Taking as examples a real greenfield and brownfield project the talk describes how agile delivery can address the challenge of getting quickly to grips with complex project domains by using a range of lean tools and techniques as part of a structured inception phase. In case of the greenfield project the goal was to build sufficient understanding to be able to define a valuable and realistic release (MVP) roadmap, while in the case of the brownfield project, the challenge was more in terms of decomposing / splitting an existing monolithic application in the right way. Besides illustrating how theses challenges were addressed in practice, this talk will outline a generic inception framework and suggest a range of techniques, tools and methodologies out of which agile project teams can 'compose' a skeleton framework to address the challenges they face in their projects, always - of course - with the key goal in mind of delivering value early while staying close to user and business, and focus on keeping quality high, mitigate risks continuously, and build a trusted relationship with our clients.

1. HANDLING COMPLEXITY
M A R C E L B R I T S C H E Q U A L E X P E R T S
Digital Consulting, Business Analysis and Product Management Agile Software Delivery
A C A S E A N D O U T L I N E F O R L E A N I N C E P T I O N P H A S E S

2. L E T M E M A K E
A CASE FOR UP-FRONT ANALYSIS
AND DESIGN
ish

3. O R B E T T E R
A CASE FORA CASE FOR SOME UP-FRONT THINKING

4. M O R E P R E C I S E L Y
A CASE FORA CASE FOR LIGHTWEIGHT UP-FRONT
THINKING

5. P R O J E C T S U C C E S S I S B A S E D O N
SOLID
FOUNDATIONS
Being lean and agile does not mean we can compromise or ignore the
bedrock our projects are build on.
APPRECIATE THY CONTEXT
E V E N E S P E C I A L L Y I N A N A G I L E W O R L D Y O U N E E D T O

6. O N E K E Y C H A L L E N G E :
P R O J E C T - D O M A I N S A R E
COMPLICATED
& COMPLEX
The biggest challenge when starting something new is making
sense of the complicated or even complex world our endeavour lives
in.
T H E C H A L L E N G E I S T O
U N D E R S T A N D T H E D O M A I N
Where are we?
Where do we want to be?
How do we get there?
B U T
B E F A S T & G E T I T R I G H T
Avoid future impact of missed risks or
opportunities

7. W E H A N D L E C O M P L I C A T E D N E S S
A N D C O M P L E X I T Y B Y
MODELLING
Modelling is the process of expressing information or circumstances
so that insight emerges.
info Modelling
G O O D M O D E L L I N G I S
L E A N & A C T I O N A B L E
fast vs. de-risking
focused & reducing noise
goal driven & actionable
Insight
M O D E L L I N G I S A L L A B O U T
S T R U C T U R I N G
I N F O R M A T I O N
identify parts
identify relationships
abstract

8. M O R E O F T E N T H A N N O T
B I G - D E S I G N -
U P F R O N T
I S T H E D E V I L
B U T M I S G U I D E D
A G I L E C A N L E A D
U S A S T R A Y
A S A N I N D U S T R Y
W E S U C K A T
A C T I O N A B L E
M O D E L L I N G
B U T W E A R E G E T T I N G B E T T E R
M O D E L L I N G
MAKE NO MISTAKE…
I T ’ S A B O U T B A L A N C E T O B U I L D
S O L I D F O N D A T I O N S
I T ’ S A B O U T F O C U S O N
P U R P O S E

9. T H E A P P R O P R I A T E M I N I M U M A N D T H A T J U S T I N T I M E
LAZY DOES IT
Note that my ‘lazy’ may not be your ‘lazy’.
RISK BE YOUR MEASURE

10. S E C U R I T I E S L E N D I N G R E P O R T I N G P L A T F O R M
INVESTMENT BANKING
G R E E N F I E L D

11. S E C U R I T I E S L E N D I N G
THE PROJECT
A reporting solution for a Securities Lending agent.
Counterparty
(Borrower)
Client
(Lender)
Securities Lending Agent
Securities
Fee

12. G R E E N F I E L D P R O J E C T I N C E P T I O N
THE CHALLENGE
Q U E S T I O N
C A N W E D O I T ?
Explicit: Is it possible?
Implicit: What are we dealing
with?
C H A L L E N G E
U N K N O W N
D O M A I N
Quickly develop sufficient
understanding of the problem
domain.
G O A L
C O N F I D E N C E
Develop sufficient understanding
of the domain to support high
confidence feasibility assessment
and planning.
A P P R O A C H
B R E A K I N G I T
D O W N
Break down or abstract
complicated or complex areas
sufficiently so that they can be
reasoned about without
distraction and confusion.

