Collaborate. Innovate. Transform.

Agile Methodology

2

Traditional project management

Requirements

Design

Development

Testing

Implementation

Traditional 20th century approaches Suited for manufacturing and construction Requirements and technology were fairly predictable

Waterfall methodology Sequential development Each step encompasses the whole project scope Don't see tangible value until the very end

3

Modern software development

Agile: An alternative framework Addresses increased uncertainty in the process

Requirements are unpredictable and always changing More emphasis on adaptability and innovation Frequent feedback loops allow regular reviews of the process

Speed to market: frequent delivery of products is also a competitive advantage

Human-centric People are not mere resources Capable, motivated team members take active involvement in the process Collaborate and cooperate with all stakeholders

Open communication is imperative for accountability, transparency, and shared responsibility

4

Agile Manifesto

We are uncovering better ways of developingsoftware by doing it and helping others do it.Through this work we have come to value:

Individuals and interactions over processes and toolsWorking software over comprehensive documentationCustomer collaboration over contract negotiationResponding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items onthe right, we value the items on the left more.

5

Agile Manifesto - Principles

1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.

2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in

development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.

3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of

weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.

4. Business people and developers must work together daily

throughout the project.

5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.

6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying

information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.

7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.

8. Agile processes promote sustainable development.

The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.

9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and

good design enhances agility.

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, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

6

Agile vs. Waterfall

Waterfall “Phase gates"

Must ask for approval to move to next phase at every step Can't change the scope once development starts

Agile

Re-set scope and priority every 2-4 weeks Requirement changes are anticipated, accommodated, and even

embraced Your work is always aligned to the current highest value

business needs

7

Time/Cost/Scope

Waterfall Fixes the scope

Often bloated - only 20% of the features actually get used Any changes to time and cost are frowned upon

Agile Fixes the time and cost Scope is flexible

Freedom to add/remove features to ensure that what's needed is actually delivered It’s important to start developing the highest priority features first

Stages

ObjectiveDefine what you are building, who’s on your team, and your team’s values and norms

Activities Create a project charter that outlines scope, objectives, and

defined stakeholders Define overall boundaries, product vision, and key benefits

Approach Keep the team small: 15 or fewer members, or split into subteams Teams work closely together, prioritizing face-to-face

communication

Envision

Envision

Speculate

Explore

Adapt

Close

ObjectiveCreate and revise a feature-based delivery plan

Activities Estimate time and cost Assess risks Organize features into groups and prioritize them

Key Terms Feature: small piece of client-valued functionality or

outcome that satisfies a business need Sprint: iteration; one project cycle where the team

completes a small, logical chunk of work

Speculate

Envision

Speculate

Explore

Adapt

Close

Explore

ObjectiveDevelop the product

Activities Frequent interaction between business and technical teams

Meetings Peer reviews

Frequent testing Testers must be flexible and use expertise to make judgment

calls

Approach Issue register

Track issues and their resolution Compile a bank of lessons learned

Feature board Visually track progress

Envision

Speculate

Explore

Adapt

Close

Adapt

ObjectiveUse feedback to move forward

Activities Review what has been delivered and compare to the plan

If features weren’t completed, discuss why not and adjust expectations for the future

Review the product with the customer to check progress and potentially alter the direction of the project Often the most valuable features aren't at all obvious

until the customer has had a chance to play with the software

Team members reflect on performance: Discuss what is and isn’t working Agree to changes for the next sprint

Envision

Speculate

Explore

Adapt

Close

ObjectiveAll deliverables are completed. Reflect on and document lessons learned.

Activities Administrative tasks: invoicing, regroup for next project Communicate overall project results Transition monitoring of business results to client

Close

Envision

Speculate

Explore

Adapt

Close

14

Daily Meeting

Process Limited to 15 minutes (for larger teams, 30 minutes max) Whole team convenes, standing up Each person answers 3 questions:

What did you do yesterday? What do you plan to do today? What obstacles are in your way?

Identify issues to discuss later, report back the next day

What this meeting is not Extended discussions Status report – should be peer-to-peer, not subordinates

reporting to a supervisorOther common pitfalls Team members never raising any issues People emphasizing effort spent instead of tasks completed

Scrum

16

Scrum

What is Scrum? The Agile Manifesto lays out values but doesn’t

provide concrete steps for implementation Scrum provides a more explicit framework with strict

rules to follow Etymology: scrum is a rugby term for a tightly packed

group of team members who move down the field as one

Sprints Short (as short as 1 week or as long as 12 weeks) Maintain a “potentially shippable product” at all

times Every sprint combines all aspects of work Break tasks down into 1-2 working day chunks, and

measure progress daily

17

Scrum team

Product Owner: Single individual responsible for return on investment Communicates project vision to developers Prioritizes product backlog and makes final business decisions based on project vision Shouldn’t micromanage, but should be available to answer questions

ScrumMaster: Facilitator with no management authority Removes obstacles to completing goals Teaches the team about scrum

Team: Small, cross-functional group that collaborates and learns from each other Self-organizing - has autonomy and responsibility to meet goals Empowered to make decisions: ensures buy-in, commitment, and sense of ownership

18

Scrum tools

Product backlog: Everything we might ever do Organized by priority Written in the form of user stories or use cases User stories: “As a [user role], I want to [goal], so I can [reason].” Provides the who, what, and why, but not the how

Sprint backlog: What we have committed to do during the current sprint Has an end date

19

Scrum meetings

Sprint planning meeting: Take top items from product backlog and plan to do them in this sprint

Daily scrum: 15-minute stand-up meeting where team members report to each other

Sprint review meeting: Demonstrates a potentially shippable product to stakeholders to get feedback

Sprint retrospective meeting: Inspect and adapt the process What went well? What could be improved? Focus on 1-2 improvements for the next sprint and make sure to follow up

Backlog refinement meeting: Look ahead into product backlog and edit

20

Resources

Lynda courses: Agile Project Management: http://www.lynda.com/Business-Project-Management-tutorials/Welcome/

122428/147336-4.html Transitioning from Waterfall to Agile Project Management:

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Agile-vs-waterfall/369191/438508-4.htmlAgile: Agile Manifesto: http://www.agilemanifesto.org/ Agile Methodology: http://agilemethodology.org/ What is Agile? 10 Key Principles: http://www.allaboutagile.com/what-is-agile-10-key-principles/ Agile Glossary: https://www.agilealliance.org/agile101/guide-to-agile/agile-glossary/

Scrum: Scrum Methodology: http://scrummethodology.com/ Intro to Scrum: http://scrumtrainingseries.com/Intro_to_Scrum/Intro_to_Scrum.htm

© 2016. Aciron Consulting, LLC. All rights reserved.

Notice: This document is proprietary and confidential.

This document is protected under the copyright laws of the United States and other countries as an unpublished work. This document contains information that is proprietary and confidential to Aciron or its alliance partners, which shall not be disclosed outside or duplicated, used, or disclosed in whole or in part for any purpose other than to evaluate Aciron. Any use or disclosure in whole or in part of this information without the express written permission of Aciron is prohibited.

Aciron Consulting, LLC678 Massachusetts AveSuite 1002Cambridge, MA 02139(617) 245- 0497www.aciron.com