“Deadlines”are

Killing Agile

Neil Killick@neil_killick neilkillick.com

Deadlines vs “Deadlines”

Prioritisation vs Execution

Bliss, I’ve got 6 months til the deadline!

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Execs: We need to be more efficient! Get it all done!

“Deadlines” derived from schedule so that all “important” work

will get done

Managers push all scheduled work (and “Deadlines”) on their “agile” teams

Too much work in flight, leading to slow delivery and poor quality

Managers lock schedule to “increase efficiency” of teams with asynchronous dependencies

“Deadlines” missed, stakeholders pissed off, “Agile is chaos!” Cycle of

doom

Replace schedule tension with value tension

http://www.recycle2cloud.com/images/agile_02.png

“Why didn’t we deliver what we planned?”

“How could we have delivered more value?”

Use date as a prioritisation parameter

Not an execution one

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http://i2.wp.com/blackswanfarming.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/CD3-cost-of-delay-divided-by-duration.png

http://image.slidesharecdn.com/nomorepetprojects-151116171642-lva1-app6891/95/no-more-pet-projects-31-638.jpg?cb=1447694403

❏ Avoid big batch, “DEADLINES”-drivenCycle of doom!

❏ Short iterations (value tension) > “DEADLINES”

❏ Invest in infrastructure and culture to allow small, frequent releases - PROPER AGILE!

❏ Prioritise by value - If you have Deadlines, consider time criticality

Don’t let “DEADLINES” kill your Agile