agile meets waterfall

Karoliina Luoto, Codento · 5 November 2014

Making your organization more agile - Agile meets waterfall

Karoliina Luoto + CodentoConsultant for Agile consulting and coachingDigital service conceptingBefore: product owner, collaboration strategist, communications specialist

Specializes in client/supplier methodology facilitation And works in actual software development too

Can waterfall and agileCo-exist?

Photo: Leon Riskin, Flickr

Are you doing agile?Let’s take a test

Photo: Karoliina Luoto

How agile is your agile?One possible set of agility criteria:1. End users are a constant part of the development

process

Criteria credits: Allaboutagile.com

2. The development team has power to make decisions3. Requirements strech, the schedule/budget doesn't4. The requirements are described on top level, lightly and

visually5. The development work is done in small increments that can be developed further

6. Focus on regular delivery of working product parts7. Finishing each requirement before moving to next one8. 80/20 rule: focus on search of 20 % solutions that can fulfill 80 % of

the need9. Testing throughout the project – test early, test often10. Collaborative approach from _all_ players in the project

It takes 2-4 years to learn agileAgile Fluency Model

© 2012 James Shore and Diana Larsen, Agilefluency.com

Start: Building

code

1 Focus on businessvalueculture

shift

Team2 Deliver

businessvalue

Skills shift

Team

3 Optimize

businessvalue

Organization

structure shift

3 Optimize for systemsculture shift

Organization

0

Do you have a waterfall level?How does that one work?

Photo: Boy-piyaphon, Flickr

How is the waterfall doing?The Good Waterfall Test1. Are the decision-makers giving clear criteria for success?

Criteria credits: Karoliina Luoto

2. Are the requirements well defined and clear?3. Is the development team provided with all the information

they need?4. Can the development team choose its working methods inside the given requirements?

5. Is the change management process working properly?6. Does the main decision-maker put effort in measuring the

results and ensuring the schedule?7. Is the testing/acceptance planned and resourced properly?

How to negotiate betweenAgile and waterfall?

Photo: World Trade Organization, Flickr

Understand and addressThe cultural differences

Photo: Franco Folini

Project level negotiationsProblem: Product owner is distantSolutions:1. Daily standups or technology can be used for

product owner communication

3. NO EMAIL

2. Proxy product owner is better than no product owner

Project level negotiationsProblem: Third parties in waterfallSolutions:1. Product Owner, Scrum Master or someone from the

development team learns the third party change request procedures day one

2. After that, third party assistance needs are anticipated as part of development backlog grooming and release planning

Decision-making level negotiationsProblem: Steering groups want predictabilitySolutions:1. Have a methodology kick-off with the steering

group2. Have value vs. cost indicators (analytics

help)3. Involve them in release planning

Best of both worldsWhat you can always use

Photo: W10002, Flickr

How to gain from agile ideasNo matter the project model

Restrict to vision and requirementsReduce vision risk by piloting and testingReduce project risks by chopping elephant projects into smaller projects or product purchasesManage supplier risk by contract optimization or openness – but don’t skip communicationMeasure value and incentivize wanted resultsBe open for the bad news – you’d rather hear themLearn

So: What definesA good project?

Suggestions?

Photo: karla_k., FlickrPhoto: Karoliina Luoto

Some of mine:

1. Clear vision2. Transparency3. Predictability4. Intelligence

SuccessIs not a methodology choice

Photo: massdistraction, Flickr

Thank you!www.codento.com

karoliina.luoto@codento.com · @totoroki · +358 40 765 8504