Agile WTF

Agile WTF!

Naresh Jain
naresh@agilefaqs.com
twitter: @nashjain
http://nareshjain.com
Friday 15 June 2012 1

Agile WTF!

Agile Way to Fail!
Naresh Jain
twitter: @nashjain

Being ‘agile’
OVER
Following ‘Agile’

Naresh Jain
twitter: @nashjain


Why is there only ONE
Toyota or Apple today?


Processes are like haircuts
Copying someone else’s rarely works

Retrospec)ve
Coherence


Retrospec)ve
Coherence

Hindsight does not lead to foresight!


Albert Einstein

A perfection of means, and
confusion of aims, seems to be
our main problem.

Albert Einstein

Process
is
a
placebo

9

Process
is
a
placebo

Jared
spool’s
tricks
to
Dogma
con7nuum
arranges

terminology
from
improvisa7on
to
atrophy
9

Process is built on values and
principles and tailored to ﬁt its
context

Src: Jeff Patton

Src: Jeff Patton

ME


Mumbai


Tech Talks!


FitNesse Panopticode ProTest

DBFit FitDecorator ProFIT

La"u Patang QWick


Taking ownership of
a simple process

Adapted from Jeff Patton


The
Ball
Point
Game


The
Ball
Point
Game
Your
goal:
 As
a
team
predictably
"process"
the
most
number

of
balls
in
a
round
by
passing
a

ball
to
each
member
 You
have
3
rounds
to
get
the
best
score
you
can


The
Ball
Point
Game
Your
goal:
 As
a
team
predictably
"process"
the
most
number

of
balls
in
a
round
by
passing
a

ball
to
each
member
 You
have
3
rounds
to
get
the
best
score
you
can

Simple
structure:
 Predict
the
number
of
balls
you
can
process

 Pass
balls
for
2
minutes
(no
more,
no
less)

 Take
2
minute
to
discuss
and
improve
your
strategy


The
Ball
Point
Game
Your
goal:
 As
a
team
predictably
"process"
the
most
number

of
balls
in
a
round
by
passing
a

ball
to
each
member
 You
have
3
rounds
to
get
the
best
score
you
can

Simple
structure:
 Predict
the
number
of
balls
you
can
process

 Pass
balls
for
2
minutes
(no
more,
no
less)

 Take
2
minute
to
discuss
and
improve
your
strategy

Simple
rules:
 Everyone
must
touch
the
ball
for
it
to
be
“done”

 The
ball
must
have
“air
)me”
-‐
it
must
be
tossed
or
dropped
between
team
members


Core
Agile
concepts
learned?


Core
Agile
concepts
learned?
 Ideal
processes
use
a
simple
framework
-‐
like
a
game


Core
Agile
concepts
learned?
 Ideal
processes
use
a
simple
framework
-‐
like
a
game

 Changing
your
strategies
&
tac7cs,
not
the
framework,
allow
you

to
improve


Core
Agile
concepts
learned?
 Ideal
processes
use
a
simple
framework
-‐
like
a
game

 Changing
your
strategies
&
tac7cs,
not
the
framework,
allow
you

to
improve

 Process
improvement
comes
from
change


Core
Agile
concepts
learned?
 Ideal
processes
use
a
simple
framework
-‐
like
a
game

 Changing
your
strategies
&
tac7cs,
not
the
framework,
allow
you

to
improve

 Process
improvement
comes
from
change

 Skill
improvement
come
from
prac7ce


Core
Agile
concepts
learned?
 Ideal
processes
use
a
simple
framework
-‐
like
a
game

 Changing
your
strategies
&
tac7cs,
not
the
framework,
allow
you

to
improve

 Process
improvement
comes
from
change

 Skill
improvement
come
from
prac7ce

 Certain
kind
of
es=mates
improves
with
frequent
measurement


Core
Agile
concepts
learned?
 Ideal
processes
use
a
simple
framework
-‐
like
a
game

