Introduction to lean and agile

Introduction to Lean and Agile Software
Development

©2008 Protegra Inc. All rights reserved.

Agenda
• What is the problem?
• What is Agile?
- Agile Manifesto
- Agile Principles
• Agile Methodologies
• Agile Software Development Standards
- Iteration Planning and Estimating
- Key Meetings
- Role of Project Management
- Role of Requirements Management
- Tools to assist Project and Requirements Management
- Role of Software Development
- Role of Testing
• Is it Working?
• Customize the Process
• FAQ/Q&A


What is the problem?

• Standish Group – CHAOS Study of IT project success

60

50

40
Succeeded
30
Challenged
20 Failed

10

0
1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004


What is the problem?

Cost overruns
+ Schedule overruns
+ Failed or Cancelled projects
+ Rigid processes
+ Change Management (that acts like Change Restriction)
+ Late Learning process
+ Building the wrong thing

= Lack of Trust in IT


Agile Manifesto
Snowbird ski resort - Feb 2001

We are uncovering better ways of developing
software by doing it and helping others do it.
Through this work we have come to value:

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the
right, we value the items on the left more.
Reference: http://www.agilemanifesto.org


Agile Manifesto: 12 Principles

1. Satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery
- Shorten the distance between requirements gathering and customer
feedback
2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development
- Shorten the distance between conceiving and implementing an
important change
3. Deliver working software frequently
- Shorten the distance between system-as-desired and system-as-
built
4. Business people and developers work together daily
- Shorten the distance (time) between a question and its
answer

Reference: Agile in a Flash. Retrieved Sept 2009 from http://agileinaflash.blogspot.com/2009/08/12-principles-for-agile-software.html


4. Build projects around motivated individuals
- Shorten the distance between intent and action, issue &
resolution
5. Convey information via face-to-face information
- Shorten the distance (space) between a question and its
answer




7. Working software is the primary measure of
progress
- Shorten the distance between thinking we‟re done and
knowing we‟re done
8. Maintain a constant pace indefinitely
- Shorten the distance between the amount of
unproductive time spent building software and a
satisfying work day
9. Give continuous attention to technical excellence
- Shorten the distance between implementation and ideal




10. Simplify: maximize the amount of work not done
- Shorten the distance between comprehension and completion

11. Teams self-organize
- Shorten the distance between need and action
12. Teams retrospect and tune their behaviour
- Shorten the distance between introspection and adaptation



Agile Methodologies

• Scrum
- founded by Ken Schwaber & Jeff Sutherland
• Extreme Programming (XP)
- founded by Kent Beck, Ward Cunningham, Ron Jeffries
• Crystal
- founded by Alistair Cockburn
• Lean Software Development
- founded by Tom & Mary Poppendieck
• Others…
- FDD
- DSDM



Top Three Methodologies

• Lets look at the characteristics of the top three Agile
Methodologies
- Scrum
- Extreme Programming
- Lean Software Development

©2009 Protegra Inc. All rights reserved. 11

Scrum

• Scrum is a process skeleton that includes a set of practices
and predefined roles.
- Pigs
- Chickens
• The main roles in Scrum are the ScrumMaster who
maintains the processes and works similarly to a project
manager, the Product Owner who represents the
stakeholders, and the Team which includes the developers.


Scrum

• During each sprint, a 15-30 day period, the team creates an
increment of usable software.
• The set of user stories that go into a sprint come from the
product backlog, which is a prioritized set of high level
requirements of work to be done.
• Which backlog user stories go into the sprint is determined
during the sprint planning meeting.
• During a sprint, no one is able to change the sprint backlog,
which means that the requirements are frozen for that sprint.
After a sprint is completed, the team demonstrates the use
of the software.


Scrum

• Scrum enables the creation of self-organizing teams by
encouraging co-location of all team members, and verbal
communication across all team members and disciplines
that are involved in the project.
• A key principle of Scrum is its recognition that during a
project the customers can change their minds about what
they want and need (often called requirements churn), and
that unpredicted challenges cannot be easily addressed in a
traditional predictive or planned manner.


Extreme Programming

• A discipline of software development that follows a specific
structure that is designed to simplify and expedite the
process of developing new software. Kent Beck developed
Extreme Programming to be used with small teams of
developers who need to develop software quickly in an
environment of rapidly-changing requirements.
- Interesting note: Kent Beck‟s first book proposed a rigid form of XP.
This has since been changed and the result is a more Agile XP. 


