Why (or When) Agile Fails Creating high performance software delivery teams

2 Who are we?  SDLC Process Improvement Company specializing in agile –Consulting –Training –Coaching  Toronto based organization working anywhere in North America  Roots in Java development with enterprise customers  Deeply technical (java) – Application Architect on WebSphere  Work in a variety of verticals including finance, government technology and telco

What is Agile and Scrum in software development?  Fundamentally different from the traditional project management approach  Agile is the generic term for the methodology  Scrum is a prescriptive implementation of Agile 3

What is Agile and Scrum in software development? 4  Emphasise teamwork, frequent delivery of working software, customer engagement  Respond quickly to change

What are the fundamental differences between traditional project management and Agile?  Project is chunked into short iterations (i.e. 2 weeks)  Each iteration delivers business value  Absorbs change throughout  The traditional phases of software development projects occur within each iteration 5

What are the fundamental differences between traditional project management and agile?  Project teams are self organized, cross functional, work collaboratively and meet often  Collocation of project team is encouraged  The project starts when we have just enough detail 6

7 What are the fundamental differences between traditional project management and agile? Define Design Develop Validate Deliver Time Define Design Develop Validate Deliver

Think of it this way…  Agile software development is like shooting a movie 8

What are the fundamental differences between traditional project management and agile? What we’ve learned from previous customer assessments:  90% of small software projects are delivered on time and budget  60-70% of medium software projects are delivered on time and budget  50% of large software projects are delivered on time and budget  An Agile approach creates a series of small projects 9

Is Agile any better? 10 Surveys & Results October 2011 DDJ Agile survey 2009 VersionOne survey June 2010 DDJ Agile Newsletter Observations Rod Doug

What are the problems with current software development projects? 11

What are the problems with current software development projects? Cost 12

What are the problems with current software development projects? Late delivery 13

What are the problems with current software development projects? Inferior quality 14

What are the problems with current software development projects?  Follow-on projects  Inadequate ROI  Mistrust between business and IT 15

Why do these problems occur? 1.We try to predict the future 2.We try to replace human interaction with documentation 3.We assume requirements are defined and won’t change 16

Debunking agile myths No planning No requirements or design No testing It only works for software projects Too much re-work or throw away code It won’t work “here” 17

Agile is not: 18  A rigid, defined process  Applied as an all or nothing approach  Just about faster delivery  A silver bullet

Ultimately, all project teams have to:  Make decisions based on available information  Accept they are using imperfect information and things will change  Review decisions and adjust frequently  Frequently inspect and adapt to improve processes  Address and mitigate risk early 19

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Principles Behind The Manifesto  Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.  Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.  Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.  Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project. 21

Principles Behind The Manifesto (cont’d)  Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.  The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.  Working software is the primary measure of progress.  Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely. 22

Principles Behind The Manifesto (cont’d)  Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.  Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.  The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.  At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly. 23

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