we connect. we deliver.

West Corporation at a Glance

4BTexts, voice alerts,

emails and notifications

64BVoice minutes

annually

159MConference calls

annually

290M911 calls per year

Market-leaderwith30

yearsofexperience,

drivingcloud-based

communicationsolutions

foraconnectedcustomer

experience

West Services and Solutions

Revenue Generation Health Advocate Cost Management

Conferencing Messaging & Presence Tools Voice & Networking Digital Media Services

IVR & Self-Service Proactive Notifications & Mobility Cloud Contact Center Professional Services

Wireline Mobility Government Solutions

Toll-Free Services Direct Inward Dialing Termination Services

S A F E T Y S E R V I C E S

U N I F I E D C O M M U N I C A T I O N S S E R V I C E S

I N T E R A C T I V E S E R V I C E S

S P E C I A L I Z E D A G E N T S E R V I C E S

T E L E C O M S E R V I C E S

3

February 24, 2017

Cultural Transformation: Lean and Agile

Dr. Gautham Pallapa

5

Client says: “I want a unicorn!”

Software Development Process

6

Sales says: “You want a unicorn, you get a unicorn”

Example

7

(IEEE 830 approach)

• Unicorn shall have 4 legs

• Unicorn shall have a horn on its head

• Unicorn shall be ridden

• Unicorn shall have a mane and tail

Requirements

8

Designer says, “I believe this is what you want”

Design

9

Developer says, “I believe I have coded to specs”

Development

10

• Unicorn shall have 4 legs – Yes R

• Unicorn shall have a horn on its head – Yes R

• Unicorn shall be ridden – Yes R

• Unicorn shall have a mane and tail – Yes R

Tester says, “I certify that this is a unicorn”

Testing

11

After Waiting Several Months …

12

Client Reaction

13

What the client wanted

14

What the client got

15

Focus was solely on functionality

Client/Customer need was ignored

Goals were not communicated

No prototyping

Product arrogance?

Why did we fail to deliver

Wedidnotfocusonvalue

16

17

Lean

18

Create value for customers by identifying, then eliminating or reducing waste

Lean approach

19

History of Lean

20

Lean Principles

Eliminatewaste

Amplifylearning

Decideaslateaspossible

Deliverasfastaspossible

Empowertheteam

Buildintegrityin

Seethewhole

21

Value Stream Map

22

Tools used: SIPOC

23

Tools used: Ishikawa Diagrams

24

Tools used: 5 Whys

25

Lean Six Sigma

26

Difficult to sustain

Time factor

Value is still at the end of the value stream (waterfall)

Resource and Capacity limitations

Limitations of Lean

SoftwareDevelopment!=Manufacturing

27

Agile

28

Agile Manifesto

29

• Understand Value– Understand why the client wants the solution

• Focus on Users – Who will be using the solution

• Define Done – Agree on Acceptance criteria before implementing

• Realize Value – What minimum functionality can be delivered to the client quickly

Focus on Delivering Value Early

30

31

Scrum

32

Kanban

33

Agile … is a mindset

34

Lean and Agile can work together!

Visioning ProjectApproval ProjectStaffing Project

RequirementsDesign,

Develop,TestProject

DeploymentProjectSupport

LeanAgile

35

AgilePractices

LimitWorkInProgress

FrequentIterationonSolution

FastFeedbackLoops,

LearningMindset

EliminateWaste

MapValueStream Customer

Experiments

SelfOrganizingTeams

36

To Change the Mindset

Identify the Right Change Agents

37

Diffusion of Innovations

38

Diffusion of Innovations

Critical Mass

39

Cultural Transformation

40

Building a Culture

Culture – Group of people with a common set of values or beliefs (Society)

Success of the human race

- Not because we are strongest or even the smartest

- Ability to build cultures or communities

41

Success of the human race

- Not because we are strongest or even the smartest

- Ability to build cultures or communities

Building a Culture

Corporation – Group of people with a common set of values or beliefs (Society)

42

Identify people who believe in what you believe (Change Agents)

When surrounded by people who believe in what you believe

Something wonderful happens!

Fundamental Need

Trust

43

Take Risks and Innovate

In the presence of trust

44

Continuous Improvement - Kaizen

Hypotheses and Experiments

Fail Fast, Fail Cheap, Fail Often

45

Build – Measure – Learn

Idea

Build

Product

Measure

Data

Learn

46

Complexity Leadership

47

Move from a Command and Control Structure…

48

… to a Complexity Leadership structure

Trust

49

… to a Complexity Leadership structure

Self-Organizing Team

50

… to a Complexity Leadership structure

Leaders

51

Progress occursin small increments

52

Director, Information ServicesThought LeaderInnovator, Product ownerLean Six Sigma Black BeltAgile Coach

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/gpallapa

• gpallapa AT west DOT com

• @gpallapa

About me

we connect. we deliver.

Thank You