Download - Enabling Distributed Agile Teams

Enabling Distributed Agile TeamsAtlanta Scrum Users Group

September 25th, 2013

Upskill with Agile Training www.leadingagile.com/agile-training

Certified Scrum Product Owner Orlando, FL October 10-11Certified ScrumMaster Atlanta, GA October 17-

18Certified Scrum Product Owner Denver, CO October 24-25Certified Scrum Product Owner Washington,

DCNovember 4-5

Agile Certified Professional (PMI-ACP)

Orlando, FL November 18-19

Certified ScrumMaster Orlando, FL December 2-3Agile Certified Professional (PMI-ACP)

Atlanta, GA December 5-6


Washington, DC

December 9-10

Certified ScrumMaster Atlanta, GA December 12-13

Certified ScrumMaster Washington, DC

December 16-17


Denver, CO December 19-20

Accelerated. Accredited. Acclaimed.

Shameless Self Promotion• I have been in and around agile for years• Recently joined LeadingAgile• Been a CSM, CSP, trying out for the PMI-ACP

to see what it’s like• Blog: agiledude.blogspot.com• Twitter: @timswise• Link up with me on LinkedIn

Here’s what we will do• Have fun!• Talk a little bit about distributed teams (10

mins)• We’ll play the negation game to gain a shared

understanding of distributed teams (20 mins)• We’ll reflect on our newly found shared

understanding (10 mins)• I’ll talk more about how to enable your teams(10 mins)

Distributed TeamsDefinition – Distributed teams are teams that have something preventing them from collaborating in person and face to face

Distributed TeamsYou can be distributed while working in the same room

If you don’t talk face to face, you are distributed

ComplicationsLet’s talk about them and identify a few more

ComplicationsTime - Time zones

By TimeZonesBoy (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

ComplicationsTeanga or translated from Gaelic to English, Language

By Seahen (Gnome-globe.svg Globe of letters.png) [LGPL (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

ComplicationsTrust – Breeding ground for Us vs. Them

By Voir les pages liées (Modification de File:Collaboration logo.svg) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

What did I miss?• A bunch of things• Your turn!

The Negation GameDescription - This is a game of discovery.

Instead of asking how we can make things better, we'll ask how we can make things horrible. Sometimes it's easier and can even be a little fun to be negative.

ExampleHow can we make our pair programming partner miserable?

• We can refrain from taking a bath.• We won't brush our teeth.

NegationOur original horrible ideas…• We can refrain from taking a bath• We won't brush our teeth

Become good rules…• We will take a bath• We will brush our teeth

NegationAfter Negation• Establish “rules”• Try to get to a shared understanding or

state• Prioritize the shared understanding• Could produce action

Game Agreements• Be respectful, don't go too far• Take turns • Time boxed to 10 minutes • Write big!• Only 1 “ridiculous” answer allowed

King for a Day - Game

By Heinrich Klaffs [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Line up Line up Everybody Line upArrange yourselves from 1 to 10• 1 means that you would never use

distributed teams• 10 means that you would always use

distributed teams

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzlyQYn-BZE

Let’s Play

The Negation Game - ResultsIdeally, given this context, we will have a working agreement for different perspectives on how we want to treat others.

• We have been the distributed person• We have interacted with the distributed

person• We have all been distributed• We have had a distributed “twin”

King for a Day - ResultsWe have been a CIO that is struggling to determine why we are or why we are not doing distributed agile

Enablers

Why are you communicating?• Privacy• Team Collaboration• Collective Wisdom– Documentation– Code– Test Cases– Process

Higher Bandwidth is Better• Face to face• High bandwidth, high resolution, large screen,

hi-fi, always on connection• Low bandwidth, low resolution, small screen,

low-fi, dial / setup costs• High quality voice only• VOIP with poor equipment• IM, text, chat• Wiki, discussion boards• E-mail

Voice

F2F

Email

How are you communicating?Since face to face may be out. Let’s try some alternatives.• Always on window for the teams• Wide angle web cams for team rooms• Flat Screen TVs for both locations• Small webcams for every person• Online white boarding• High quality conferencing• Skype or another alternative

Working Agreements• Agree on the preferred mode of face-to-

face• Display Good/favorite and bad modes

(texting, home phone, cell phone, email) and times of day / after-hours– Preferences will differ per person

Quick Wins• Put the distributed team members on

every speed dial for the home team• Using Outlook? Display time zones on the

calendar• Have a clock with each time zone on every

desktop and in the taskbar

The Communication KataGoal of reducing the time it takes to hold a distributed meeting• Before you start find a

buddy• Time box to 4 minutes• Begin: Schedule a

video conference with audio

• Call in• Share your screen• Share an online

whiteboard

• You draw• They draw• Save the drawing• Shut down the call• Shut down the video

Building Trust• Visits with social activities• understand realities of life in other locale

• Deliberately get over communication gap / fear

Some Cool Tools• planningpoker.com (everyone should have this)• ScribLink.com (Online white board)• Mural.ly (sticky notes, images, go visit, it’s

cool)• Board.net (Collaborative writing with

etherpad.org)• Scribblar.com (Online white board) -free for 2

users• LisThings.com (Free corkboard)• Coggle.it (Collaborative mind mapping)

Resources• http://www.leadingagile.com• http

://www.goodagile.com/distributedscrumprimer/

• http://agiledude.blogspot.com

http://www.goodagile.com/distributedscrumprimer/





http://agiledude.blogspot.com/

Questions/Discussions

Upskill with Agile Training www.leadingagile.com/agile-training

Certified Scrum Product Owner Orlando, FL October 10-11Certified ScrumMaster Atlanta, GA October 17-

18Certified Scrum Product Owner Denver, CO October 24-25Certified Scrum Product Owner Washington,

DCNovember 4-5


Orlando, FL November 18-19

Certified ScrumMaster Orlando, FL December 2-3Agile Certified Professional (PMI-ACP)

Atlanta, GA December 5-6


Washington, DC

December 9-10

Certified ScrumMaster Atlanta, GA December 12-13

Certified ScrumMaster Washington, DC

December 16-17


Denver, CO December 19-20

Accelerated. Accredited. Acclaimed.