agile project rescue in a waterfall environment
DESCRIPTION
Kevin Murray presents "Agile Project Rescue in a Waterfall environment" at the Valtech Agile Edge March 2010.This case study describes how the introduction of Agile methods saved a failing project in the government sector.TRANSCRIPT
CASE STUDY 2:
AGILE PROJECT RESCUE
AGILE PROJECT RESCUE IN A WATERFALL ENVIRONMENT BY KEVIN MURRAY [email protected], TWITTER: @KEV_C_MURRAY
BACKGROUND
GOVERNMENT PROJECT
SUPPOSED TO BE JUST A COTS UPGRADE AND SMALL MIGRATION
THE PROJECT HAD ALL THE HALLMARKS OF FAILURE: SPIRALLING COSTS
DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BUSINESS CUSTOMER,
TEAM MORAL AT ROCK BOTTOM
LITTLE VISIBILITY BY THE MANAGEMENT OF THE CHALLENGES THE PROJECT FACED
I WAS THE 14th PROJECT MANAGER IN LESS THAN 2 YEARS
BASELINE THE REQUIREMENTS
VERY INEXPERIENCED USER GROUP, WHO HAD NOT DEFINED THE REQUIREMENTS PROPERLY
BUSINESS CUSTOMER WAS IN DAILY COMMUNICATION WITH THE DEVELOPERS
NOT EVERYONE ON THE CUSTOMER’S TEAM UNDERSTOOD THE PROBLEM THAT THEY WERE CAUSING
WORKED TOGETHER WITH THE CUSTOMER TO AGREE A NEW BASE LINED SCOPE, PLAN AND PRICE
EACH SUBSEQUENT CHANGE WOULD NOW GO THROUGH A FORMAL CHANGE REQUEST PROCESS
INTRODUCE PRODUCT OWNER ROLE
CUSTOMER’S SENIOR PM TO OWN THE PRODUCT BACKLOG
PRODUCT OWNER TO ACT AS THE SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT FOR CUSTOMER’S BUSINESS TEAM
IT WAS AGREED WITH ALL STAKEHOLDERS THAT ANY FUTURE CHANGE WOULD HAVE ITS IMPACT ASSESSED AND BE INTRODUCED AT A TIME APPROPRIATE TO THE DEVELOPERS
THE MAIN BENEFIT HERE WAS THAT CLARITY OF SCOPE WAS ENSURED
BECOME A TEAM MEMBER
PREVIOUS PMs WOULD SIT AWAY FROM THE TEAM
POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE TEAM, WHO WERE PREVIOUSLY FEELING DETACHED
AVAILABLE TO ANSWER OR TAKE AWAY ANY OF THE TEAMS PROBLEMS
KEEP THE TEAM AS INFORMED AND UP TO DATE AS POSSIBLE
THIS WASN’T A FREE FOR ALL, CONVENTIONAL DAILY STAND UP MEETINGS WERE INTRODUCED
INTRODUCE DAILY STANDUP MEETINGS
DAILY 15 MINUTE STAND UPS REPLACED A DAILY 2 HOUR LONG CUSTOMER FACING MEETING
INTIMIDATING CUSTOMER NOT PRESENT
INITIALLY THIS DID NOT GO DOWN TOO WELL WITH EVERYONE
INTRODUCED THE THREE QUESTIONS: ‘WHAT HAVE YOU DONE SINCE THE LAST STAND UP?’,
‘WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING BETWEEN NOW AND THE NEXT MEETING?’
‘WHAT IS GETTING IN THE WAY OF DOING YOUR WORK?’
INTRODUCE TASK BOARD
THE DAILY STAND UP MEETINGS TOOK PLACE IN FRONT OF A LARGE, PREVIOUSLY UNUSED WHITE BOARD
THE TEAM WERE PREVIOUSLY NOT AWARE OF THE OVERALL PROJECT PROGRESS
THE TASK BOARD HELPED MORAL
HELPED IDENTIFY AND DEAL WITH ANY IMPEDIMENTS IN A TIMELY MANNER
EMPOWER THE WHOLE TEAM
THE WHOLE TEAM GOT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PRIORITISATION AND ESTIMATION
PREVIOUSLY THIS TYPE OF RESPONSIBILITY WAS ONLY DEEMED SUITABLE FOR THE TEAM LEADER
HELPED RELIEVE SOME OF THE BURDEN ON THE TEAM LEADER AND MOTIVATED THE REST OF THE TEAM
INTRODUCE RETROSPECTIVES
WHILE WE NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE TRUE POST SPRINT RETROSPECTIVES, WE DID ARRANGE A NUMBER OF RETROSPECTIVES, WHICH OCCURRED:
AFTER A PARTICULAR WAVE OF CHANGE REQUESTS HAD BEEN IMPLEMENTED
AFTER UAT AND
AFTER GO LIVE
DESPITE BLAME CULTURE WITHIN THE ORGANISATION, WE WERE ABLE TO FOSTER CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK TO ALL TEAMS WHICH ENSURED THAT PAST MISTAKES WERE NOT REPEATED
DO FOOD
PROJECT OUTCOME
THE PROJECT WAS SUCCESSFULLY DELIVERED 5 MONTHS AFTER I JOINED
ONLY THREE WEEKS LATER THAN HAD INITIALLY BEEN AGREED IN THE REVISED BASELINE OF THE PROJECT PLAN
THE FINAL 5 MONTHS OF THE PROJECT WAS ON BUDGET
THIS LED TO A RENEWED LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE FROM THE AND FURTHER RELEASES HAVE BEEN COMMISSIONED
MORE IMPORTANTLY THE PROJECT EXPERIENCE IS NOW SEEN AS A POSITIVE ONE FOR THE TEAM
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ANY QUESTIONS …
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