Universities, like businesses, have traditionally operated under strict hierarchical structures. Innovation, planning and decision-making is most often driven from the top, by; initiatives focused on meeting projections in growth of both customers and services, perceptions in--and reactions to--market trends, and even affinity programs that forward the executive vision.
New approaches, collectively known as Agile Methods, focusing on transparency, collaboration and honesty, deliver continuous innovation, service/systems adaptability, reduced delivery schedules and more reliable results. At SUNY Delhi, a 3500 FTE college of technology offering Baccalaureate/Associate’s degrees, we are implementing a variety of Agile practices: needs analysis and planning through bottom-up or emergent design, requirements gathering and planning through evidence-based decision-making and iterative and incremental development and deployment.
While originally implemented within the SUNY Delhi IT department, adoption on campus has grown with a variety of functional units including, Business and Finance, The College Association, Alumni, Enrollment, Student Life and even Academic Departments including the Office of the Provost now participating.
In our discussions, I hope to introduce the concepts behind Agile Methods, the circumstances for adopting these practices at Delhi, and some of the results we have seen to date through their use.
No Five-Year Plan, No Advisory Committees: How do I still have a job?
Patrick MassonChief Information OfficerState University of New YorkCollege of Technology at Delhi
It is not possible toexactly define Agile Methods
They promote practices and principlesthat reflect an agile sensibility, lightness,
communication, self-directed teams,[actions] over documenting, and more.
- Craig Larman,Agile and Iterative Development, 2004
Agile Methods...
Agility is the ability to both create andrespond to change in order to profit in a
turbulent business environment.
- Jim Highsmith,Agile Project Management, 2002
Cutter Consortium's Agile Project Management Advisory Service
Agile Methods...
Agile is an iterative and incremental (evolutionary) approach... which is performed in
a highly collaborative manner by self-organizing teams with "just enough"
ceremony that produces high quality... in a cost effective and timely manner which meets the
changing needs of stakeholders.
- Scot W. Amber,Agile Modeling, 2007
Agile Methods...
In the late 1990’s several methodologies began to get increasing public attention. Each had a different combination of old ideas, new ideas, and transmuted old ideas. But they all emphasized close collaboration between the programmer team and business experts; face-to-face communication (as more efficient than written documentation); frequent delivery of new deployable business value; tight, self-organizing teams; and ways to craft the code and the team such that the inevitable requirements churn was not a crisis.
- Agile Alliance
Agile Manifesto
Individuals and interactions over processes and toolsWorking software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiationResponding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items onthe right, we value the items on the left more.
Agile ManifestoFor the Enterprise
Individuals and interactions over processes and toolsWorking [services] over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiationResponding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items onthe right, we value the items on the left more.
Agile Principles Our highest priority is to satisfy the
customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable [services].
Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.
Deliver working [services] 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 [services] 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.
Continuous attention to excellence and good design enhances agility.
Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.
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.
Agile Principles Incremental Development
Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.
Deliver working [services] 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 [services] 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.
Continuous attention to excellence and good design enhances agility.
Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.
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.
Agile Principles Incremental Development
Emergent Design
Deliver working [services] 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 [services] 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.
Continuous attention to excellence and good design enhances agility.
Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.
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.
Agile Principles Incremental Development
Emergent Design
Iteration
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 [services] 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.
Continuous attention to excellence and good design enhances agility.
Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.
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.
Agile Principles Incremental Development
Emergent Design
Iteration
Frequent “Testing”
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 [services] 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.
Continuous attention to excellence and good design enhances agility.
Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.
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.
Agile Principles Incremental Development
Emergent Design
Iteration
Frequent “Testing”
Bottom-up
The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.
Working [services] 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.
Continuous attention to excellence and good design enhances agility.
Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.
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.
Agile Principles Incremental Development
Emergent Design
Iteration
Frequent “Testing”
Bottom-up
Collaboration
Working [services] 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.
Continuous attention to excellence and good design enhances agility.
Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.
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.
Agile Principles Incremental Development
Emergent Design
Iteration
Frequent “Testing”
Bottom-up
Collaboration
Evidence-based
Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
Continuous attention to excellence and good design enhances agility.
Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.
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.
Agile Principles Incremental Development
Emergent Design
Iteration
Frequent “Testing”
Bottom-up
Collaboration
Evidence-based
No Heroes
Continuous attention to excellence and good design enhances agility.
Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.
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.
Agile Principles Incremental Development
Emergent Design
Iteration
Frequent “Testing”
Bottom-up
Collaboration
Evidence-based
No Heroes
Honesty
Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.
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.
Agile Principles Incremental Development
Emergent Design
Iteration
Frequent “Testing”
Bottom-up
Collaboration
Evidence-based
No Heroes
Honesty
Just Enough
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.