Extreme Programming

• Extreme Programming is based on 12 principles:
- The Planning Process -- The desired features of the software,
which are communicated by the customer, are combined with cost
estimates provided by the programmers to determine what the most
important factors of the software are.
- Small Releases -- The software is developed in small stages that
are updated frequently, typically every two weeks.
- Metaphor -- All members on an XP team use common names and
descriptions to guide development and communicate.
- Simple Design -- The software should include only the code that is
necessary to achieve the desired results.
- Testing -- Programmers design the tests first and then write the
software to fulfill the requirements of the test. The customer also
provides tests at each stage to ensure the desired results are
achieved.


Extreme Programming
- Refactoring -- XP programmers improve the design of the software
through every stage of development instead of waiting until the end of the
development and going back to correct flaws.
- Pair Programming -- All code is written by a pair of programmers working
at the same machine.
- Collective Ownership -- Every line of code belongs to every programmer
working on the project, so there are no issues of proprietary authorship to
slow the project down
- Continuous Integration -- The XP team integrates and builds the
software system multiple times per day to keep all the programmers at the
same stage of the development process at once.
- 40-Hour Week -- The XP team does not work excessive overtime to
ensure that the team remains well-rested, alert and effective.
- On-Site Customer -- The XP project is directed by the customer who is
available all the time to answer questions, set priorities and determine
requirements of the project.
- Coding Standard -- The programmers all write code in the same way.
This allows them to work in pairs and to share ownership of the code.


Extreme Programming Technical
Practices

• Extreme Programming is essentially Scrum with additional
Technical Practices
- keep it simple and never add functionality early
(YAGNI, Last Responsible Moment),
- choose a system metaphor (Domain-Driven
Design),
- use CRC cards,
- create a spike solution (proof of concept),
- create acceptance tests,
- establish coding standards,


Extreme Programming Technical
Practices

- code the unit test first and ensure that all code
has and passes all unit tests (Test-Driven
Development),
- program in pairs,
- integrate sequentially and often,
- own the code collectively,
- measure and optimize last, and
- create tests to detect bugs.


Lean Software Development

• Lean Software Development is the application of lean
principles to the craft of software development. So what is
Lean? According to the National Institute of Standards and
Technology Manufacturing Extensions Partnership’s Lean
Network, Lean is:
- “A systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste through
continuous improvement, flowing the product at the pull of the
customer in pursuit of perfection.” [1]
- “Lean Software Development reduces defects and cycle times while
delivering a steady stream of incremental business value.” [2]



• Lean Software development is a style of software
development that emphasizes customer satisfaction through
continuous delivery of functional software. In contrast to
traditional software development methods, lean developers
liaise continuously with business clients.
• Their objective is to deliver working software as frequently
as every two weeks during a project, and welcome changes
to the requirements in response to evolving business needs.



• The most crucial aspect of Lean LifeCycle is the execution
of the project in iterations and quick feedback loops
possible because of these iterations. It is essential to note
that these iterations to not just apply to construction, they
also apply to the following tasks:
- Project Management and Planning
- Analysis
- Technical Design
- Testing
- Deployment


Lean Principles

1. Eliminate Waste

The three biggest wastes in software development are:

a) Extra Features
b) Churn Client received:
c) Crossing Boundaries

Client needed:
Reference: Lean Software Development Principles. Retrieved Sept 2009 from http://www.poppendieck.com


Lean Principles

2. Create Knowledge

Planning is useful. Learning is essential

a) Use the Scientific Method
b) Standards exist to be Challenged and Improved
c) Predictable performance is Driven by Feedback



Lean Principles

3. Build Quality In

If you routinely find defects in your verification process,
your process is defective.

a) Mistake-Proof Code with Test-Driven Development
b) Stop Building Legacy Code
c) The Big Bang is Obsolete



Lean Principles

4. Defer Commitment

Abolish the idea that it is a good idea to start
development with a complete specification.

a) Break Dependencies
b) Maintain Options
c) Schedule Irreversible Decisions at the Last Responsible
Moment



Lean Principles

5. Deliver Fast

Lists and queues are buffers between
organizations that simply slow things
down.

a) Rapid Delivery, High Quality, and Low Cost
are Fully Compatible
b) Queuing Theory applies to Development, not
just Servers
c) Limit Work to Capacity



Lean Principles

6. Respect People

Engaged, thinking people provide the most sustainable
competitive advantage.

a) Teams Thrive on Pride, Commitment, Trust, Applause
b) Provide Effective Leadership
c) Respect Partners



Lean Principles

7. Improve the System

Brilliant products emerge from a unique combination of
opportunity and technology.