13. Business Model
Roadmap (Strategy)
Feasibility Estimation
W H A T I S I T A L L A B O U T ?
MODELLING THE BUSINESS DOMAIN
Cross-discipline workshop using strategyzer.com Business Model Canvas

14. W H A T I S I T A L L A B O U T ?
MODELLING THE BUSINESS DOMAIN
Business Model Canvas to reverse-engineer business & domain
Business Model Canvas: www.strategzyer.com
Indicative Example - not factually correct

15. Glossary
W H E R E D O W E W A N T T O B E ?
VISION & OBJECTIVES
Success Factors
Vision
Business Model
Roadmap (Strategy)
Feasibility Estimation

16. Affinity Diagram of cross-discipline success factors to define principles against which to judge our work
W H A T D O E S S U C C E S S M E A N ?
SUCCESS FACTORS
Indicative Example - not factually correct

17. W H A T A R E W E D O I N G ( S E L L I N G ) ?
MODELLING TRANSACTIONS
Trades (Process)
Products Clients
Success Factors
Vision
Business Model
Roadmap (Strategy)
Feasibility Estimation
Transaction Model and Prioritisation Matrix to understand the product and identify areas of value

18. Counterparty
(Borrower)
Client
(Lender)
Securities Lending Agent
Securities
Collateral
Fee
££
£
£
1
2
3
4
56
MODELLING TRANSACTIONS
W H A T A R E W E D O I N G ( S E L L I N G ) ?
Transaction Model and Prioritisation Matrix to understand the product and identify areas of value
Indicative Example - not factually correct

19. W H O A R E W E D E A L I N G W I T H ?
IDENTIFYING STAKEHOLDERS
Trades (Process)
Products Clients
Success Factors
Vision
Business Model
Stakeholders
Roadmap (Strategy)
Feasibility Estimation
Interest//Influence Stakeholder Map to understand how to engage with whom and why

20. IDENTIFYING STAKEHOLDERS
Indicative Example - not factually correct
W H O A R E W E D E A L I N G W I T H ?
Interest//Influence Stakeholder Map to understand how to engage with whom and why

21. W H O I S O U R T A R G E T A U D I E N C E A N D W H A T D O T H E Y E X P E C T ?
Users
External Internal
Trades (Process)
Products Clients
Needs & Expectations
Success Factors
Vision
Business Model
Roadmap (Strategy)
Feasibility Estimation
UNDERSTANDING USERS
Use Cases Model, Needs/Gains/Pains, Personas & Requirements Hierarchy to identify and structure design requirements

22. Indicative Example - not factually correct
W H O I S O U R T A R G E T A U D I E N C E A N D W H A T D O T H E Y E X P E C T ?
UNDERSTANDING USERS
Use Cases Model, Needs/Gains/Pains, Personas & Requirements Hierarchy to identify and structure design requirements

23. W H A T C A P A B I L I T I E S , C O N S T R A I N T S A N D C H A L L E N G E S A R E T H E R E ?
UNDERSTANDING ARCHITECTURE
Users
External Internal
Trades (Process)
Products Clients
Needs & Expectations
Success Factors
Vision
Business Model
Technology
Data Architecture
Process & Constraints
Roadmap (Strategy)
Feasibility Estimation
Context / System Model to understand system, people, data and events, and their relationships.

