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Challenges and Options in Guiding

Agile Adoptions

Presented by Dave MoranOctober 2015

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Former Developer, Development Manager,

Product Owner

Blogger

Book Reviewer/Contributor

Agile Coach – Eliassen Group

Founder/member:

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Transforming to Agile

We won’t be able to explore every challenge or every option in this session

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Wouldn’t It Be Nice…

“It’s a journey”

A prescriptive adoption model with clear indicators of progress

What we’re told:

What we desire:

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What Does Your Transformation Look Like?

Where are you now?

What is your target condition?

What are your greatest challenges?

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The Mindset Challenge

Where are you now?

What is your target condition?

“A target is an outcome, and a target condition is a description of a process operating in a way required to achieve the desired outcome.” – Mike Rother

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The Copycat Challenge

Copying tools & techniques used by other companies is too superficial

When it comes to being agile, the values and principles are the key leverage points

Frameworks, tools and practices support

agility, but they don’t make you agile

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Challenge: Where Should We Start?

CYCLE TIME = WORK IN PROCESS

THROUGHPUT

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Challenge: Where Should We Start?

CYCLE TIME = WORK IN PROCESS

THROUGHPUT

Too much WIP reduces value delivery and diverts attention to expedite work and deal with other “excitement” (stress) associated with making deliveries

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Benefits of Reducing WIP

• Sharper focus improves productivity and quality

• Increases flow of value

• Creates space for process improvements

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Peter Drucker’s Leadership Challenge

What have you stopped doing in the last two months?

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Peter Drucker’s Leadership Challenge

What have you stopped doing in the last two months?

“You can’t execute new strategy if you don’t remove some of the past.” – Rob Savage, COO of Taco Bell

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The Challenge with Removing Some of the Past…

The potential for conflict

Confusion

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“We already tried agile and it didn’t

work…”

“We can’t be agile because…”

“This isn’t working…”

“Just tell me what to do…”

“…and then I’ll pick and choose what I

like.”

The Push-Back Challenge

What can you do?

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Commitment indicates a willingness to follow a path and explore new territory

Ask for Commitment

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The Empowerment Challenge

When Captain Marquet took command of the Santa Fe, the ship was ranked at the bottom of the fleet

Within one year the Santa Fe went from worst to first in most measures of performance, including retention of sailors and officers

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The Empowerment Challenge

Captain Marquet’s approach:

Don’t preach and hope for ownership; implement mechanisms that actually give ownership

“Many empowerment programs fail because they are just that, ‘programs’ or ‘initiatives’ rather than the central principle… behind how the organization does business.”

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Enabling Empowerment

As authority is delegated, technical knowledge at all levels takes on greater importance

Divesting control without competence = chaos

It is equally important that everyone understands what the organization is about

“Don’t move information to authority, move authority to information.”

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Key Guidance

• Use “I intend to . . .” to turn passive followers into active leaders

• Think out loud (everyone)

• Resist the urge to provide solutions: Specify goals, not methods

• We learn (everywhere, all the time)

• Eliminate top-down monitoring systems

• Achieve excellence, don’t just avoid errors

• Build trust and take care of your people

• Use guiding principles for decision criteria

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The Date vs Scope Challenge

Source: Kenny Rubin

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Is This an Option?

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Reality

There is always an investment threshold or timeframe involved where something must be delivered

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Determine the Key Business Driver

Feature-driven

Ship when feature-complete

or

backlog size / velocity = duration

duration * velocity = backlog size

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The Coaching Challenge

Are coaches a wise investment?

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Learning While Working

Blend training with actual work– Training improves productivity 22%

– Training + coaching improves productivity 88%

New skills are best learned through real-life application

Executive Coaching as a Transfer of Training Tool: Effects on Productivity in a Public Agency by Gerald Ollvero, K. Denise Bane, Richard E. Kopelman (Journal of Public Personnel Management)

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Coaching Challenge, Part 2

Instruct & Direct

Partner Inspire & Empower

Advise & Inform

Which style works best?

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It’s Situational!

Team dynamics, the level of understanding and experience, specific circumstances, etc. dictate the approach

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The Organizational Transformation Challenge

How do we transform our organization?

Do we begin by changing the structure to an Agile structure? (And what is that, anyway?)

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Transform Your Thinking…

From… To…

Functional silos Whole-team delivery

Allocating people to projects Allocating work to stable teams

Predictive Planning/Big Up-Front Requirements and Design

Adaptive & Responsive Planning, Progressive Elaboration and Emergent Design

Long Delivery Cycles Short Delivery Cycles

Multiple Priorities Rigorous Priorities

Process-centric People-centric

Data-Driven Data-Informed

Taking control Giving control

…and use new principles to guide the operation and structure of your organization

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A

D

R

K

A

wareness of the need for change

esire to make the change happen by participating and supporting the change

nowledge and information about how to change, and what the change looks like

bility to implement the change through new skills and behaviors

einforcement to help the change stick for the long term

Ingredients for Successful Change

ADKAR: A Model for Change in Business, Government and our Community by Jeff Hiatt

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How to Catalyze Organizational Change

Beyond Performance: How Great Organizations Build Ultimate Competitive Advantage by Colin Price and Scott Keller

1Programs that mobilize frontline employees to feel ownership are 4x more likely to succeed

2Programs that empower employees to use their own initiative for change are 5x more likely to succeed

3Programs that engage and energize the organization through communication and involvement are 4x more likely to succeed

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Leaders: Model the Change!

Programs in which leaders model the desired changes are 4x more likely to be successful

Don’t “mail it in” or make a presentation and think that you are done

Beyond Performance: How Great Organizations Build Ultimate Competitive Advantage by Colin Price and Scott Keller

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Setting Expectations: The Satir J-Curve

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Spiraling Up with Change

Changeology: 5 Steps to Realizing Your Goals and Resolutions by John Norcross and Kristin Loberg

Most people repeat 3 to 6 times before successfully changing behavior

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Where Do I Start?

Align WIP and Capacity

CYCLE TIME =WORK IN PROCESS

THROUGHPUT

Prioritize for, and deliver on value

Make business goals, work and success measures explicit and clear

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Where Do I Start?

Small units of work, small changesSmaller scope = reduced variability, decreased risk and faster delivery

A continual series of small changes will produce outstanding results over time

Leverage knowledge and experience: Get some coaching

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“See the whole, optimize the whole” –Balance all factors to generate the greatest outcome

TechnicalPracticesDesignQuality

BusinessClarityPrioritized valueROIRisk/Reward

HealthSustainable paceEffective communicationDevelopment of peopleAutonomyAccountabilityRespect

As You Continue…

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