a) Focus on the Entire Value Stream
b) Deliver a Complete Product
c) Measure UP



Agile Software Development Standards

• The following roles and activities are done in a standard way
in all Agile Methodologies:
- Key Meetings
- Role of Project Management
- Role of Requirements Management
- Tools to assist Project and Requirements Management
- Role of Software Development
- Role of Testing


Iteration Planning and Estimating

• Iteration planning is ‘the’ key planning initiative.
Iterations need to be planned in conjunction with
the client to accomplish the following:
• Deliver functionality to define the pace of the project
• Deliver functionality to deliver value to the client
• Deliver functionality to reduce and minimize risk for the entire project
• Lessons learned from one iteration must feed into subsequent iterations
so that we don‟t execute the project in iterations with similar results, but
that we execute the project in iterations with better results.


Initial Planning and Estimating

• Initial Planning and estimating needs to be done
- Need detailed deliverable or task levels estimates
- Resource planning
- Milestone based
- Sometimes even a WBS structure based on project reporting
requirements
• This should be required for Agile or Lean projects.
• Agile or Lean should not be an open cheque where
estimates and milestones are not planned and approved up
front
- Some proponents promote that agile estimates should only be given
after team „Velocity‟ is determined


What is this ‘Team Velocity’ I hear about?

• Team Velocity is the sustainable pace that the team can do
work
- This will change based upon the project and team composition
• Velocity should not replace detailed estimating and Project
Planning
- Detailed Estimating and Project Planning are to plan the project
- Velocity measurement and refinement are used to manage an
executing project
- BOTH are required for a successful project.


Estimation Levels

• Estimating should be done at multiple levels to gain
confidence and increase estimate reliability
• There are 5 levels of estimating
- Task Level
- Deliverable Level
- Schedule Level
- Monte Carlo Simulation
- Planning Poker Sessions (Wide Band Delphi)


What is this ‘Planning Poker ’ I hear about?

• Planning Poker is a process whereby the entire team
estimate objects using card decks.
• Planning Poker sessions should be held for each iteration.
• A baseline is first established estimating an item that there
is high estimating confidence in. (i.e. a simple CRUD screen)
- Subsequent items are then estimated in increments of that first
baseline. (i.e. This screen would take the effort of 3 base screens to
develop)
- Everyone chooses a card and then flips it over the same time.
- The team then discusses the difference in opinions why people
estimated differently. The team then has to come to consensus on
the estimate to be used.
- While time consuming, it addresses one of the main issues for
project success. Proper estimating.
• Planning Poker enables the sharing of estimating expertise and
knowledge


Key Meetings

• The following key meetings are required:

- Project Kick off
- Iteration kick off
- Daily scrums or huddles
• What did you do yesterday
• What are you doing today
• What issues do you have
• 2 minute limit per person
- Iteration Retrospectives


Role of Project Management
• Iteration Planning
• Issue Management
• Risk Management
• Change Management is required even more
- Different focus. The focus is how I can get the client the MOST
functionality by following the Change Management process. May
involve:
• Trading requirements
• Eliminating Requirements
• Change Requests for new budget or schedule if required
• Sometimes the perception exists that Agile or Lean projects
do not require the same level of Change Management. This
is an incorrect perception.
- Sometimes Iterative projects actually have less Change
Management than water fall projects.
- Projects that are doing less Change Management than required are
not „being lean‟, they are being misguided.


Role of Project Management

• Increased communication and visibility
- Visual Project Management
- Visual Project Dashboards
- Visual Status Reporting


Requirements Management

• Business Analysts are the liaison to the business needs and
desires.
• Requirements Management and traceability is even more
important for agile projects as there is the possibility of
increased change
• This makes the role of business and systems analysis
critical to the success of the projects
• The focus is on the ‘right’ amount of documentation.
• Sometimes the perception exists that Agile or Lean projects
do not document requirements. This is an incorrect
perception.
- Projects should define what the appropriate level of documentation
is on a case by case basis. (within required guidelines)
- Projects that are doing less documentation than required are not
„being lean‟, they are being misguided.


Requirements Management

• Requirements must be Test Case Driven.
- Instead of descriptions as to what the software needs to do, the
requirements should first list what test cases will ensure the software
is operating correctly.
- This should be the first section in every specification or use case
- This will then feed into automated test cases and be a living
document that will define the software
- There is less ambiguity in test cases than textual descriptions


Tools to assist Project and Requirements Management

• Many free or affordable tools are available to assist Agile or
Lean Projects.

