The Gist of My Agile Dev Practices Talk

I know this is really high level… but I want to see what kinds of questions this level of description generates. Does it make sense? I’m really trying to figure out how to explain some of these ideas with fewer words.

2. Scaling scrum works under certain condition, if it scales… do it.

3. Scrum requires significant transformation for most organizations.

4. People underestimate what it really means to transform.

5. Transformation is too disruptive for many companies, these people will fail.

6. We need a credible transition strategy for everyone else.

7. Define a static organization model.

8. Find the constrained capability, create an agile team there.

9. Do agile for a while with that team, do it again with a few others.

10. Define your first agile multi-team project. Use expand and collapse Kanban, across teams, to limit WIP.

11. Define your next few multi-team agile projects, now you have a portfolio. Use expand and collapse Kanban, to limit projects in progress (PIP?), and manage WIP across teams.

12. Define capabilities outside of IT… extend agile to them.

13. Wash, rinse, and repeat

Key Concepts:

1. Scrum will break in complex product organizations.

2. Use a Static Organizational Models as the basis for agile pilots.

3. Use Lean and Kanban to intentionally limit WIP at the project level and the team level.

In general the talk was well received. A handful of people walked out… maybe this wasn’t what they expected, maybe they just needed to use the restroom ;-) A few folks challenged the ideas I presented… Bob Galen and I had a follow-up conversation. More than a handful stayed after, talked to me in the hallway, and took business cards.

This is not everyone’s problem… but if it’s your problem, you need to go into your agile transformation with your eyes wide open… and some credible strategies for incrementally adopting agile.