Understanding How to Truly - ASPE Cult Agile P… · Cargo Cult Agile Team ‣Ensure the...

Understanding

How to Truly Benefit From

an Agile Transformation

presented by:

in partnership with:

Copyright 2010 Davisbase LLC. Distribution without express permission is forbidden

Introductions

Steve Davis Agile Trainer

Agile Coach

Trained over 5,000 people in Agile methods

over the last 5 years

Personally coached 80 different teams in various industries to

successfully transition to an Agile approach

Website: davisbase.org Email: [email protected]

Davisbase Consulting Developing People Who Develop Software.

mailto:[email protected]


What is a “Cargo Cult”?

World War II, Melanesian Islands

Allied Forces

Cargo Drops



“We did everything that they did, so where’s our cargo?”


A Cargo Cult Assumes...

‣ Imitating actions alone produces desired results

‣ Process is more important than the underlying

principles

‣ Discipline to process alone is paramount for

success

‣ The need to know “why” is not valuable

‣ Style over substance


Cargo Cult Agile Teams

‣Simply replace one prescriptive process for

development and delivery with another.

‣Invest more energy in duplicating others’ processes

rather than creating their own.

‣Fail to effectively communicate the

principles upon which their process

should be based.

‣Lack discipline in maintaining sight

of their most important mandate.

‣Care more about appearances

than results.


Cargo Cults Produce Few

Results

“We did everything they did, where are our results?”

“I knew Agile wouldn’t work. We did everything we were supposed to, but it only seemed to cause problems!”


Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

Working software over comprehensive documentation

Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

Responding to change over following a plan

http://agilemanifesto.org/

That is, while there is value in the items on

the right, we value the items on the left more.

We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and

helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:

The Agile Manifesto

Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value

Value

Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value Value

Value

Valu

e

Valu

e

Valu

e

Valu

e V

alu

e V

alu

e V

alu

e V

alu

e

http://agilemanifesto.org/


What Are We Here For?

We are

here to

develop

deliver

AND

great working

products


Complicated Vs. Complex

Watch Making

‣ Thousands of parts, hundreds of steps to

assemble

‣ Intricate, delicate work, difficult to complete

‣ Must work in specific order

‣ In order for watch to work, the final build

should reflect the original plan.

‣ Deviation from plan is considered a defect.

Complicated, but not complex

Weather

‣ Difficulty to predict details about behavior or

outcomes

‣ Outcomes are results of many variables

‣ Variables that affect outcomes are difficult to

impossible to predict reliably

‣ Plans expect variability and deviation, then

account for this in the plan

Complex

Developing Software

Is a Complex

Endeavor


Complicated Vs. Complex The Cone of Uncertainty

Time

Software

Complete

Project

Initiation &

Planning

+

-

In a

Waterfall

project, this is where

all of the important

project planning

decisions are

made.

The further out in time

something is, the more impaired

our ability to accurately predict

anything about it.

Estim

ate

V

ariabili

ty

present future

= Variable


Improvement The Team Delivery

So, What Should We Focus On?

Serve your customer

Customer

‣Listen to your

customers, even when

they are not happy

‣ It’s not ‘Us vs. Them’

‣ Involve them early,

often, and consistently

‣Communicate

transparently

‣A successful project

must have a delighted

customer

‣Seek to serve more

than just your contract

‣Know that your

customer’s wants and

needs will evolve with

the product

Note: Every project and product has a

customer. Know who your customer is!




Deliver your

product

Customer

‣ All processes used by a development team should serve to support their ability to deliver their product for their customer.

‣ The longer a product is in development, the more at risk it is of failing to meet market expectations.

‣ Teams must embrace uncertainty, or else they run the risk of being adversely affected by it.

‣ Agile teams must always ask “Is what I am doing adding value to the product we are delivering for our customer?”

If We Don’t Deliver,

Nothing Else

Matters Much

Any process used must be

all about delivering our

product.


‣ Agile teams meet at the end of each

iteration to examine the past iteration to

determine where improvements can be

made, then plans accordingly.

‣ Agile teams are empowered to

make decisions that support their short

term iteration goals.The Agile team

owns the responsibility of meeting the

customer’s expectations and their own

team commitments

Provide your team the

mechanisms to

allow for improvement.

When your team is

happy they produce

better products.



Your people are

important

Customer

Build projects around

motivated individuals.

Give them the

environment and

support they need,

and trust them to get

the job done.

AGILE PRINCIPLE

At regular intervals,

the team reflects on

how to become more

effective, then tunes

and adjusts its

behavior accordingly.

AGILE PRINCIPLE




You’re never done improving

Customer


“I welcome failure,

not because I desire it as an ultimate end,

but because I recognize that any true success

must be born through

some amount of failure.

And because of this allowance,

I expect my team to be

better next year than they are

today.”


The Antithesis of a Cargo Cult

‣ 2 brothers

‣ A large governmental agency (600 developers)

‣ Entrenched development process

‣ No allowance for deviation

What They Faced ‣ Started small, but stayed focused

‣ Always did a ‘sanity check’

‣ Reviewed what they did

‣ Shared what they learned

What They Did


What You Need to Remember

‣Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery,

but it is a poor foundation for your development

approach

‣Always seek clearly what value you expect to

create with any process, product, meeting,

team, etc.

‣Ensure shared, team ownership of any initiative

‣Pay closer consideration to the best product

outcome, rather than simple adherence to your

original plan


Avoid the Pitfalls That Can Create a

Cargo Cult Agile Team

‣Ensure the organization understands the principles

that Agile seeks to serve

‣Provide the proper training to ensure that every

team member is an “owner” of the approach

‣Don’t assume that a failure in development is a

failure of your approach

‣ Provide the teams the tools and

assistance that they need

‣ Seek continuous improvement


‣ Find experts that can point you in the right direction.

‣Recognize that training is the proper foundation upon which team’s build successful patterns.

‣ It takes time to get good at anything, Agile is no exception, but the rewards are well worth it.

‣Getting started is easier than you might think.

Your Call To Action


Your Questions, My Answers

Note: For those questions we do not have time to answer during the

webinar, I will be providing a written response. That response will be

posted on the ASPE-SDLC blog in a few days.


How to Claim Your PDU

‣ Go to ccrs.pmi.org

‣ Search for ASPE as a Registered Education

Provider. Our number is 2161.

‣ At the bottom of our details page, select

“See Provider’s Activities”

‣ Find the activity and code stated by the ASPE

moderator: WSCARGOAGILE

‣ The seminars are a Category A for one PDU

Webinar Code:

WSCARGOAGILE


‣Thank you.

‣Steve Davis, Davisbase Consulting

‣[email protected]

‣http://www.davisbase.org

Meeting Close

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.davisbase.org


About Davisbase Consulting

‣ A leading, national provider of Agile training and coaching

services.

‣ Since 2007, over 400 classes taught to over 8,000 people nationwide.

‣ Training, coaching, and consulting work for over 50 Fortune 500 Clients.

‣ Experienced. “In the trenches” doing what we teach

‣ Extensive experience with all aspects of software development and project

lifecycle across multiple industries and verticals.

‣ Every title and role from Developer, QA, Project Manager through Sr.

Leadership.

‣ Average of 15+ years of applied IT Leadership experience.

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