- www.rallydev.com
- www.targetprocess.com
- www.versionone.com
- www.thoughtworks.com/mingle

• This is due to the fact that MS Project is an ok project
planning tool, but not a great tool to manage a project while
it is executing. (especially Agile or Lean Projects)


Role of Software Development

• The following are important aspects of software
development in an Agile or Lean Project:
- Team-Based Design
- Resources are multi-disciplined
- Pull system for task assignment
- Iterative Development
• Each development should be able to be implemented in Production. If
not, it is not Iterative Development.
- Automated Unit Testing
• NUnit/Junit
- Continuous Builds/Continuous Build Servers


Role of Testing
• Testing is a critical component in Agile or Lean project. (like all
Waterfall Projects)
• The Test Phase should be planned very diligently and in a very
detailed manner.
- Resist the urge to have the iterations tested in an unstructured way. This
only delays the discovery of defects.
- A Test Charter, Test Strategy, and Test Plans are all required.
- Automated System Integration Tests and User Acceptance Tests are
mandatory
• Continuous Integration is mandatory. This is distinct from
Continuous builds.
- Continuous builds are the daily builds and execution of unit test cases to
ensure ongoing development has not introduced new development
issues
- Continuous integrations are the daily builds and execution of regression
test cases to ensure no major application functionality issues exist.


Is it working?
Dr. Dobb‟s Journal – Agile Adoption Survey in 2008
• Effectiveness of agile software development compared
with traditional approaches:
Cost of System
Development
Business Stakeholder
Satisfaction Higher
No Change
Quality Lower

Productivity

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Reference: Dr. Dobb‟s Journal 2008 Agile Adoption Survey. Retrieved from http://www.ambysoft.com/surveys/agileFebruary2008.html


Customize the process

• The most important advice I could provide is to not take any
of these methodologies as correct.
• Instead I would encourage you to read about the different
methodologies and evaluate which components make sense
for your company and for the particular project in question.


FAQ
Q. Silver Bullet?
A. No

Q. Cowboy Coding?
A. No

Q. How much documentation?
A. Only what adds value

Q. Isn’t this just a blank cheque with no controls?
A. No – disciplined approach

Q. How do you deal with constant change to the code?
A. Technical Excellence. TDD, SOLID

Q. How do you estimate up front?
A. Same as waterfall, but at a higher level

FAQ
Q. Is there a place for analysts?
A. Yes

Q. Isn’t Agile unpredictable?
A. Final outcome is not predictable, but value is

Q. Is this just mini-waterfall in phases?
A. No. The team performs all tasks in one day in parallel, not in
sequence

Q. What project sizes is this appropriate for?
A. Survey says…. all sizes

Q. Is this for Greenfield projects only?
A. No.
Q. Can I use Agile practices on waterfall projects?
A. Yes. Example: Once requirements & design are complete, execute
the development in iterations

FAQ
Q. Where to start?
A.
- Pick/Customize a methodology
- Learn it
• Read, listen, research, ask questions
• Talk to someone who has done it
- Try it
• It won‟t likely be smooth on your first try
• Don‟t ignore practices without understanding the why
- Learn a few more methodologies
- Incorporate your learning into a hybrid that
works for your company, your teams, your
projects


Further Reading
• Books
- Lean Software Development. Tom and Mary Poppendieck (2003)
- User Stories Applied. Mike Cohn (2004)
- The Art of Agile Development. James Shore and Shane Warden (2008)
- The Art of Lean Software Development. Curt Hibbs, Steve Jewett, Mike Sullivan (2009)
• Sites
- www.poppendieck.com
- www.leanprimer.com
- www.agilemanifesto.org
• Podcast Sites
- http://www.hanselminutes.com/
- http://blog.agiletoolkit.com/
• Newsgroups
- leanagile@yahoogroups.com
• Other links to articles, blogs, videos
- www.martinfowler.com/articles/newMethodology.html
- http://agileinaflash.blogspot.com/2009/08/12-principles-for-agile-software.html
- www.infoq.com/Agile2009 (Videos from Agile 2009)
- http://www.netobjectives.com/files/BusinessCaseForAgility.pdf (requires account registration)
- http://groups.google.com/group/agile-developer-skills/web/draft-summary-of-chicago-meeting?hl=en&pli=1
- http://www.agilemanifesto.org/history.html - History of the Manifesto
- http://www.devx.com/architect/Article/32836/0/page/4 - comparison of seven popular agile methodologies


Q&A


Thank You!

Name: Terry Bunio
Role: Principal Consultant

E-mail: terry.bunio@protegra.com
Main: 204-956-2727

www.protegra.com


Introduction to lean and agile

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