Tales from the Trenches – Leveraging Agile on Fixed Fee Projects

Leveraging Agile on Fixed Fee ProjectsTales from the Trenches Marco António SilvaRicardo Jesus

• Consulting Services Team• Focused on building highly innovative custom

solutions• Usually working directly in customer installations• Complex internal processes• Strick quality assurance

• Not easy to implement change…

What is MCS?

Who are we and what do we do? • The soldiers of these tales• Tech guys (and g33ks )• Tech Leads for these tales

Disclaimers

Project Codename OVX• Large/Enterprise Project (>4600 hours)• Client facing product• High Risk Project:• Technology Early Adoption• Fixed fee/ “Fixed scope” • Project directly involves (at least) 9 different Customer

Teams• Dependence on 4 other external platforms• Two different project sponsors

Project Codename Arbutus• Client facing product• High Risk Project:• Extremely short timings (11 weeks from zero to production)• Large number of features (84 User Stories)• Fixes fee/ closed scope• Newly formed team• Lighthouse project for the costumer• Geographically dispersed team

Tale 1 – Recruiting the troops


0

5

Tale 1 – Recruiting the troopsFollow Your True Colors to the Work You Love

by Carolyn Kalil

ISBN-10: 1893320286ISBN-13: 978-1893320284

Tale 1 – Recruiting the troopsFollow Your Inner Heroes(Tm) to the Work You Love Match Your Personality to Your Career

by Carolyn Kalil

ISBN-10: 0985853069ISBN-13: 978-0985853068


• Basic skills


• Basic skills• Commitment


• Basic skills• Commitment• Involvement


• Basic skills• Commitment• Involvement• Proactive


• Basic skills• Commitment• Involvement• Proactive• Out of the box

thinking


“Technical Skills are important, Culture is Core, Commitment is Vital”

Tale 2 – Plan the battle

Tale 2 – Plan the battleEnvisioning

(t+4w)Physical

Architecture Planning(t+6w)Software Architecture (Re)Planning(t+10w)

Software Platform Development (t+16w)

Physical Architecture Deploy (t+16w)

Platform Stability

Rollout


• SCRUM• XP• KAMBAN• TDD• FDD• …


• Predictability• Fast and easy adoption, few

constraints;• Simple, flat and plain;• Incremental rules;• Easily adoptable to project

scope changes;• Fast results;

Tale 2 – Plan the battleEnvisioning

(t+4w)Physical

Architecture Planning(t+6w)Software Architecture (Re)Planning(t+10w)

Software Platform Development (t+16w)

Physical Architecture Deploy (t+16w)

Platform Stability

Rollout

• PB is based on SoW• PB Prioritization is based

on SDM Milestones• Team is committed to

Milestones• Project progress is

measured on a SoW task basis

Tale 3 – Divided but united

Tale 3 – Divided but united

• Synchronization• Speed• Productivity• Ownership• Team Spirit

Tale 3 – Divided but united• Conference calls (DM)

Tale 3 – Divided but united• Conference calls (DM)• Synchronized Sprints

Tale 3 – Divided but united• Conference calls (DM)• Synchronized Sprints• The Spy

Tale 3 – Divided but united• Conference calls (DM)• Synchronized Sprints• The Spy• Cross-Pollination

Tale 3 – Divided but united• Conference calls (DM)• Synchronized Sprints• The Spy• Cross-Pollination• Common Principles

and Guideline

Tale 3 – Divided but united• Conference calls (DM)• Synchronized Sprints• The Spy• Cross-Pollination• Common Principles and

Guideline• Feedback loop

Tale 3 – Divided but united• Conference calls (DM)• Synchronized Sprints• The Spy• Cross-Pollination• Common Principles and

Guideline• Feedback loop• Celebrate your

achievements together

Tale 4 – Defining the rules of the Game

• Team Principles


• Team Principles

• Daily Standup


1. Fully tested; (include Unit Tests)2. Accepted by product owner and/or

customer;3. Styled;4. Documented;5. Shippable;