24. API Gateway
Trading System
Aggregator
Trading DB
Custodian DB
FX Service
Custodian
Sales / Client Services
Trader
Misc Reference Data
Counterparty
(Borrowers)
Client
(Lender)
Authentication
Scheduled
Reports
Reporting Website
Agency Lender
Project Domain
Collateral / Securities
Mgmt System
Misc Reference Data
Indicative Example - not factually correct
W H A T C A P A B I L I T I E S , C O N S T R A I N T S A N D C H A L L E N G E S A R E T H E R E ?
UNDERSTANDING ARCHITECTURE
Context / System Model to understand system, people, data and events, and their relationships.

25. B R I N G I N G I T T O G E T H E R
PRIORITIES AND CHALLENGES
Users
External Internal
Trades (Process)
Products Clients
Needs & Expectations
Business Priorities
Success Factors
Vision
Business Model
Technology
Data Architecture
Process & Constraints
Risks and Challenges
Roadmap (Strategy)
Feasibility Estimation

26. W H A T D O E S T H A T M E A N I N R E A L I T Y ?
PLAY A STORY
A minimum (POC) type story that validates whether theoretically we can integrate and deploy to live is one of the
most valuable indicators of the true state of affairs.
View Trades
As a trader I want to see a list of currently open
trades so that I can get an overview of my trading
position.
Acceptance Criteria
…
Definition of Done
• Integrated with LDAP and Trading System
• Deployed to production

27. H O W D O W E N E E D T O W O R K T O B E S U C C E S S F U L ?
DEFINE WAYS OF WORKING
Users
External Internal
Trades (Process)
Products Clients
Needs & Expectations
Business Priorities
Success Factors
Vision
Business Model
Ways of Working
Stakeholders
Technology
Data Architecture
Process & Constraints
Risks and Challenges
Roadmap (Strategy)
Feasibility Estimation

28. W H A T W O U L D A S O L U T I O N L O O K L I K E ?
Users
External Internal
Trades (Process)
Products Clients
Needs & Expectations
FeaturesBusiness Priorities
Success Factors
Vision
Business Model
Ways of Working
Stakeholders
Technology
Data Architecture
Process & Constraints
Risks and Challenges
Roadmap (Strategy)
Feasibility Estimation
DEVISE ‘FEATURES’
Wireframes, Visuals, Prototypes to explore and ultimately design the solution

29. Indicative Example - not factually correct
W H A T W O U L D A S O L U T I O N L O O K L I K E ?
DEVISE ‘FEATURES’
Wireframes, Visuals, Prototypes to explore and ultimately design the solution

30. T-Shirt Sizing, Value-Cost Matrix, Prioritised Backlog, Roadmap to assess feasibility and create a ‘plan’ (roadmap)
Users
External Internal
Trades (Process)
Products Clients
Needs & Expectations
FeaturesBusiness Priorities
Success Factors
Vision
Business Model
Stakeholders
Technology
Data Architecture
Process & Constraints
Risks and Challenges
Roadmap (Strategy)
Feasibility Estimation
C A N W E D O I T ?
FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT & ROADMAPPING

31. Indicative Example - not factually correct
C A N W E D O I T ?
FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT & ROADMAPPING
T-Shirt Sizing, Value-Cost Matrix, Prioritised Backlog, Roadmap to assess feasibility and create a ‘plan’ (roadmap)
Indicative Example - not factually corr

32. H O W T O R U N A N
INCEPTION PHASE
Key activities conducted as part of inception phase.
Glossary
Users
External Internal
Trades (Process)
Products Clients
Needs & Expectations
FeaturesBusiness Priorities
Success Factors
Vision
Business Model
Ways of Working
Stakeholders
Technology
Data Architecture
Process & Constraints
Risks and Challenges
Roadmap (Strategy)
Feasibility Estimation

33. G R E E N F I E L D I N C E P T I O N S
IN A NUTSHELL
■
■
K E E P I N G I T T O P L E V E L
work breadth over depth
R E D U C I N G N O I S E
prioritise relevant areas, analyse > conclude > move on
W E H A N D L E C O M P L E X I T Y B Y
M O D E L L I N G
use tools and techniques that turn information into insight
■
B E I N G F O C U S E D
know your goal, work towards it
■

