12 leadership tips to be even more agile C. Le Coënt

Summary 1.Rename “agile” to “common sense” 2.What matters is the quality of the team… 3.Go for simplicity, make it a habit 4.Get trained but not by anybody 5.Not everybody can be agile in the timeframe of your project 6.Do completeness from the first user story 7.Rename “Scrum Master” to “Scrum facilitator” 8.Software test strategy: make it the responsibility of the team 9.Think big, start very small 10.Use ideas and concepts that provide a holistic approach 11.Mono-tasking: art of getting things done 12.Learn, learn and learn

1. Rename “agile” to “common sense” “Agile cannot apply to all projects!” Becomes: –“Common sense does not apply to all projects”… “Could you repeat that?” “ Agile is just a fad” becomes –“Common sense is just a fad!”… “Oups! Is it?” “Agile” may not be the right word, so use a more meaningful word ?

2. “What really matter is the quality of the team … The rest is just an optimisation” Having worked for a great team using waterfall, we just became agile because: –They were Highly Skilled engineers –They were Quality-focused –They had Common sense Fundamentally, this is all about the quality of team

3. Go for simplicity, make it a habit People like the abstract world, mainly because it feels better: “Wow, you are doing complicated stuff!” –Use examples, models, rewrite and rethink until you have captured the essence of business needs Good user stories are more than “As a … I want … so that…” –If you don’t understand something, this “something” might be your problem soon –Dare aim for simplicity and be very concrete (use examples) Simplicity is an art

4. Get trained but not by anybody Agile is about not compromising on Quality so get the right trainers i.e. aim for the best! Mike Cohn and Ken Rubin are very good Quality in each and every aspect!

5. Not everybody can be agile in the timeframe of your project “Common sense is anything but common” –You have to acknowledge some people will be obstacles so if this is your project, better out of your way that in your way! Agile is not for everybody, be tough!

6. Do completeness from the first user story Your Definition of Done is the key success of your project. So make sure that even for the first user story, you have tackled your non-functional requirements –Add tests to measure performance, data quality, load testing etc Is your first story really, really shippable if…?

7. Software test strategy: make it the responsibility of the team Software testing has changed dramatically over the last few years to be an intelligent part of the software creation proces Test strategy has to be tailored to your project Intentional Yet emergent: can you really get it right first time? Really? Tailor your test strategy: make it the responsibility of the team, they will provide the right one!

8. Rename “Scrum Master” to “Scrum team facilitator” I understand scrum master is the master of the scrum process/framework but some people really only hear “Master” The scrum master is a team facilitator –So find the people who have facilitating skills to be your scrum masters! Look for facilitators to help your teams!

9. Thing big, start very small Always keep the big picture in mind and implement small user stories first Engineers always under estimate the effort so ask them to do the simplest thing that can work and help them do it well Really, don’t hesitate to do less and do it well

10. Use ideas and concepts that provide a holistic approach User stories, BDD et DDD have lots in common: –Based on conversation –Reflect business inputs –Supplement each other All together provides a cohesive approach Holistic approach = coherent people

11. Mono-tasking: art of getting things done Too often, engineers get involved in doing too many things at once Limit work in progress (WIP) in your « in progress » column of tasks Mono-tasking is great discipline

12. Learn, learn, learn New concepts are coming along, BDD, DDD, FDD etc –Don’t be afraid: behind these concepts, there are simple ideas Learning new things and once you have passed the learning curve will motivate you! Nobody was born an agile coach…

In a nutshell Apply common sense and use simplification to drive change!