 Changing
your
strategies
&
tac7cs,
not
the
framework,
allow
you

to
improve

 Process
improvement
comes
from
change

 Skill
improvement
come
from
prac7ce

 Certain
kind
of
es=mates
improves
with
frequent
measurement

 Velocity
is
agile’s
language
for
measuring
throughput


Core
Agile
concepts
learned?
 Ideal
processes
use
a
simple
framework
-‐
like
a
game

 Changing
your
strategies
&
tac7cs,
not
the
framework,
allow
you

to
improve

 Process
improvement
comes
from
change

 Skill
improvement
come
from
prac7ce

 Certain
kind
of
es=mates
improves
with
frequent
measurement

 Velocity
is
agile’s
language
for
measuring
throughput

 Visibility
of
work
helps
us
make
improvement
decisions


Core
Agile
concepts
learned?
 Ideal
processes
use
a
simple
framework
-‐
like
a
game

 Changing
your
strategies
&
tac7cs,
not
the
framework,
allow
you

to
improve

 Process
improvement
comes
from
change

 Skill
improvement
come
from
prac7ce

 Certain
kind
of
es=mates
improves
with
frequent
measurement

 Velocity
is
agile’s
language
for
measuring
throughput

 Visibility
of
work
helps
us
make
improvement
decisions

 Reﬂec7on:
observing,
measuring
&
changing
is
the
means
for

process
improvement


Core
Agile
concepts
learned?
 Ideal
processes
use
a
simple
framework
-‐
like
a
game

 Changing
your
strategies
&
tac7cs,
not
the
framework,
allow
you

to
improve

 Process
improvement
comes
from
change

 Skill
improvement
come
from
prac7ce

 Certain
kind
of
es=mates
improves
with
frequent
measurement

 Velocity
is
agile’s
language
for
measuring
throughput

 Visibility
of
work
helps
us
make
improvement
decisions

 Reﬂec7on:
observing,
measuring
&
changing
is
the
means
for

process
improvement
 Team
work
is
an
individual
skill


“Simple, clear purpose and
principles give rise to complex
and intelligent behavior.

Complex rules and
regulations give rise to simple
and stupid behavior.”

Dee Hock

Your
SoNware
Development
Game?
What
would
be:
 Your
goal
 Simple
structure
 Simple
rules


The
Agile
Game


The
Agile
Game
Your
goal:
 As
a
team,
predictably
deliver
max
value
to
users
&
stakeholders


The
Agile
Game
Your
goal:
 As
a
team,
predictably
deliver
max
value
to
users
&
stakeholders

Simple
structure:

 As
a
team,
set
a
goal
&
plan
to
accomplish
the
work

 Deliver
working
solu=on
by
the
end
of
a
ﬁxed
cycle

 Reﬂect
&
improve
your
Product,
Plan,
People
and
Process


The
Agile
Game
Your
goal:
 As
a
team,
predictably
deliver
max
value
to
users
&
stakeholders

Simple
structure:

 As
a
team,
set
a
goal
&
plan
to
accomplish
the
work

 Deliver
working
solu=on
by
the
end
of
a
ﬁxed
cycle

 Reﬂect
&
improve
your
Product,
Plan,
People
and
Process

Simple
rules:
 Whole
team
works
together
&
takes
responsibility
for
the
outcome
 Progress
and
quality
must
be
kept
visible
 Finished
work
(working
solu=on)
is
the
only
measure
of
progress


Why Agile?


Lower
cost
of
change
curve

Traditional cost profile


Lower
cost
of
change
curve

Traditional cost profile

Agile system cost profile


Clear
communica)on
is
the
founda)on

“I’m glad we’re all agreed then.”


Get
mental
models
out
on
the
table

“Ah...”


Convergence
through
itera)on

“Ah!”


A
genuinely
shared
understanding

“I’m glad we’re all agreed then.”