34. R E T A I L S U P P L Y C H A I N T O O L I N G
RETAIL
B R O O K F I E L D

35. R E T A I L S U P P L Y C H A I N T O O L I N G
THE PROJECT
How the business envisaged it…
Cataloguing
Demand
Forecasting
Production Planning Allocation Distribution Sales Reporting
Product Management
System
ERP System
Reporting Suite
Indicative example only

36. R E T A I L S U P P L Y C H A I N T O O L I N G
THE PROJECT
What it morphed into…
Indicative example only

37. B R O W N F I E L D P R O J E C T I N C E P T I O N
THE CHALLENGE
C H A L L E N G E 1
UNKNOWN DOMAIN
Quickly develop sufficient understanding of
the problem domain.
✓
C H A L L E N G E 2
CONFIRMATION BIAS
Consider business realities but don’t repeat
history.
✓
C H A L L E N G E 3
DIS-ENTANGLEMENT
Decompose into manageable bits.
!

38. W E D I S E N T A N G L E C O M P L E X
D O M A I N S B Y
SLICING
Slices are sufficiently isolated and small parts of a system so that we
can ignore everything else and deal with the slice without distraction.
Valuable
Cohesive and decoupled
Follow the ‘seams’ in the domain but be mindful of Conway’s law
Are simple but not simplistic
Facilitate and de-risk delivery
R U L E S F O R
GOOD SLICES

39. S L I C I N G D O M A I N S
WHY CAN’T WE BUILD IN AN AFTERNOON?
Posing this question to relevant subject matter experts and stakeholders will not only make it clear to everyone why
we need to slice the system and approach deliver incrementally but more specifically will lead to insight regarding
key areas of the problem and inform how we slice.
W H E R E I S U N C E R T A I N T Y ?
Where should we expect change?
■
■
■
W H E R E I S T H E R I S K ?
Where do we need to be careful?
■
W H Y I S I T B I G ?
What makes this big and how big are we talking?
W H E R E I S T H E V A L U E I N I T ?
Which parts are the important ones?
W H E R E I S I T C O M P L I C A T E D ?
Where should we expect challenges?
■

40. S L I C I N G D O M A I N S
DIMENSIONS
Key Features
Breadth
Depth

41. S L I C I N G D O M A I N S
MODEL THE DOMAIN
While we generally should consider a user-centric approach when modelling to-be domains, where we are dealing
with existing systems we may want to adopt an approach based on existing features, capabilities and architecture.
Indicative example only

42. S L I C I N G D O M A I N S
IDENTIFY ROUGH SLICES
Iterate
Iterate
Iterate
CATALOGUING
FORECASTING
STORE ALLOCATION
ORDERINGSEASON
PLANNING
SALES PLANNING SELLING
MARKDOWN
PLANNING
Indicative Example - not factually correct
Follow the ‘seams’ in the domain, recognising the various dimensions such as process, capabilities and architecture.
‘SPECIALS’
COMPLEX
FORECASTING
‘ESSENTIALS’SOURCING

43. S L I C I N G D O M A I N S
OVERLAY CONTEXT
Indicative example only
Iterate
Iterate
Iterate
CATALOGUING
FORECASTING
STORE ALLOCATION
ORDERINGSEASON
PLANNING
SALES PLANNING SELLING
MARKDOWN
PLANNING
‘SPECIALS’
COMPLEX
FORECASTING
‘ESSENTIALS’SOURCING

44. S L I C I N G D O M A I N S
DISCARD ‘BAD’ SLICES
Indicative Example - not factually correct
Apply principles for good slices and discard inappropriate slices.
Iterate
Iterate
Iterate
CATALOGUING
FORECASTING
STORE ALLOCATION
ORDERINGSEASON
PLANNING
SALES PLANNING SELLING
MARKDOWN
PLANNING
‘SPECIALS’
COMPLEX
FORECASTING
‘ESSENTIALS’SOURCING

45. S L I C I N G D O M A I N S
SPLIT LARGE SLICES
Iterate
Iterate
Iterate
CATALOGUING
FORECASTING
STORE ALLOCATION
ORDERINGSEASON
PLANNING
SALES PLANNING SELLING
MARKDOWN
PLANNING
COMPLEXPREDICTION
WEIGHTEDALLOCATION
Indicative Example - not factually correct
Make slices as small as possible while not compromising principles of a ‘good’ slice.

