Software Managers

Their place in Agile

Brian Sobus © 2014 Snowglobe Software Development, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Who am I?

Brian Sobus

brians@snowglobesoftware.com

I am an Agile Methodologist & Practitioner, a Software Developer, and a Director of Engineering based in Raleigh, NC. In these roles and a few others, I’ve helped guide companies, teams, and individuals in their development, careers, and decisions. Currently, I am President and Principal Developer for Snowglobe Software Development, Inc. and a Director of Engineering for Teradata.

What's all this then?

• Agile: What it is and what it brings

• Management: What it was

• Why killing all the managers just sounds like a good idea

• How do we move forward?

What does Agile give us?

• Empowered teams

• Self-organization

• Products that bring ever-increasing

value to the customer

Roles of SCRUM

• Product Owner o Responsible for delivering the release

• Team o Responsible for meeting their commitment in a Sprint

• ScrumMaster o Primum Attollo Populus – First, Elevate the Team

(http://artisansoftwareconsulting.com/blogs/?p=75) o Removes roadblocks hour-by-hour

Roles of Kanban?

What’s Missing?

• Functional Managers.

oWhy? Remnant of conversion

Agile Methodologies do not define Agile Development Methodologies are about the development of software/product. It does not account for careers/people

Traditional Manager

What are the responsibilities?

First thing we do, kill all the lawyers

- Dick the Butcher, Henry VI, Part II

• Treehouse

– The manager’s team lost respect for them because

they could no longer produce, which means they

would set unrealistic deadlines.

• Valve, Gore-Tex, Medium

– Leadership emerges. Valve admits they’re bad at

mentoring people and helping people grow where

they need help. Medium added Domain Leads to

hire/fire and give feedback. Responsible for people.

• Zappos

– Holocracy. Distributed leadership, but each circle is

still hierarchical.

– John Bunch “the company is actually decoupling the

professional development side of the business from

the technical getting-the-work-done side.

The Agile Manager

What Doesn’t Work Old method of “command and control”

Teams self-organize and decide what tasks are necessary to deliver features

Product Owner selects features for release

ScrumMaster keeps team on track by eliminating roadblocks

Decide what work will be done

Decide who will do the work

Track everyone’s efforts

Commit to dates on behalf of the team to management.

Ensure the work gets done

Provide weekly status updates to management.

GE/Durham

• 170 employees – 1 boss

• 9 teams. 1 directive: the day the engine goes on

the truck.

• 3 types of decisions and type A only happens 10

times a year.

• Optimize the plant, stay focused, and broadcast

their success.

The Agile Manager • Give input on features and

functionality • Remove blocks that the team cannot • Provide advice and input on technical

problems • Regularly meet with team members in

1:1 meetings • Provide input on how to improve

features • Provide evaluations and feedback

• Recruit, interview and hire

• Career path development for team (training, conferences, etc.)

• Remove team members who do not mesh well with the team

• Stay up to date with the industry

• Anticipate needs

• Budget planning and maintenance

The Two Managers

• The Old Manager o Distrusts the team

o Enforces decisions

o Commands respect o Controls the process, the team,

the deliverable, and the effort o Dictator, Ruler, Controller

• The New Manager o Trusts the team

o Relies on the team to decide

o Earns respect o Has a team that creates and

uses their process, that commits to their deliverable, and raises and lowers their effort to make their commitment

o Coach, Mentor, Leader

The Job Description

• Build Teams

• Coach • Motivate

• Provide Vision

• Build Strategy

• Be a Leader • Listen • Make Connections

• Have Fun

A team suddenly becomes aware that

they will need resources from the

systems group in order to complete their

sprint. The head of the systems group is

upset, but, even worse, their sprint is full.

You don’t need a functional manager for everything.

The Hardest Parts

• You are no longer the sole problem solver o You are a coach, a mentor, a leader, and a teacher o You provide opportunities for others to solve these problems

• It’s situational o Who you are depends on where you are and who you are with

o You have to understand the context of each situation

• You cannot use “command and control” o You are an influencer. o You want ownership and accountability.

• You are a servant leader o You empathize with others, you listen, you are aware. o You should look to embody the ten central characteristics of a Servant

Leader (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servant_leadership) o Listening Empathy o Healing Awareness o Persuasion Conceptualization o Foresight Stewardship o Growth (Employees) Build (Community)

What Do You Do?

• Ask the right questions o Your goal is not to solve the problems, but to ask the questions that lead

your team towards solutions. o Become Eliza – How would you like to solve that? What do you need from

me?

• Empower your teams o Teach them to collaborate

o Allow them to choose their work

o Make sure they have interesting things to do

• Stand Back, Trust Your Team, But... o Consistently raise the bar o Challenge the team

o Teach them what it means to have a quality product and to be the owners of software craftmanship

Thank You

Thank you for your time. Any questions?

References • Johanna Rothman -

Functional Managers as Scrum Masters - Not a Good Idea: http://www.jrothman.com/blog/mpd/2010/06/functional-managers-acting-as-scrum-masters-not-a-good-idea.html

• Engines of Democracy - http://www.fastcompany.com/37815/engines-democracy

• First Round Review – http://firstround.com/article/how-medium-is-building-a-new-kind-of-company-with-no-managers

• Lessons from Converting to a No-Management Company in Just Two Days – http://www.fastcolabs.com/3026079/open-company/lessons-from-converting-to-a-no-management-company-in-just-two-days