Johanna Rothman Start Somewhere Chapter 17 Copyright © 2017

Rothman’s advice… Start Somewhere “Try these ideas … “ But only if the team is passionate about making changes and has support to make the changes… Support in the form of management providing the resources needed to have a chance at succeeding … Recall the “Project Pyramid” (Ch. 5) … management controls and provides the resources Resources that effect the “Work environment”, that provide the people with the necessary “capabilities”, and the “revenue” needed to cover the cost of making the change

Advice: Limit the Work In Progress (WIP) Limit the amount of work the team takes on… Timebox all the work and “pull” into each Sprint only what the team estimates they can complete! Again the word “estimate” Each Sprint provides the opportunity for the team learn and improve their estimates… and appropriately alter the amount that is “pulled” into the next Sprint … this calls for end of Sprint “Retrospectives” and the opportunity to improve estimates and control for accumulating WIP

Advice: Limit the Work In Progress (WIP) “When the team limits its work in someway, the team is more likely to finish the work it does” The team is more likely to be able to focus on the quality of the work.. and the technical excellence represented in the work … creating joy and happiness for the future maintainers of the work being “done”

Rothman How to manage WIP … create a Kanban board so the team can see the “flow” (getting to “Done”) … on the board establish WIP limits … make sure the WIP limits are set, allowing the team to use the daily standup to assess progress and to identify when specific WIP collaboration is needed Retrospectives and Learning are essential!

The SCRUM Board Either during or before the daily scrum, estimates are changed (up or down), and cards are moved around the board… provides for daily real time “team learning”

The purpose of Cross-Functional teams Companies use cross-functional teams to help them produce better results more quickly As such, companies expect these work teams to be high-performance teams … by bringing together workers from the different business divisions with a stake in a project, the team can more effectively and efficiently address what needs to get done And by collaborating together in a single unit with a common objective, the workers do not waste time passing a project from one department to the next, as they would in more traditional team arrangements

The purpose of Cross-Functional teams Cross-functional teams reduce the repetition and need for revisions that arise in more traditional team or project management arrangements, where a project moves through the various departments (and people) for review and input in a linear fashion In software development, teams following the Agile and DevOps methodologies have characteristics of cross-functional teams Agile and DevOps methodologies pull together various professionals to form multiple-functional units.

The value of Cross-Functional teams By bringing together workers from the different business divisions with a stake in a project, the team can more effectively and efficiently address what needs to get done … by collaborating together in a single unit with a common objective, the workers don't waste time passing a project from one department to the next, as they would in more traditional team arrangements Although these teams are meant to break through departmental siloes, each team member still contributes his or her own professional or departmental skills to the whole as part of this collaborative effort As such, team members should be chosen both for their subject-matter expertise and professional skills, as well as their ability to communicate and work well with others in the unit

The value of Cross-Functional teams Individual members, as well as the cross-functional team itself, generally have a high level of decision-making capabilities… a characteristic that helps them move faster through projects than other types of teams could The entire cross-functional team works together to understand the problem to be solved or the objective to be met, as well as clear, its defined goals Cross functional teams need to be supported … and helped to see how they deliver value on a regular basis The more the team can experience their ability to deliver value, the easier the transition will be

Organizational push back… Cross-functional teams have allegiance to their team and not their own product or their manager The reporting structured for team members changes… … for traditional managers joining the team, they may respond negatively (dysfunctionally) having lost their organizational power For some, they may not want to leave their functional silos to “join” a Cross-functional team Architects may enjoy their status and not want to give it up… Developers or UX designers or testers understand and prefer the work in their niche … and have no interest in work as a cross-functional team

Pros and Cons Proponents of using Cross-Functional teams list multiple benefits for organizations that use them Improved problem-solving and faster decision-making, both of which lead to the development of a better product more quickly Increased innovation Higher capacity to respond to changing market conditions and requirements, due to the team's decision-making capabilities Better alignment to overall organizational goals, as cross-functional teams break down departmental self-interests to focus on a common objective.

https://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/crossfunctional Pros and Cons Cross-functional teams can be prone to failure when they're not appropriately staffed and managed Like all projects without the right staffing and oversight, failed cross-functional team projects waste time and resources … … creating division within an organization, as well as putting the organization at a competitive disadvantage by failing to deliver on its objectives To be effective, Cross-functional teams need to be supported … and helped to see how they deliver value on a regular basis The more the team can experience their ability to deliver value, the easier the transition will be https://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/crossfunctional

“Start with yourself” Consider how to use agile approaches in your work How can you be transparent with your work? Your own Kanban Board with WIP limits Collaborate with the team and others Consider how to “bring” other people into your work Create a transparent way to report status on a daily basis Instead of working alone, enlist others in collaboration Instead of being disengaged by setbacks, commit to learning to create better results

… you can begin to create an agile culture by using your Agile Mindset A mindset is a set of assumptions, methods, or notations held by groups of people that is so established that it creates a powerful incentive within these people to continue to adopt or accept prior behaviors, choices, or tools. Characteristics that make up the agile mindset: Positive attitude Thirst for knowledge Goal of team success Pragmatism Willingness to fail "There is no failure, only feedback" It's about taking everything as lessons, adjusting actions according to the feedback, and proceeding toward desired outcomes, resulting in continuous improvement.

Rothman’s “Last Thoughts” Remember it’s not about “being agile” The reason to use agile approaches is to deliver value faster… … to work with the customer or with the business people (others) … to welcome change If you are not doing that, you can, … and you will be better off than where you were https://www.agileconnection.com/article/what-does-it-mean-have-agile-mindset