Is agile at enterprise level any different to agile in a small ISV? If it was, large scale software organizations would have adopted it across the board.
What are the challenges in enterprise agility? How to overcome issues such as planning? estimations? integrations?
On this and more in this slide deck, presented in Agile Practitioners IL on Augist 1st 2011
12. Crew: Ship company 3,350 Air wing 2,480Source: http://www.maritimequest.com, www.wikipedia.com
13. Hustler 39 Diesel Rockit Length: 12.16m Weight: 4.3 ton Top speed: 90+ mph (~78 knots) Engine: Cummins MerCruiser Diesel 6.7 Power: 550 HP Crew: Ship company 2-11 Source: http://hustlerpowerboats.wordpress.com
14. Are enterprise projects different than others? Higher Complexity Multiple products Many teams Conflicting roles Conflicting interests Multiple release strategies Multiple cultures http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatedground/759823713/
15. Challenges: Follow the Money Conform to annual budget plans Request budget in advance Budget conflicts per business unit Product line strategies Specific product strategies Project requirements http://www.flickr.com/photos/doug88888/4612314827/
16. Challenges: Integrations Aligning timelines between products Conflicting business targets Cultural differences Architecture and design models Management styles Identifying integrations early Avoiding scope-creep http://www.flickr.com/photos/taz/38840529/
17. Challenges: Conflicting Requirements and Interests Company directions and themes Project needs Customer needs Architectural roadmap http://www.flickr.com/photos/dysonstarr/217050096/
19. Challenges: Time to Market Identify requirements early Making early commitments Long cycle times Late feedback http://www.flickr.com/photos/dysonstarr/217050096/
20. Challenges: Common vs. Specific Foundations Use of common *ilities Standard foundations More dependency Foundations per BU Increased innovation Harder to synchronize (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwinton/297012591/
21. Challenges: Mindset “Tops” compelled to make decisions “Bottoms” compelled to follow orders “Middles” torn in the middle All stuck in familiarity, avoiding comfort http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilio/20403964/
22. Challenge: Multiple Currencies Different estimation scales Points vs. ideal days Size of points Different interpretations to ‘Definition of Done’ Different granularity of scope Different evolution over time http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalboz/3819591445/
23. Challenge: Enterprise Overheads Packaging Functional testing Production like testing (UAT) Regression tests Integration tests Non functional testing Performance Stability Usability Security … Documentation Configurations http://www.flickr.com/photos/meddygarnet/4639313261/
25. Visibility: FDD-ish approach Advocate multi-discipline teams Requirements Design Engineering Advocate single steering team per project Advocate low project WIP http://www.flickr.com/photos/andyhay/239756376/
26. Visibility: Kanban Where to start? Conduct VSM Promote Kaizen events Highlight pain points Images courtesy of Amdocs LTD
27. Visibility: Kanban Using a board that reflects the VSM Highlight WIP violations Measure cycle times Discuss and alleviate bottlenecks Reduce wasteful steps and artifacts Images courtesy of Amdocs LTD
28. Visibility: EVM EVM: Earned Value Management Track Complete scope Consumed budget Projected progress Make management decisions Change scope Change timeline Add budget Images courtesy of Amdocs LTD
29. Insight #2: Use the right tools With the right mindset, whiteboard and post-its will do! Otherwise invest in Agile project tracking Agile/Lean reporting CI ALM http://www.flickr.com/photos/keystoneit/131700245/
30. Insight #2: Coaching is also a tool Product Owners From this Project oriented The PO, architect, designer… what to do first? To this Team oriented Single voice Owns entire backlog http://www.flickr.com/photos/frield/1508956124/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/putachini/3086915086/
31. Insight #2: Coaching is also a tool Program Managers From this Critical role Manages, not facilitates Action tracker To this Make it work Facilitate Is there a decision to make? http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikecogh/5751259740/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bizz0k0/3431823635/
32. Insight #3: Align foundations Open source your foundations The Beekeeper model Reduce foundations cycle times by reducing project’s WIP http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwinton/297012591/
33. Insight #4: Estimations and Tracking Respect that one size does not fit all Advocate common scale (points, ideal months, …) Advocate FDD-ish approach: feature teams design, estimate, and engineer http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-brandon/203573765/
34. Insight #5: Reduce Overheads Using FDD-ish Approach http://www.flickr.com/photos/meddygarnet/4639313261/
35. Insight #6: Culture of Retrospective There are feedback loops everywhere Shorten the loops Create loops where none (officially) exist Integral part of SCRUM For Kanban requires a champion http://www.flickr.com/photos/liaw/4517784246/
36. Insight #6: Culture of Retrospective Retrospect at regular intervals Adjust the process Try it out Allow yourself and others to make mistakes http://www.4windsand7seas.com/talking_sticks.htm