucracy

Knowledge diffused, system

increasingly well understood

Complex Complicated

Chaotic Simple High

uncertain

risk of

catastrophe

Increasing

predictability,

agent

interactions

stabilizing

Expert

knowledge

breaks

down,

increasing

agent

interactions

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• By 2016, the Cynefin

framework will be used by

10% of IT organisations as

a sense-making

methodology.

• Best practice methodologies

make us vulnerable to the

effects of increasing

complexity and ambiguity.

• Capture past stories and

conduct operational games.

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New Vocabulary

• Complexity, Uncertainty, Ambiguity, Constraints.

• Intractable problems and Anticipatory Awareness.

• Messy coherent systems.

• Story telling and micro narrative exploration.

• Co-evolutionary coalescence.

• Articulated and unarticulated requirements.

• Serendipitous discovery.

• Exaptation and novel increments

• Starvation, Pressure, Perspective Shift.

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Methods

• Butterfly Stamping

– Familiarisation, highlight perspective differences

• Future Backwards

– Clarify past perceptions and lessons, planning perspectives

• Anecdote Circles

– Narrative collection and understanding

• Safe-Fail Probes

– Find the best solution, test coherence

• Ritualised Dissent

– Challenge orthodoxy and consensus with diversity

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Safe to Fail Probes

Butterfly Stamping Future Backwards

Anecdote Circles Ritual Dissent

Scrum artwork by Kenny Rubin http://scrumbook.wordpress.com

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Where to now Scrum Master ?

• Create capability of Complexity Thinking

• Establish Cynefin model understanding

• Facilitate contextual sense-making

• Foster anticipatory awareness

• Implement methods during Scrum

• Exaptively co-evolve product and business

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Resources

http://santafe.edu/ http://comdig.unam.mx/ http://www.plexusinstitute.org/

http://cognitive-edge.com/ http://www.youtube.com/w

atch?v=yXIePVkTY0A

http://www.complexityexplorer.org/