• Team Principles• Daily Standup• Definition of Done


• Team Principles• Daily Standup• Definition of Done• See it only once


• Team Principles• Daily Standup• Definition of Done• See it only once• Communication


• Team Principles• Daily Standup• Definition of Done• See it only once• Communication• No Wastes


• Team Principles• Daily Standup• Definition of Done• See it only once• Communication• No Wastes• Have Fun


Tale 5 – Team Room

“Zen Zone”

“Zen Zone”• Whiteboard: support

brainstorms, discussions, explanations, etc

“Zen Zone”• Whiteboard: support brainstorms,

discussions, explanations, etc• Phones in silence mode

(mandatory)


discussions, explanations, etc• Phones in silence mode (mandatory)• No “dummy” conversations

permited, unless requested (allowed 1m for "steam release“)


discussions, explanations, etc• Phones in silence mode (mandatory)• No “dummy” conversations

permited, unless requested (allowed 1m for "steam release“)

• Team sponsored fruit basket (keep that sugar levels in check )

Team Room - OVX

Tale 6 – Self improving team

Tale 6 – Self improving team• No Policing the Team

Tale 6 – Self improving team• No Policing the Team• But you still need to

enforce the rules…

Tale 6 – Self improving team• Game like principle of

penalization• Every team member is

onboard• Pocket money fines for

Team Principles violations

• Code principles/standards violations are fined as well

• Edge cases are resolved by team vote

• New principles may be born from edge cases

• But most important of all…


Talk about the Money pig

Tale 7 – Leave no bug behind

Tale 7 – Leave no bug behind• "Black sheep“: dedicated team

member responsible to address bugs, troubleshoot and support of previous release



• Shields the team from “release noise”, helping to keep team focus and velocity



• Shields the team from “release noise”, helping to keep team focus and velocity

• “Black sheep” has reduced/zero capacity for current sprint.

Tale 8 – Tag, You’re It

Tale 8 – Tag, You’re It• Scrum Master: The team

facilitator !

Tale 8 – Tag, You’re It• Scrum Master: The team facilitator!• All team members have

practiced to be a Scrum Master

Tale 8 – Tag, You’re It• Scrum Master: The team facilitator!• All team members have practiced

to be a Scrum Master• Lessons Learned: rotating SM

increased common knowledge and sprints quality!

Tale 8 – Tag, You’re It• Scrum Master: The team facilitator!• All team members have practiced

to be a Scrum Master• Lessons Learned: rotating SM

increased common knowledge and sprints quality

• Demands commitment!

Tale 9 – Quality is Non Negotiable

Tale 9 – Quality is Non Negotiable• Test, test, and more

tests…

Tale 9 – Quality is Non Negotiable• Test, test, and more tests…• Continuous integration

and Deployment

Tale 9 – Quality is Non Negotiable• Test, test, and more tests…• Continuous integration and

Deployment• Pair Programing


Deployment• Pair Programing• Code review


Deployment• Pair Programing• Code review• Code Analysis


Deployment• Pair Programing• Code review• Code Analysis

• Trust the team

Getting weapons to fight the battles• Visual Studio Online: project

backlog dashboard


backlog dashboard• Team managed tasks using

post-its on the wall



post-its on the wall• Tasks updated on project

portal at end of day




portal at end of day• Every check-in gated a

build: “Silly” broken builds often lead to “penalization”




portal at end of day• Every check-in gated a build:

“Silly” broken builds often lead to “penalization”

• Continuous integration: makes cross team integration easier, tests the deployment process and creates trust and improves quality

• Adopting a new methodology• “Slow is smooth, Smooth is fast”! (D. Rhea)

• Team is core!! Not processes or Tools• Experiment, test, fail, and learn

• It’s possible!

Battle Debrief

Tales from the Trenches – Leveraging Agile on Fixed Fee Projects

Software

Transcript of Tales from the Trenches – Leveraging Agile on Fixed Fee Projects