Tradi7onal
so>ware
development
ﬁxes
scope

then
es7mates
to
ﬁgure
out
7me
and
cost

Traditional
software
development

Src: Jeff Patton

Tradi7onal
so>ware
development
ﬁxes
scope

then
es7mates
to
ﬁgure
out
7me
and
cost

Scope

Traditional
software
development

Time Cost
(resources)

Src: Jeff Patton

Agile
development
ﬁxes
7me
and
cost,
then
leverages

itera7on
and
incremen7ng
to
maximize
scope

Scope

Traditional
software
development

Time Cost
(resources)

Src: Jeff Patton

Agile
development
ﬁxes
7me
and
cost,
then
leverages

itera7on
and
incremen7ng
to
maximize
scope

Scope

Agile software
development

Traditional
software
development

Time Cost
(resources)

Src: Jeff Patton

Agile
development
ﬁxes
7me
and
cost,
then
leverages

itera7on
and
incremen7ng
to
maximize
scope

Cost
Scope Time (resources)

Agile software
development

Traditional
software
development

Time Cost
(resources)

Src: Jeff Patton

Agile
development
ﬁxes
7me
and
cost,
then
leverages

itera7on
and
incremen7ng
to
maximize
scope

Cost

Agile software
development

Traditional
software
development

Time Cost Scope
(resources)

Src: Jeff Patton

Leverage
a
shared
understanding
of
desired
product

goals
to
minimize
scope
while
maximizing
value

Cost

Agile software
development

Traditional
software
development

Time Cost Scope
(resources)

Src: Jeff Patton

Leverage
a
shared
understanding
of
desired
product

goals
to
minimize
scope
while
maximizing
value

Cost

Agile software
development

Traditional
software
development

Time Cost Scope
(resources)

Target business goals &
Src: Jeff Patton outcomes

Building
Quality
into
the
Process

Toyoda Loom


Focus
on
Throughput

Utilization (%)
Source: Beyond Agile Software Development Becoming Lean, Mary Poppendieck, Poppendieck.llc


Tradi)onal
Process


Applying
Lean
Principles

to
SoNware
Development


Applying
Lean
Principles

to
SoNware
Development

End-to-End
small slices
of work


Applying
Lean
Principles

to
SoNware
Development

End-to-End
small slices 20 % done = 100 % usable
of work


Lean
Principles
applied

to
SoNware
Development

Project Plan/Estimation
Requirements Gathering

Use Cases /
Functional Specs

Design
Specifications

Code

Test

Fix / Integrate $
Inception

$

$

$

$


Itera)ve



Incremental



Itera)ve
AND
Incremental



Itera)ve
AND
Incremental

• Mix
the
strategies:
–Iterate to
ﬁnd
and
improve
solu6ons
–Increment to
add
func6onality



Agile
Birth of a new Software Movement!


Agile
has
evolved
over
many
years

Src: Jeff Patton


Agile
Umbrella

Agile

XP Scrum

DSDM FDD

Adaptive Pragmatic

Crystal Lean


Agile Manifesto


Agile Manifesto

“We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do
it. Through this work we have come to value:


Agile Manifesto


– Individuals and interactions OVER processes and tools.


Agile Manifesto


– Working software OVER comprehensive documentation.


Agile Manifesto


– Customer collaboration OVER contract negotiation.


Agile Manifesto


– Responding to change OVER following a plan.


Agile Manifesto


– Responding to change OVER following a plan.

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left
more.”

© 2001 Agile Alliance. http://www.agilemanifesto.org


Agile Manifesto Principles


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.


Simplicity
the art of maximizing the amount of
work not done
is essential.


Continuous attention to technical
excellence and good design
enhances agility.


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.


It
turns
out...


It
turns
out...

Ziv's
law
-‐
speciﬁca=ons
will
never
be
fully
understood.


It
turns
out...

Ziv's
law
-‐
speciﬁca=ons
will
never
be
fully
understood.

