The document summarizes the results of an evaluation of an "Agile Programme" in Cornwall, England that was intended to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and create jobs. The evaluation found that half the participating businesses created new jobs, totaling 50 new positions. Many businesses saw increases in revenue, profitability, and customers. The programme provided training, coaching, and ongoing support over several months. Coaching focused on both process improvements and technical skills like test-driven development. The multi-dimensional coaching approach addressed company strategy, product development processes, and code quality. The programme was deemed a success in meeting its goals of supporting businesses and creating new jobs in Cornwall.

1. Lessons
from
the
Cornish
February
2013
So/ware
East,
Cambridge
So/ware
Mines
Allan
Kelly
allan@so/warestrategy.co.uk
Twi>er:
@allankellynet
h>p://www.so/warestrategy.co.uk/allankelly

2. Allan
Kelly
• Agile
Training
&
ConsulLng
–
So/ware-­‐Business
alignment
• Author:
– Changing
So*ware
Development:
Learning
to
be
Agile,
Wiley
2008
– Business
Pa<erns
for
So*ware
Developers,
Wiley
2012
97
Things
Every
Programmer
Should
Business
Analysis
Know
and
Leadership:
Henney,
2010
Influencing
Context
EncapsulaGon
in
change
Pa<ern
Languages
of
Program
Design
Penny
Pullan
&
Volume
5,
2006
James
Archer
2013

3. Cornwall?
A
laboratory?

4. Objec&ve-­‐1
“Convergence”
Objec&ve:
Social
Fund
• Help
Cornish
SMEs
• Create
jobs
in
Cornwall
Grow
Cornwall!
Coaching
for
High
Growth

5. Who
was
helped?

6. Programme
evaluaLon
• Independent
evaluaLon
•
•
commissioned
by
Oxford
InnovaLon
• 6
months
a/er
end
of
the
programme
(September
2012)
• 13
companies
took
part
– Out
of
15
in
programme
as
a
whole

7. Programme
evaluaLon
• “Agile
Programme
met
the
expectaLons”
• Benefits
are
being
realised…
– more
flexible
approach
to
business,
– more
responsive
through
improved
workflow
– improved
communicaLons
and
team
cohesion
– in
general
they
are
more
efficient
– be>er
customer
service
and
saLsfacLon
• TacLcally,
businesses
report
having
improved
Lmes
to
market
and
be>er
product
tesLng.

8. Results
• Half
of
businesses
…
created
at
least
one
new
posiLon
…
average
of
four
jobs
per
company
• Businesses
credit
Agile
(at
least
parLally)
for
creaLng
50
new
posiLons
in
total.
– Min
half
of
the
new
jobs
were
high
skilled
roles
• 7
companies
the
turnover/revenue
had
increased
– 3
report
significant
increase.
• 6
have
increased
profitability
– 3
experiencing
a
significant
increase.
• 6
parLcipants
have
experienced
an
increase
in
customers
or
opportuniLes,
– 3
said
it
was
a
significant
increase

9. How
did
we
help?
• Training
• Coaching
–
mulLple
levels
• Time
–
on
going,
Return
visits
• Agile
FoundaLons
training
workshop
– Followed
by
Process/Product
Coaching
• Test
Driven
Development
Workshop
– Followed
by
Technical
Coaching

10. Process
Coaching
• Monthly
Light
touch
– Review
the
board
coaching
– Talk
to
team,
talk
to
managers
– Answer
quesLons
– What’s
working
well?
– What’s
causing
problems?
– What
needs
changing?
– Discuss
alternaLve
approaches

11. Technical
Coaching
• Focus
on
Test
Driven
Development
• Clients
using:
C,
C#,
C++
Team
found
a
bug
in
legacy
code
using
TDD
the
• 2-­‐day
C#
TDD
course
day
a/er
the
course
– Followed
by
BDD
&
Architecture
courses
later
• Ongoing
coaching
a
few
days
a
month
– Pair
programming
• Later
PHP
TDD
training
&
coaching
– With
SebasLan
Bergmann

12. 4-D Coaching Model
Building
the
right
thing
Building
it
right
Time

13. 3
Sided
Coaching
What
is
the
company
making?
How
is
the
company
organized?
Advice
for
senior
managers
Company:
Strategy
Less
DirecLve
What
processes
are
followed?
Are
you
delivering?
Product:
Process
More
DirecLve
Advice
for
teams
What
is
the
architecture?
Is
the
Code:
Technical
code
tested?
Are
you
finding
bugs?
Advice
for
programmers

14. 3
Sides
Code:
Technical
• Not
a
hierarchy
Product:
Process
– Use
together
or
in
combinaLon
– Value
in
each
dimension
Company:
Strategy
– Whole
>
Sum
of
parts
• Use
different
coaches
– Difference
audiences
inside
company
– Different
coaches
have
different
specializaLons