Agile Principles Incremental Development
Emergent Design
Iteration
Frequent “Testing”
Bottom-up
Collaboration
Evidence-based
No Heroes
Honesty
Just Enough
Openness/Transparency
At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.
Agile Principles Incremental Development
Emergent Design
Iteration
Frequent “Testing”
Bottom-up
Collaboration
Evidence-based
No Heroes
Honesty
Just Enough
Openness/Transparency
Maturity
Agile Practices Incremental Development
Emergent Design
Iteration
Frequent “Testing”
Bottom-up
Collaboration
Evidence Based
No Heroes
Honesty
Just Enough
Openness/Transparency
Maturity
My experience with Agile
Medical Illustration
Worked at UCLA from 1990-1995 as a Medical/Scientific Illustrator...
Developed original artwork for textbooks, professional journals, presentations, research...
Over 100 published illustrations in diverse fields: Bio Materials, Dentistry, Neurology, Plastics, Public Health, Pulmonary, Surgery, and others...
Latest (Last?):Carranza's Clinical Periodontology,Saunders; 9 edition (December 15, 2001)
Programmer Analyst
As Medical/Scientific Illustration transformed to Medical/Scientific Visualization...
From 1995-1998 worked as a PA developing CGI > modeling > simulations > applications...
Director, UCLA Media Lab
Implemented practices across the “enterprise”
Director of Technology,SUNY Learning Network
Introduced Agile Methods for needs analysis, requirements gathering, project management and IT governance.
Failed miserably...
...more to come.
CIO, SUNY Delhi
Introduced Agile Methods initially within IT department, grown to campus-wide adoption (almost)
“Confluence was a tremendous success for the budgeting and planning process.”
Dr. Candace VanckoSUNY Delhi President
Spring Forum, Jan. 18th, 2008(Penn State Alum!)
Agile Methods...
Agile Methods allow services and systemsto be modified at the same pace
as users can articulate them.
Patrick Masson
Agile Methods...
...services and systems to be modified...
This implies “existing” services.Where are the new projects?
Agile Methods...
...at the pace end users can articulate them?
Then what role does management play?
Exploring “Agile For The Enterprise” Delhi, one of 64 campuses in the SUNY System One of eight “technical” colleges 3500 Students, 500 Faculty/Staff 20+ IT staff: Classroom Technologies, Networking &
Telecommunications, Online Education, Print Shop, Systems Administration, User Support (Help Desk)
First CIO in school history Reporting to VP Business and Finance
Exploring “Agile For The Enterprise”
1. Provide leadership and prioritization for the CIS managers and their staffs.
2. Learn current priorities and how the day-to-day activities are implemented.
3. Adjust task assignments and workload of individual staff members.
4. Make structural changes as appropriate.
5. Review of current technology, Technology Master Plan including networking, wireless technology, mainframe etc.
6. Development of processes to manage technology for both the day-to-day operations and project implementation.
Exploring “Agile For The Enterprise”
1. Provide leadership and prioritization for the CIS managers and their staffs.
2. Learn current priorities and how the day-to-day activities are implemented.
3. Adjust task assignments and workload of individual staff members.
4. Make structural changes as appropriate.
5. Review of current technology, Technology Master Plan including networking, wireless technology, mainframe etc.
6. Development of processes to manage technology for both the day-to-day operations and project implementation.
Administrators and staffers were shocked when the new CIO
declared, 'We're not going to do anything for a year.'
Report to Cabinet Implement formal documentation and communications
practices Determine current CIS operations
Identify current scope of services (e.g. Help Desk, desktop support, instructional design, Banner reporting)
Identify current systems (e.g. networking, software deployment, servers)
Identify current policies and procedures (e.g. service level agreements: use, availability, response)
Report to Cabinet Analyze CIS systems, services and operations
Define current CIS organizational structure Define staff competencies, roles and responsibilities
Report to Cabinet Develop and implement a project management
process Create needs analysis process Create requirements gathering process Create resource analysis process Create implementation processes Create a continuous training program
Agile Practices
Incremental Development
Emergent Design
Iteration
Frequent “Testing”
Bottom-up
Collaboration
Evidence Based
No Heroes
Honesty
Just Enough
Openness/Transparency
Maturity
Documentation and Communication
Traditional Approach: Multiple staff meetings Email, email, email... Help Desk tickets, external only After six years...
Documentation and Communication
Agile Approach Enterprise wiki replaced meetings Discussion forums replaced emails All requests, tasks entered as tickets Instant Messaging In one year,
CIS: 478 pages Campus-wide: 200+ Users: 194 Contributors...
