AGILE CONTRACTS

Presentation is based on real-life events

and personal experience

Supplier’s scope of supply Project plan

Price and payment terms

Customer’s scope of supply

Quality requirements Change implementation procedure

Delivery and acceptance

Project governance

Legal frame

CONTRACT = AGREEMENT

CONTRACT = REALITY

CONTRACT = MOTIVATION

WHAT HAS CHANGED?

SCOPE

Describe scope by using user stories or in other agile software development friendly

way with clearly described expected outcome.

Example of a user story

As a [role], I want [goal/desire] so that [benefit].

As a traveler I want to find my seat in a bus so that I can change it.

Initially a contract has to containthe least possible scope, that gives

added value to a customer.

Each user story included in a contract need to have an estimate in complexity

points or mandays.

PRICE AND PAYMENT TERMS

Payment terms need to be easily understandable and

acceptable by all involved parties.

agile ≠ time/material

CUSTOMER’S SCOPE OF SUPPLY

Contract has to contain detailed description of a customer’s

involvement requirements in a project.

PROJECT PLAN

In the beginning of a project there is at least one iteration (sprint) needed for

preparation works.

During a project there is at least one iteration (sprint) needed for

acceptance testing.

PROJECT GOVERNANCE

Project governance is described as part of customer’s scope of supply and

change implementation procedure.

DELIVERY AND ACCEPTANCE

Software has to be potentially shippable at the end of each iteration

(sprint).

System testing is performed during each iteration (sprint).

Acceptance testing is performed during a separate iteration (sprint).

CHANGE IMPLEMENTATION PROCEDURE

Contract has to contain short and clear description of user story replacement

principles.

WHAT HAS NOT CHANGED?

Legal frame

Quality requirements

Supplier’s scope of supply: a) non-functional requirements

(for example, technology requirements, integration requirements)

b) support and maintenance of functionality in production

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN AGILE CONTRACT?

Together with a customer gather user stories for least possible

project scope that brings value to a

customer

Gather non-functional

requirements

Agree with a customer on

software development approach and

explain involvement requirements

1. 2. 3.

Agree with a customer on

needed deliverables and

acceptance procedure

Agree with a customer on price

and payment terms

Prepare a legal frame

5.4. 6.

Sources of inspiration

Agile Contracts by Alistair Cockburnhttp://alistair.cockburn.us/Agile+contracts

Agile Contracts by Tom Arbogast, Craig Larman, and Bas Voddehttp://www.agilecontracts.org/agile_contracts_primer.pdf

Scrum guide (in Latvian)http://www.autentica.lv/lv/article/scrum-celvedis-latviesu-valoda/original (in English)http://www.scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html

Elīna Jakubaņeca @ejakubaneca

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ejakubaneca