|
Have you been looking for opportunities to refresh
or revisit your Agile know-how? If so, a conference
might be in order.
I returned last week from Agile 2011 in Salt Lake
City. I've been a speaker, reviewer and stage producer
at this community-run conference since 2004. If I
attend only one gathering a year, this conference is
my choice.
Of all the sessions I attended and the conversations
I had, here are the most important messages I'd like
to share with you.
1. Remember the Agile Manifesto?
17 thought leaders met ten years ago near Salt Lake
to create a manifesto for lightweight software
development methods. 15 of them reunited in front of a
packed ballroom to reminisce and share observations.
They agreed that the manifesto has “nailed universal
traits” and has had a huge impact on the software
world. They were also concerned that too many
organizations pick and choose from it, or simply
misapply it. (Click here to read about a common example.)
“Knowing what you know now, what would you have done
differently?” someone asked them. They wouldn't change
anything, came the answer, except add one little sentence: “And we
mean it!”
2. Kanban for the enterprise
Until now, the prevalent approach to scaling Agile
to multiple teams and programs has relied on Agile
principles. Techniques include Scrum of Scrums, Agile
program management, three-month release cycles for the
full product, etc.
In the last couple of years, a few companies have
explored the application of Lean thinking to product
development in the large. The core strategy is to
compress the value stream from concept to cash.
At Agile 2011, several people demonstrated the
application of Kanban at the program and strategic
level (i.e. above the single team). The approach that
caught my eye was this:
- At the team/story level, apply Agile (e.g. Scrum+XP
hybrid). The iteration and velocity mechanisms help
the teams regulate their work.
- At the program/feature level, a product owner team
uses Kanban to synchronize backlogs. Their primary
technique is to limit on work in progress.
- At the strategy/epic level, an executive team uses
Kanban to regulate the flow of value. They limit the
number of projects at the inception stage, at the
elaboration stage, and so on.
I'm considering teaching a public webinar on
enterprise Agility in the next few months. Let me know
if that's of interest to you.
3. Lean Startup
Are you working in a startup, or developing a
radical new product in your company? Then Agile might
not be the right thing for you.
Agile is fantastic for developing products where you
don't know the solution. Your tools for managing the
unknown include iterations, customer feedback and
involvement, and evolutionary design.
But if you're in a startup or breaking new ground,
you don't even know the problem. The important
measure of progress is not working software; it's
validated learning. The feedback loop that needs
shortening is from hypothesis to decisions. The
product development activities within that loop are
almost a distraction.
If you want to learn more about the Lean Startup
movement and how you might apply some of its thinking to
your work, take a look at TheLeanStartup.com and
HackerChick's blog.
4. Agile coaching is taking off
Agile coaching has been a profession for a few years
now. Demand for Agile coaches has been growing
rapidly. Last year InfoQ conducted a half-hour interview with me on the subject.
However, many companies have experienced trouble
getting skilled coaches to help their teams. The role
requires an uncommon combination of skills, energy and
experience. Coaching at the team level is different
from coaching at the managerial level, and coaching a
transition is different from coaching an already-agile
team.
There are attempts in progress to define a
competency framework for Agile coaching. These
attempts are likely to flourish into a certification
structure. Even if they don't, they are likely to
align with ICAgile, a competency
and certification model I feel congruent with.
I hope you found this summary interesting enough to
consider attending Agile 2012 next August in Dallas,
Texas. You will learn lots of techniques that you
can directly apply at work. If necessary, you can
reduce the cost of attendance substantially by
presenting or volunteering. Feel free to write to me
if you have any questions about that.
Copyright © 2011, 3P Vantage, Inc. All rights reserved.
|