Most Popular Spaces (Views) Delhi Campus Information Systems (CIS) (9217) Open Delhi Discussions (705) Delhi Campus-wide Committees (449) Office of Business and Finance (403) College Association at Delhi, Incorporated (356) Resnick Library (244) Grants Office (196) Office of Residence Life (128)
Most Active Spaces (Edits) Delhi Campus Information Systems (CIS) (283) Office of Business and Finance (67) Open Delhi Discussions (52) College Association at Delhi, Incorporated (37) Resnick Library (29) Delhi Campus-wide Committees (19) Grants Office (12) Office of Residence Life (10) Enrollment Services (3)
Most Active Contributors (Edits) Patrick Masson (102): CIO Brian G. Hutzley (73): VP Business and Finance Kristy R Fitch (64): Systems Administrator Scott May (62): Network Administrator Clark Shah-Nelson (58): Coordinator Online Learning Jessica B Beaudet (40): Network Technician Richard L Golding (31): Hospitality Management, Chair B&P John J. Padovani (29): Director, Student Housing Pamela J. Peters (19): Campus Librarian Jack T. Tessier (12): Professor, Ecology Pat Heath (12): Director, College Association
Examples
Compter Information Systems Sanford Technology Center Computer Labs
Agile Practices
Incremental Development
Emergent Design
Iteration
Frequent “Testing”
Bottom-up
Collaboration
Evidence Based
No Heroes
Honesty
Just Enough
Openness/Transparency
Maturity
Report to Cabinet Determine current CIS operations
Identify current scope of services (e.g. Help Desk, desktop support, instructional design, Banner reporting)
Identify current systems (e.g. networking, software deployment, servers)
Identify current policies and procedures (e.g. service level agreements: use, availability, response)
Determine Current CIS Operations
Traditional Approach Create a “Three/Five Year Technology Plan” Write a “Technology Mission, Vision & Goals” Form a “Technology Steering Committee” Survey campus community
Determine Current CIS Operations
Agile Approach Created Operational Budget: what did we buy,
who ordered it? Identification of Business Units: how do purchases
align with functions? Definition of systems maintained by BU: what
applications, hardware, operations are undertaken (nouns vs. verbs)?
Identification of stakeholders: who submitted tickets? Definition of policies and procedures: what are the
stakeholders/end-users expectations.
Determine Current CIS Operations Administration Classroom Technology Services Computing Support Data Center Data Repository Services Development Email Networking On-line Education Print Shop Service Center Systems Administration Telecommunications Web Site External Service Providers
Administration Data Center Development Network Administration On-line Education Print Shop Service Center Systems Administration Campus Technology Services
Project Management Student Computers Telecommunications
Agile Practices
Incremental Development
Emergent Design
Iteration
Frequent “Testing”
Bottom-up
Collaboration
Evidence Based
No Heroes
Honesty
Just Enough
Openness/Transparency
Maturity
Report to Cabinet Analyze CIS systems, services and operations
Define current CIS organizational structure Define staff competencies, roles and responsibilities
Analyze CIS Systems,Services and Operations
Traditional Approach Move into alignment with
Executive Management's vision Introduce/implement CIO vision Review departmental structure with senior managers Re-write job descriptions Develop performance plans
Analyze CIS Systems,Services and Operations
Agile ApproachBusiness Modeling (UML-ish), Business Intelligence
Review tickets/work flow Identify authorized users on systems Map to Operational Budget, Business Units, etc. Confluence posts Foster self-organizing
Examples
Help Desk Analyst to Desktop Technician Programmer Analyst to Service Center
Manager Manger, Campus Technology Services to
Project Manager Organizational structure and staffing mirror
work flow
Chief Information Officer / Administration
OnlineEducation Networking
CampusTechnology
ServicesPrint Shop
CIS Service Center
Protect Management
SUNY Delhi End-Users
SystemsAdministration
Agile Practices
Incremental Development
Emergent Design
Iteration
Frequent “Testing”
Bottom-up
Collaboration
Evidence Based
No Heroes
Honesty
Just Enough
Openness/Transparency
Maturity
Report to Cabinet Develop and implement a project management
process Create needs analysis process Create requirements gathering process Create resource analysis process Create implementation processes Create a continuous training program
Develop and Implement aProject Management Process
Traditional Approach Top-down implementation of CIO Vision
(Hey Pat isn't this what you did?) Needs Analysis:
Committees and task forces (49), Marketing and research, trends, etc.
Requirements gathering: Focus groups, surveys, project proposals, etc.
Resource analysis Front-loaded planning, Budgeting, Gantt Charts, etc.
Implementation Pilots, “Beta” testing, etc.
Develop and Implement aProject Management Process
Agile Approach Needs Analysis:
User feedback (Confluence postings, service tickets), systems monitoring (BI)
Requirements gathering: Confluence, story-telling, use cases,
organizational/audience analysis (thanks Ken!), product/project managers
Resource analysis Readiness Rating Rubric, product backlog
Implementation operations, enhancements, projects
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