Humphrey's
law
-‐
the
user
will
never
know
what
they
want
un=l

aOer
the
system
is
in
produc=on
(maybe
not
even
then)


It
turns
out...

Ziv's
law
-‐
speciﬁca=ons
will
never
be
fully
understood.

Humphrey's
law
-‐
the
user
will
never
know
what
they
want
un=l

aOer
the
system
is
in
produc=on
(maybe
not
even
then)

Wegner's
lemma
-‐
an
interac=ve
system
can
never
be
fully

speciﬁed
nor
can
it
ever
be
fully
tested.


It
turns
out...

Ziv's
law
-‐
speciﬁca=ons
will
never
be
fully
understood.

Humphrey's
law
-‐
the
user
will
never
know
what
they
want
un=l

aOer
the
system
is
in
produc=on
(maybe
not
even
then)

Wegner's
lemma
-‐
an
interac=ve
system
can
never
be
fully

speciﬁed
nor
can
it
ever
be
fully
tested.

Langdon's
lemma
-‐
soOware
evolves
more
rapidly
as
it

approaches
chao=c
regions
(taking
care
not
to
spill
over
into

chaos)


It
turns
out...

Ziv's
law
-‐
speciﬁca=ons
will
never
be
fully
understood.

Humphrey's
law
-‐
the
user
will
never
know
what
they
want
un=l

aOer
the
system
is
in
produc=on
(maybe
not
even
then)

Wegner's
lemma
-‐
an
interac=ve
system
can
never
be
fully

speciﬁed
nor
can
it
ever
be
fully
tested.

Langdon's
lemma
-‐
soOware
evolves
more
rapidly
as
it

approaches
chao=c
regions
(taking
care
not
to
spill
over
into

chaos)

Any association of predictive or defined processes
with Agile is an exercise in futility. - Jeff

Treat
agile
principles
as
“proper)es”
you

use
to
assess
process
health

Performing
a
simple
process
health
checkup:
hZp://www.s)ckyminds.com/s.asp?F=S15474_COL_2


Treat
agile
principles
as
“proper)es”
you

use
to
assess
process
health

1. Frequent
delivery

Performing
a
simple
process
health
checkup:


Treat
agile
principles
as
“proper)es”
you

use
to
assess
process
health

1. Frequent
delivery
2. Reﬂec6ve
improvement

Performing
a
simple
process
health
checkup:


Treat
agile
principles
as
“proper)es”
you

use
to
assess
process
health

1. Frequent
delivery
2. Reﬂec6ve
improvement
3. Close
communica6on

Performing
a
simple
process
health
checkup:


Treat
agile
principles
as
“proper)es”
you

use
to
assess
process
health

1. Frequent
delivery
2. Reﬂec6ve
improvement
3. Close
communica6on
4. Focus

Performing
a
simple
process
health
checkup:


Treat
agile
principles
as
“proper)es”
you

use
to
assess
process
health

1. Frequent
delivery
2. Reﬂec6ve
improvement
3. Close
communica6on
4. Focus
5. Personal
safety

Performing
a
simple
process
health
checkup:


Treat
agile
principles
as
“proper)es”
you

use
to
assess
process
health

1. Frequent
delivery
2. Reﬂec6ve
improvement
3. Close
communica6on
4. Focus
5. Personal
safety
6. Easy
access
to
experts

Performing
a
simple
process
health
checkup:


Treat
agile
principles
as
“proper)es”
you

use
to
assess
process
health

1. Frequent
delivery 7. Strong
technical
environment

2. Reﬂec6ve
improvement
3. Close
communica6on
4. Focus
5. Personal
safety
6. Easy
access
to
experts

Performing
a
simple
process
health
checkup:


Treat
agile
principles
as
“proper)es”
you

use
to
assess
process
health

1. Frequent
delivery 7. Strong
technical
environment

2. Reﬂec6ve
improvement 8. Sunny
day
visibility

3. Close
communica6on
4. Focus
5. Personal
safety
6. Easy
access
to
experts

Performing
a
simple
process
health
checkup:


Treat
agile
principles
as
“proper)es”
you

use
to
assess
process
health

1. Frequent
delivery 7. Strong
technical
environment

2. Reﬂec6ve
day
visibility

3. Close
communica6on 9. Regular
cadence

4. Focus
5. Personal
safety
6. Easy
access
to
experts

Performing
a
simple
process
health
checkup:


Treat
agile
principles
as
“proper)es”
you

use
to
assess
process
health

1. Frequent
delivery 7. Strong
technical
environment

2. Reﬂec6ve
day
visibility

3. Close
cadence

4. Focus 10.High
energy

5. Personal
safety
6. Easy
access
to
experts

Performing
a
simple
process
health
checkup:


Treat
agile
principles
as
“proper)es”
you

use
to
assess
process
health

1. Frequent
delivery 7. Strong
technical
environment

2. Reﬂec6ve
day
visibility

3. Close
cadence

4. Focus 10.High
energy

5. Personal
safety 11.Empowered
teams

6. Easy
access
to
experts

Performing
a
simple
process
health
checkup:


Treat
agile
principles
as
“proper)es”
you

use
to
assess
process
health

1. Frequent
delivery 7. Strong
technical
environment

2. Reﬂec6ve
day
visibility

3. Close
cadence

4. Focus 10.High
energy

5. Personal
safety 11.Empowered
teams

6. Easy
access
to
experts 12.Disrup6ve
change

Performing
a
simple
process
health
checkup:


Our
Team
Rooms


some
more
plans…


src: ThoughtWorks India

Work or Fun or Both?

src: ThoughtWorks India

Agile Evolution


Agile
Umbrella

Agile

XP Scrum

DSDM FDD

Adaptive Pragmatic

Crystal Lean


Agile
become...

Agile

XP

Scrum


Balance discovery with delivery
Discovery:
understanding the
right product to
build

Delivery: building
product right
Src: Jeff Patton

Then
came
along...

Agile Ecosystem

Agile
Agile-UX XP
Lean
Scrum

Product
Discovery


High Level View of an Agile Process

Src: Jeff Patton

Then
came
along...

Agile Ecosystem

Agile
Agile-UX
XP
Lean
Scrum
Kanban

Product
Discovery


Where did Agile Originate?

Src: Jeff Patton

Where
Agile
appears
to
work
best?
Unknown
Solution
Known

Known Unknown
Problem
Src: Eric Ries

Where
Agile
appears
to
work
best?
Unknown

le
Solution

gi
Known

A

Known Unknown
Problem
Src: Eric Ries

Where
Agile
appears
to
work
best?
Unknown

??
le
Solution

gi
Known

A

Known Unknown
Problem
Src: Eric Ries

Kaizen vs. Kaikaku


Currently...
Agile
Ecosystem
Lean
Agile Startup

Agile-UX XP
Lean
Scrum Kanban

Dev-OPs

Product
Discovery


The
Future

Lean Startup
CD Pivot
Costumer
Development CD
Agile Continuous
Delivery

XP
Agile-UX
Scrum Lean
Kanban

Dev-OPs MVP
Product
Discovery


Organizations have habits, and
they will stick to their habits
even at the risk of their own
survival.
Brad Anderson, CEO, Best Buy


Organizational structures have a short life...
Nobody likes to reorganize, and you
always run the risk that you distract your
employees and lose focus on customers.
But if you don't do it, you lose your
competitive edge.
Nancy McKinstry, CEO, Wolters Kluwer


Innovation


Metrics Mess


Knowledge Islands
Metrics Mess


Be
careful
not
to…

Naresh Jain
twitter: @nashjain

Be
careful
not
to…

Naresh Jain
Ques7ons? naresh@agilefaqs.com
twitter: @nashjain

Agile WTF

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