The Secrets of Repeatable Success Adam Gilmore Solutions Architect & WW ALM Community Lead Microsoft Services June 27th 2011

Overview What do I mean by ALM? How do Microsoft Services deliver solutions? What makes us different? How do we improve?

3 Application Lifecycle Management From Concept to Cash Governance Development Operations IdeaDeploymentEnd of life Dave Chappell Associates

4 ALM Practice Areas Governance Project Management Requirements Management User Experience Architecture & Design Code Quality Data Management Quality Assurance Configuration Management Deployment & Operations

5 10,000 employees 88 countries 60,000 partners Support and consultancy to Enterprise customers Delivery of “Tier 1” systems Microsoft Services What do we do?

6 Unpredictable delivery Inconsistent process We’ll know when we get there Business fire and forget Can be Development-centric Typical lifecycle problems In my experience

7 Microsoft Solutions Framework How do Microsoft Services deliver solutions? MSF Core is not a methodology It’s a framework It requires instantiation for the specific solution domain Not a magic sauce Not specific to software development Although Visual Studio Team Foundation Server provides two instantiations which are specific to software development MSF for Agile Software Development MSF for CMMI® Process Improvement

8 A collection of best practices gathered from the product groups and the field V1.0 released in 1994 V5.0 released in 2010 Open Group accredited in 2011 Key elements Mindsets (key concepts) Foundational Principles Models MSF Core

9 Internalise Qualities of Service Focus on Business Value Learn Continuously Take Pride in Workmanship Foster a Team of Peers Advocate for your Constituency Deliver on your Commitments Practice Good Citizenship Look at the Big Picture Mindsets

10 Work towards a Shared Vision Foster Open Communications Establish clear Accountability Partner with Customers Empower Team Members Stay Agile, Expect and Adapt to Change Invest in Quality Learn from all Experiences Deliver Incremental Value Principles

11 Team model Based on advocacy creating natural checks and balances Process model Appropriate level of governance Iterative, versioned releases Risk model Proactive risk management Models

12 Team Model Solution Delivery Solution Definition Solution Usability & User Readiness Solution Deployment Solution Validation Solution Construction Solution Design

13 Advocacy Operations Technology Focus Business Focus Users Solutions Architects Customer Technology Architects Operations Support Project Team User Experience DevelopmentTest Release / Operations Product Management Architecture Program Management Project Sponsor

14 Scaling Down – combine roles Product Management Program Management ArchitectureDevelopmentTest User Experience Release / Operations Product Management NNNPPU Program Management NPNUUU Architecture NPPUUU Development NNPNNN Test PUUNPP User Experience PUUNPU Release / Operations UUUNPU Possible Unlikely Not recommended

15 Scaling Up – Feature Teams Catalog Program Management Development Test User Experience Fulfillment Program Management Development Test Release Management Site Engine & Design Program Management User Experience Development Test User Experience

16 Process Model

17 Agile Process Model Essentially Scrum but with more guidance and tooling

18 Risk Model Risk management is everyone’s job

19 Envisioning track Forming a vision Opening up possibilities never before imagined User experience as a first-class citizen An area often neglected in other approaches Base line early and freeze late Expecting change Iterative development Rehearsal for go-live MSF Highlights

20 Ship every day Build is not enough A team exercise Build hand-off Repeatable platform builds Triage One representative per discipline ‘ Quaker ’ consensus Underpins Agile & Lean methods MSF Highlights

21 Explicit roles and responsibilities Explicit scaling Explicit start and end Explicit risk management Works for fixed scope projects What makes MSF different?

22 Write it down and capture knowledge (Wiki, Visio, checklist, video…) Consistent process allows consistent measures Model your process in your tools Apply Plan-Do-Check-Act to improve continuously How do we improve? Baseline process and improve it empirically

23 agile adj - able to move quickly and easily lean adj - having no surplus flesh or bulk; not fat or plump Agile helped avoid building the wrong thing right Lean focuses on building the right thing better Effective and Efficient How do we improve? Learn and improve

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

25 Applying Lean Manufacturing philosophy to software development Demand – understand what the business demands are – what and when Value – design your process focussing on value delivery Flow – increase flow by increasing quality and removing waste The Toyota Way Respect for People Continuous Improvement Lean The Toyota Way

26 Lean Visual Management

27 Lean Visual Management

28 Lean Waste reduction Coordination Cost Transaction Cost Failure Load Value adding activity Transaction Cost If you could, would you do it more often? David J. Anderson

29 Migrating 1000’s of citizen developed applications for their customer Wanted to be agile - actually wanted to be effective and efficient Applied MSF Mindsets and Principles to the teams and process Full Visual Studio 2010 rollout – automated end to end process Applied Lean approach to the governance Understand demand Design a process to deliver against the demand Keep it simple!!! Case Study – Systems Integrator Software Factory Doing a lot more for less

30 Customer used to big requirements up front Biggest risk was building the wrong thing right Focussed on envisioning Rapid inspect and adapt MSF mindset and principles + Scrum-ban process Use of visual management and TFS 2010 Case Study – Public Sector Business Intelligence I’m glad you didn’t build what I asked for

31 Establish Mindsets and Principles – and live them Think of the whole Focus on quality Define your process Continually improve Use tools to identify and reduce waste Conclusions Secrets of our success?

32 Resources

Thank You Any questions?