2011-11-01 | 10:40 AM - 11:40 AM Many product backlogs I have come across are not managed very well: They either contain too much or too little information, ranging from literally a handful of user stories to many hundred items. This talk provides ten practical tips that help you to stay on top of it. The tips include making the product backlog DEEP, understanding what "ready" means, and how the backlog can be visualised.

1. Lessons Learned from
Becoming Agile at Electronic
Arts:
Using Scrum and Kanban to develop EA's
Physics Engine

2. © 2011 Electronic Arts Inc
Who is EA?

3. © 2011 Electronic Arts Inc
What do games use physics for?
Fracturing
Ragdolls Articulated Destruction
Systems
Character
Fluids Simulation
Rigid Deformable
Bodies Early Character Bodies
Simulation
Debris
Vehicles
Joints Collision Cloth

4. © 2011 Electronic Arts Inc

5. © 2011 Electronic Arts Inc
Global Context for EATech

6. © 2011 Electronic Arts Inc
The challenges : Making Agile Stick
• Shared SCRUM understanding
• Product Owner
• Self-organisation
• Software vs Boards & Cards
• Backlog management
• Getting to ready
• A group of strong individuals
• Kanban vs Scrum

7. © 2011 Electronic Arts Inc
Shared SCRUM understanding
“Scrum and agile is
something that is
happening to people”
“Management is pushing
this agile fad on us”
Take the whole team with you on the journey

8. © 2011 Electronic Arts Inc
Product owner role
• Chief product owner
Chief Product – 3 months + roadmap
Owner
view
Sub Product
Owner
Sub Product
Owner • Per scrum-team sub
product owner
• Chief PO leads regular
Team Member Team Member backlog grooming
• We rotate sub product
owner
Sub-product owners critical to our success

9. © 2011 Electronic Arts Inc
Self Organisation
If You Put Fences Around People, You Get
Sheep
Create the environment to encourage accountability

10. © 2011 Electronic Arts Inc
Scrum Software vs Boards & Cards
Physical boards and cards a firm winner for us!

11. © 2011 Electronic Arts Inc
Product Backlog
• History of using Excel and
Hansoft to manage
backlog
• Now use boards as
primary product backlog
tool
• Electronic versions only
created to share with
customers
Single visible product backlog is key to good priority decisions

12. © 2011 Electronic Arts Inc
Getting to ready
• PO maintains Ready Zone
• Pre-planning for the next
sprint/milestone
– Pair pre-planning
• Story owners
The team must be ready for each planning session

13. © 2011 Electronic Arts Inc
Using Kanban to compliment Scrum
Scrum is not a silver bullet

14. © 2011 Electronic Arts Inc
Strong Individuals or a Team?
Balance individual contribution
with multiplying effect on team
We still need TDs and story “leaders”

15. © 2011 Electronic Arts Inc
EATech UK results
Please rate these aspects of our development process today Jan-11 Feb-11 May-11 Sep-11
The whole team understanding the SCRUM framework 1.77 3.23 3.31 3.50
Clear ownership and execution of the Product Owner role 2.23 2.31 2.94 3.44
Clear ownership and execution of the Scrum Master role 1.92 2.62 3.13 3.31
Your personal job satisfaction as influenced by the process 2.38 2.69 2.81 3.00
How effective SCRUM is for the work you are normally doing 1.85 2.62 2.75 2.94
The efficiency of our development process in delivering to customers 2.77 2.67 3.13 2.88
Clear and stable release vision 2.38 2.50 2.81 2.88
Effectiveness of Scrum meetings (Grooming, Planning, Standup,
Review, Retrospective) 2.08 2.69 2.75 2.75
Effective customer/stakeholder feedback on plans and product
increment 2.15 2.91 2.75 2.56
Overall feedback 2.17 2.69 2.93 3.03
Very Good Thanks 4
Mostly Fine 3
Fairly Disappointed 2
Very unsatisfied 1

16. © 2011 Electronic Arts Inc
ANY QUESTIONS?