46. S L I C I N G D O M A I N S
IDENTIFY OVER-ARCHING SLICES
Iterate
Iterate
Iterate
CATALOGUING
FORECASTING
STORE ALLOCATION
ORDERINGSEASON
PLANNING
SALES PLANNING SELLING
MARKDOWN
PLANNING
COMPLEXPREDICTION
WEIGHTEDALLOCATION
Indicative Example - not factually correct
REPORTING
RECONCILLIATION

47. Iterate
Iterate
Iterate
CATALOGUING
FORECASTING
STORE ALLOCATION
ORDERINGSEASON
PLANNING
SALES PLANNING SELLING
MARKDOWN
PLANNING
COMPLEXPREDICTION
WEIGHTEDALLOCATION
Indicative Example - not factually correct
REPORTING
RECONCILLIATION
S L I C I N G D O M A I N S
BUILD SLICING ROADMAP
Determine optimal slice-delivery order in light of project context.

48. S L I C I N G D O M A I N S
SLICE PROFILE
Indicative Example - not factually correct
Dimensions that guide order for slice delivery.
Slice a
Slice b
Reference Profile

49. S L I C I N G D O M A I N S
BUILD SLICING ROADMAP
Indicative Example - not factually correct
Iterate
Iterate
Iterate
CATALOGUING
FORECASTING
STORE ALLOCATION
ORDERINGSEASON
PLANNING
SALES PLANNING SELLING
MARKDOWN
PLANNING
COMPLEXPREDICTION
WEIGHTEDALLOCATION
Determine optimal slice-delivery order in light of project context.
REPORTING
RECONCILLIATION

50. S L I C I N G D O M A I N S
BUILD SLICING ROADMAP
2
1
Indicative Example - not factually correct
Apply principles for good slices and discard inappropriate slices.
CATALOGUING
END2END STEELTHREAD

51. B R O W N F I E L D I N C E P T I O N S
IN A NUTSHELL
■
■
S L I C I N G
breaking it down
D E - R I S K I N G
think ‘value’ in terms of business AND delivery
W E H A N D L E C O M P L E X I T Y B Y
R E D U C I N G N O I S E
ignorance is bliss, so ignore future slices
■

52. W H E R E D O E S T H A T L E A V E U S ?
TL;DLISTEN
K E E P I T S I M P L E
REDUCE NOISE
F O C U S O N V A L U E A N D R I S K
BR EAD TH FIR ST, TH EN D EPTH
D O T H E M I N I M U M
BE LEAN
T U R N I N F O R M A T I O N I N T O
A C T I O N A B L E I N S I G H T
MODEL
B R E A K I T D O W N
D EC ON STR U C T
H A V E A G O A L A N D P L A N B U T W I N G I T
BE FLEXIBLE

53. A N D R E A L L Y …
IF YOU ARE NOT SCARED $***LESS
AT SOME POINT YOU ARE DOING IT
WRONG
though if you are constantly scared you are doing it wrong either.

54. GETTING IN TOUCH
M A R C E L B R I T S C H
Contact: marcel.britsch@beautifulabstraction.com
Web: www.beautifulabstraction.com
Blog: www.thedigitalbusinessanalyst.com
E Q U A L E X P E R T S
L I C E N S E
Digital Consulting, Business Analysis and Product Management
Contact: hello@equalexperts.com
Web: www.equalexperts.com
Agile Software Delivery
This document is made available under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
THANK YOU

55. M A R C E L B R I T S C H
Contact: marcel.britsch@beautifulabstraction.com
Web: www.beautifulabstraction.com
Blog: www.thedigitalbusinessanalyst.com
L I C E N S E
Digital Consulting, Business Analysis and Product Management
This document is made available under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
N O T E
All information may have been changed in the interest of simplicity, illustration or confidentiality and may not represent the actual
state of affairs.