1. How to Implement Agile in Your Organization
Bobbie Shrivastav, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, CSP
Sr. Project Manager - Classroom Technologies – Center for Creative Leadership
VP of Communication and Marketing – NC Piedmont Triad Chapter of PMI

2. Discussion Points Personal Agile Journey
What is Agile? Why is it Important?
Examples of Agile Implementations in Local Organizations
Best Practices – Implementation of Agile
Learning Exercise
Q/A
Started my project journey – started very waterfall – Felt very safe; methodical – Type A - checklist
Get all your requirements up front – spend weeks/months with business unit; have alignment meetings; design sessions; document design; development; formal code reviews; testing case development; test; uat; testing review sessions; production
Saw a need to change the model – When we were at UAT – business would always complain that they expected something different or they had changed their minds; management could have changed; people could have changed
Started to introduce a Kanban system for very small tickets – Once every two weeks – got everyone locked up in a conference room; ordered pizza for lunch; worked on resolving tickets that weren’t production support but small enhancement items (BU rep, Dev Team, Manager); Business was very happy
Started to notice middle size projects go to “Shadow” IT teams – Business had the budget and found software or hired people; loss data control; potential security threats
Started to introduce prioritization models for business to provide a weight; introduced “Standups”
Felt dissatisfied as to how to crack this issue until I read an article on Agile – Heard the terminology and thought it was just another Fad but the article resonated; Wanted to try to be Agile but couldn’t due to lack of management support to give-up the gathering of full requirements
Did Kanban/flavor of a Scrum-Fall; Left for another opportunity; Had great opportunities at other organizations to help implement Agile

3. What is Agile?
“Light weight software development approach as a reaction against Waterfall oriented methods which were criticized for being heavily regimented and overly documented”
“Agile is primarily a means to leverage change where the alternative is to restrict
“Deliver projects in a more flexible and time efficient way”
Source:
Transparency
Inspect
Adapt
“.. based on iterative development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing cross-functional teams” via cPrime
“..  time boxed, iterative approach to software delivery that builds software incrementally from the start of the project, instead of trying to deliver it all at once near the end” via Agilenutshell

4. Why is Agile Important
Cheaper/Faster – Deliver Business Value Early and Frequently. Less “Pork”.
Flexible in Responding to Business Needs – Allow Change in Priorities and Requirements based on Market/Customer Needs
Transparency and Visibility into Project Progress - Ongoing Feedback from Stakeholders
Higher Quality – Business Collaboration and Communication
Success Variables
Team Capabilities – Willingness to apply the engineering and project management disciplines
Management Support – Willingness to trust the team and allow for self-organization
Organization buy-in - Willingness to support by providing a “Product Owner”
Stakeholder Involvement – Willingness to provide consultation and feedback throughout the project life-cycle
Based on a recent State of Agile Survey from Version One – 52% of projects are now using Agile methods
Evolving business needs
Less waste – no scope creep as business needs are prioritized continuously and eliminates unwanted features
Agile is not a silver bullet

5. Agile Implementation Examples

6. Top 3 Reasons for Agile Implementation
Clarity and Transparency into Project Status
Less “Late Churn” on Requirements
Strengthen Team Performance
Agile Journey
Hired a Process Improvement Consultant – Consultant Sold Agile to Senior Management
Developed a Steering Committee with Cross Team Members
Senior Management Decided to Fund a Pilot Project
Hired an Agile Coach and Formed the Team
Trained the Team and Co-Location
Sprint 0 – Working Team Agreements, Wire-Framing, Stakeholder Engagement, Backlog Creation, Prioritization (Business Value), Estimation, Initial Release Plan
Started Sprint 1 (Sprints were 2 weeks long; Budget was for 10 sprints)
Wean the Team from Agile Coach around Sprint 4
Lessons Learned
Hire the Right Coach
Middle Management needed to be included as part of the “Selling”
Team Empowerment was Contagious and Stakeholders Enjoyed the Process
May have to Adapt or Change to Organization’s Governance Model
Recent Version 1 study shows that 61% of Management decide on Agile

7. Top 3 Reasons for Agile Implementation
Adding the Right Business Value
Forming and Strengthening Business Relationships
Strengthen Team Performance
Journey
Observations – Each Team had a Different Approach
Initially, used Light-Weight Framework Due to Team Size – Kanban
Trained Product Owner and Development on Agile, Scrum, and Kanban
Used Sticky Notes to Document Backlog and Kanban Board
Gathered Backlog Items and Prioritized with Product Owner
Started Implementing Scrum Rituals
As Team Matured, Moved to TFS and Reviewed Metrics (Burn-down) on a Regular Basis
Moved to Scrum
Lessons Learned
Integration Issues with Other Teams – Waterfall/Agile
Velocity Increased – Team Engagement High
Stakeholders Look Forward to Demos
Requests for More Projects than Capacity
Educate All Necessary Parties Involved early – Sprint 0

8. Martin Messick’s Journey in his Organization

9. Best Practices
Top 5 Ways to Help Implement/Scale Agile in Organization
Executive Sponsorship
Training Program/Workshops
Implementation of a common tool
Internal Agile Support Group
Full Time Agile Coach
Top 5 Ways that Eases Agile Adoption
Buy-in from Technology and Business
Grassroots Commitment
Consistent Understanding of “What Agile Is” and its Processes
Pilot Groups and Knowledge Sharing
Build One Successful Team and Divide Experience
Top 5 Reasons for Failed Agile Projects
None of Projects Failed
Company Philosophy not Aligned with Agile Core Values
External Pressures to Follow Waterfall
Broader Organizational or Communications Problem
Lack of Experience with Agile Methods
Stats from – VersionOne– 8th Annual State of Agile Survey
55% of Agile Methodology used is Scrum
Why Agile Projects Fail – 13% stated company philosophy or culture at odds with core agile values; 10% - External pressure to follow traditional waterfall processes; 10% - Broader organizational or communications problem; 11% - Lack of experience with agile methods

10. Learning Exercise
Start a Backlog of Questions/Discussion Points – Each Person will Write a Minimum of 1 Question on a Sticky Note
Develop a Backlog
Prioritize Backlog – Each Person has 2 Dot Votes Based on the Current Backlog
Start the Discussion with Highest Dot Votes
Discussion will Last Up to 5 Minutes
As a Group, We will Vote to Continue Discussion or Move to Next

11. Questions/Answers