agile & beyond - organically scaled agile: creating a clear enterprise portfolio
TRANSCRIPT
CollaborativeLeanEvolvingAdaptableReportable
Organically Scaled Agile: Creating a CLEAR Project Portfolio
Robert Woods – Agile Coach & Delivery ManagerMATRIX Resources@mindoverprocess
MATRIX OVERVIEW
32 Years IT Solutions Experience
Privately-held, $210M Top 25 in the U.S.
National Firm with 12 offices across the U.S.
Offshore Services in India via Joint Venture
Offshore Delivery Centers
MATRIX Office MATRIX Virtual Office Offshore Delivery Center States MATRIX has supplied resources
Agile portfolio management is not about taking a bunch of ‘agile-like’ projects and throwing them into a portfolio; it’s about creating agility at the actual portfolio & decision-making level.
12 Principles of the Agile Manifesto
09 Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
07 Working software is the primary measure of success.
08 The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.
06 Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
05 Build project around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need and trust them to get the work done.
04 Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
01 Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
02 Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s advantage.
03 Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to a shorter timescale.
10 Simplicity – the art of maximizing the amount of work not done – is essential.
11 The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
12 At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, the tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.
Based on common failures (and successes) in scaling agility into a portfolio process
Focuses on some of the most core aspects of Agile principles that often get lost in scaling
Can be applied at every level of an enterprise portfolio
Is process agnostic and organically creates agility as opposed to forcing a framework-fit scenario.
The CLEAR History
15
•Collaborative: We come up with the best requirements and most innovative ideas through continual conversation around what will best fit our customer’s needs.
•Lean – By ensuring we limit our work in progress, eliminate waste and knowing what done means. The concept of starting small, reviewing and adapting based on outcome and feedback.
•Evolving – Go into this body of work with the mindset that it will need to evolve over time to the benefit of the customer. Embrace the idea of the evolution of the concept as opposed to fighting it.
•Adaptable – Have the courage to create the change needed. While evolution is embracing the idea of change, adapting is initiating the change itself. Sometimes the most difficult part to follow through on.
•Reportable – Critical to making good decisions is useful information. Choose carefully what information best represents your ability to determine success, completion and opportunity for improvement.
The CLEAR Definition
back to basics1. What is the reasoning behind taking a user story and pruning it
down to a small consumable level? (Quick feedback, adaptability, response to change, fail quickly)
2. What is the value behind identifying a minimum viable product?
(Good enough not perfect, quick to market, feedback, value)
3. Why is it important for a team to understand backlog priority?(Working right items, highest business value)
4. Top attributes of a truly Agile project/team?(Adaptability, collaborative, predictable, transparent)
1. Why would you slice a portfolio like you would user stories?(Quick feedback, adaptability, response to change, fail quickly)
2. What would the reasoning be behind minimum viable portfolio?(Good enough not perfect, quick to market, feedback, value)
3. Why is it important for a team to know portfolio priority?(Working right items, highest business value)
4. Top attributes of a truly Agile enterprise portfolio?(Adaptability, collaborative, predictable, transparent)
beyond the basics
Collaborate – determine user needs, work effort, innovation, value
Lean – Is there waste in this effort? Small enough?
Evolve – Watching for possible evolution in requirements, effort, or value.
Adapt – If above landscape has changed, shall we adapt? Change the story based on requirements, effort, or value evolution.
Report –Are people happy with results?
be CLEAR on the story
Being CLEAR at the story level promotes
Engagement with the all required people Understanding the right amount of work to
complete this item Productive discussion around innovation The mindset to watch for evolution in requirements Adaptability when change in need is apparent from
a customer point of view or technology point of view Visibility into the work via success criteria and
measurable progress
be CLEAR on the feature\epic Collaborate – determining higher level desires to break
down into smaller slices Lean – Where is the value in this epic? Wasted
movement? Evolve – As stories evolve, will we evolve the epic?
Value? (opportunities or requirements?) Adapt – Does this particular item still make sense
where it is? Change it or eliminate it! Report – When is this item complete or successful? Are
people happy with results? Release reporting, initiative planning, etc.
Being CLEAR at the feature level promotes
◦ Engagement at both the team and business or stakeholder levels
◦ Productive discussion around innovation◦ The mindset to watch for evolution in requirements
(or opportunities)◦ Adaptability when change in need is apparent from
a customer point of view◦ Visibility into the work via success criteria and
opportunity for road-mapping and resource allocation
be CLEAR on the product\project Collaborative – To help determine cross
dependencies, downstream impact, ongoing business value
Lean – Are we seeing value in right areas? Project waste? Frequent feedback? WIP issues and bottlenecks!
Evolving – Are we watching the project and customer landscape for market evolution?
Adaptive – Based on above, does this particular project still make sense? Change it or eliminate it!
Reportable – When are we successful (road-mapping)? Are people happy with results? Financial re-allocation opportunities or ongoing product development?
Being CLEAR at the project\product level promotes
◦ Cross-project discussion looking for risks, dependencies and opportunities
◦Verification of Minimum Viable Product and what doneness really is.
◦ The mindset that we don’t know everything about this product and probably wont until its complete.
◦Adapting the entire project to suit actual needs vs. assumed ones.
◦Visibility into completion status, continued value, ROI, quality, planning and prioritization opportunities at the portfolio level
be CLEAR on the portfolio Collaborate – Cross project priority conflicts,
business value stream, resource availability and allocation, short/long term view
Lean – Do we have project waste? Minimum Viable Portfolio, WIP Limits!
Evolve – Are we watching the corporate\market landscape for possible evolution? Project complexity vs Value?
Adapt – Will we have the courage to delay or cut projects adapting the portfolio to the ongoing changes?
Report – Again...When are we successful? Are people happy with results? Where can we improve?
Being CLEAR at the portfolio level promotes
◦ Great decision making based on constructive discussions and useful information
◦Verification of Minimum Viable Portfolio. How much do we have in flight? Portfolio waste & WIP limits.
◦ The humility to accept that we don’t know everything about our market and the future.
◦Adapting our approach to our customers based on our customers, not our own, opinion.
◦ Determining what we are really capable of getting done within the organization. Using real data to make decisions as opposed to gut feelings.
Typical Agile Process Adoption
Portfolio
Project/Product
Epic
Story
Lets try a team out and see what happens
Lets see if we can convince the decision makers now
Often the business is not 100% invested
Uphill battle to get the process scaled up
CLEAR top down benefits
Portfolio
Project/Product
Epic
Story
Develop BV based on collaborative business decisions
Agility has an organic trickle down effect
Create a CLEAR portfolio the org can embrace
Working on the right thing at every level
What can I take with me today and apply tomorrow for a CLEAR portfolio?
At each level (story, epic, product, portfolio)
don’t let one item go by which has not been discussed with more than one person.
be determined to watch for and eliminate wasted movement, evaluate WIP and respond to feedback
go into each body of work with the understanding it will evolve over time and we will need to be watchful and…
responsive. When evolution happens, have the courage to adapt the body of work for the benefit of the customer.
know what success looks like and make that the goal. Find ways to create visibility to everyone who needs it which will only result in better decision making.