Are We Done Yet??

a simple tool for getting your project to done

Robin Ratliff * Agile Philly 2019

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinratliff/

Robin.Ratliff@cerner.com

Technically an Obelisk

By Alvesgaspar - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56582162

2017 -- 29% of IT Projects Finished On Time and In Budget

https://speedandfunction.com/look-25-years-software-projects-can-learn/

https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/learning/thought-leadership/pulse/navigating-complexity.pdf

How can we get more projects to done?

• 2 examples of epic failure

• simple tool used at Cerner to help us get to done

Denver International Airport

2nd largest in the world, after

Dubai International

7th longest runway in the world

35,000 employees

1989 Sky High Goals

Estimated 4 year project, $2 billion

53 square miles, 1.5 times the size of Manhattan

Replace manual baggage handling with an automated baggage handling system

1991 midway done

United contracted for an automated solution

Airport PM took bids for an airport wide solution

Technical Challenges

Most complex baggage system ever built

Leap of complexity, unproven technology

Backup system not included

Mile High Statistics

The automated afterthought

Long story short

Attempted to open:

October 93, December 93, March 94, May 94

Picking up the pieces

5 months and $51 million to build a manual system

Debt came due prior to the airport opening

Cost overrun > $253 million

Meanwhile, in the UK ….

2001 Sky High Goals

Set a benchmark for 21st century terminal design

Become the best international travel hub in Europe

Generate national pride

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7287161.stm

T5 Statistics

Conflicted goals

Bespoke baggage system on a budget

Constraints

Site size less than half a square mile

UK’s largest archeological dig

Rerouted 2 rivers and a highway

T-2 Weeks to Opening Day

HRH cut the ribbon

Baggage system tested flawlessly

Opening Day

Blimey, where do we park?

BBC reported employees driving in circles

Employees lost, and delayed at security

checkpoints

Meanwhile in baggage handling

A rough day, a rough week

Flights cancelled

20,000 lost bags the first week

Execs fired, government inquiry formed

4 months and a PR campaign to woo back the flying public

Back to the here and now

2017: 29% of IT Projects On Time and In Budget

https://speedandfunction.com/look-25-years-software-projects-can-learn/

2017: “compared to last year, fewer projects are deemed failures”

Flavors of failure

Late, but we’re done!

Less feature, but we’re done on time!

Customers found the bugs, but it went out on time!

Feature Doneness Kanban Board

• Decrease complexity for team leaders

• Create a predictable cadence within complex projects

• Developed locally within Cerner by a group of volunteers

Project Kanban board

Project Doneness Board

Sub-Tasks linked to an Epic JIRA

Swimlanes per project phase

What’s on the cards?

JIRA Upload

JIRA Upload

When you start a project

Review the master checklist for updates

Modify JIRA upload template & create sub-tasks

Start the weekly review cadence

Work the key tasks!

Recap: Project Doneness Board

Locally created content reflects your best practices

Cues key tasks for various roles in the team

Review weekly, entire project team

Prompts action, helps keep the project get to done

Rationalizing Doneness

Late … but still done

Less feature …. but still done

Software left the building … but “tests” badly at the client site