15. +
Time
(the
4th
dimension)
• Don’t
expect
it
all
at
once
• Different
people
learn
at
different
speeds
• Iterate
– Li>le
and
o/en

16. Research
Instruments
As
a
User
I
would
like
the
so/ware
to
remember
my
setngs
so
that
I
don’t
have
to
re-­‐calibrate
and
re-­‐configure
the
so/ware
each
Lme
I
use
it.
As
an
Embryologist
I
would
like
to
be
able
to
replay
stored
videos
of
procedures
so
that
I
can
see
how
they
were
performed
As
a
Pa&ent
I
would
like
to
see
confirmaLon
that
both
me
and
my
embryo
have
been
idenLfied
correctly
so
that
I
can
relax
and
feel
confident

17. Dev
Manager
This
isn’t
esLmaLon,
that’s
RI
MysLc-­‐Meg
stuff,
we
KNOW
when
will
be
done
Burn
Down
Development
Effort
90.0
80.0
70.0
82.0
73.5
60.0
63.5
50.0
57.0
47.0
40.0
46.0
28.0
30.0
24.0
20.0
10.0
0.0
4.0
0.0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
RI
Viewer
Priority

18. RI
-­‐
The
Benefits
(own
words)
Dev
team
Outside
dev
• Team
enthusiasLc,
focused,
• Other
teams
want
to
adopt
moLvated
Agile
principles
• Encourage
changes
in
• Quality
dept
is
happier
requirements
• Snr
Management
have
graphs
to
play
with
• Easier
management
• MarkeLng
speak
the
same
• Higher
quality
language
• Predictability
+
Flexibility
• Customers
given
accurate
• IdenLfy
problems
quickly
Lmescales
• Development
process
is
simple

20. Xanpan
=
Kanban
+
XP
Company
board
–
whole
company!

23. Keep
reinforcing
the
message
• Agile
Programme
R.I.P.
• Long
live
Agile!
– Companies
cross
site
visits
– Managers
“acLon
learning
set”
– Some
shared
training
iniLaLves
– OI
conLnues
High
Growth
coaching
for
managers

24. Icing
on
the
cake…
Retu
Agile
on
the
Beach
Conference
-­‐
September
rning
5-­‐6
S for
a
2011
&
2012,
Falmouth
y eptem
3 rd
yea
Ke n ber
2 r
otes
Gabr :
Dan
N
Mary
&
Tom
Poppendieck,
Kevlin
Henney,
013
iel
St orth
Steve
Freeman,
Rachel
Davies,
Mnhard
&
ei ichael
t
Feathers,
Eben
Upton,
….
h>p://www.agileonthebeach.com

25. What
did
we
Learn?

26. Lessons
Learned:
DifficulLes
• Training
+
Coaching
works
– When
we
didn’t
success
is
slower
• Success
is
relaLve
– Company
we
don’t
consider
a
success,
they
do!
• Horse
to
water
– Not
everyone
conLnued
a/er
training

27. Lessons
Learned:
People
• Doesn’t
align
with
some
people
own
views
• Agile
exposes
(exisLng)
personnel
problems
– Nowhere
to
hide
– Hard
to
avoid
• People
learn
at
different
speeds
– Teams
&
Companies
adopt
at
different
speeds
• People
(companies)
need
help
to
get
this
stuff

28. Lessons
Learned
• Even
cheap
isn’t
cheap
enough
• Senior
Team
have
problems
too
– Management
coaching
required
• Process
first
can
be
effecLve
• Limits
of
remote
coaching
– Limits
of
light
touch?
• Who’s
success
is
it
anyway?
– Can
a
Coach
ever
claim
success?

29. Don’t
push
change
-­‐
Let
them
pull!
• Lay
out
your
stall
A
model
inside
– And
wait
the
corporaLon
too?

30. What's
the
best
way
to
take
a
bridge?
Both
ends
at
once
Brigadier
General
Gavin
Major
Julian
Cook
Quote:
A
Bridge
Too
Far
• Cornelius
Ryan
(Book)
Image:
Nijmegen
bridge
from
FaceMePLS,
CreaLve
Commons
License
on
Flickr
• Richard
A>enborough
(Film)

31. Our
bridges
have
3
ends!
Tridge,
Midland,
Michigan
-­‐
Image
from
Gary
Teall,
Fenton
Low
AlLtude
FLAP
@
h>p://www.panoramio.com/photo/15573763

32. QuesLons
Allan
Kelly
allan@so/warestrategy.co.uk
Twi>er:
@allankellynet
h>p://www.so/warestrategy.co.uk/allankelly