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I was facilitating iteration planning for an Agile team when we got to the matter of making database changes.
“We're in a bind,” the team lead said. “We'd like the DBAs to be on our team (even part-time!) but they would never consider it. And when we make some database changes ourselves, even simple ones, they get on our case.”
Like many teams, theirs has the “obvious” people: programmers, testers and product owners. Its missing those who are typically in short supply — DB, architects, UI designers — who might still have “their own” process.
One end of the solution spectrum is to insist on attaching them to the team. After all, an Agile team has to have the wherewithal to deliver complete working products.
This approach only works sometimes. It presupposes much greater cooperation and political goodwill than may be present.
The other end is to just say, “Well that's just the way things are. We'll be iterative and incremental in our own time, but when we need them, we'll play by their rules.”
Inasmuch as this sounds like giving up, or avoiding a systemic organizational issue, it might be more pragmatic. The involvement of this DB group was really expected to be infrequent and small; it became a battle not worth picking.
This solution received some nods of agreement, but I could tell the team wasn't quite happy. Then someone got a kick from his innate leadership and said: “I still want to make them welcome. Who knows, they might like it more than we think.”
Someone else said, “Let's invite them to iteration planning. They'll see how we work and where we need them, and they'll actually get to talk to us live instead of through request tickets.”
“Inviting them is a wonderful way to build inroads with their group,” I said. “Just be careful. You're excited about their involvement, but they probably don't see it this way yet.”
Here are some tips I shared with them:
- See it from the other group's perspective. Why would they want to come in? What's in it for them, not just for you?
- Do NOT book a recurring meeting with them. If there's one great way to make them consider this meeting an obligation, it's to make it recurring. Instead, book just one, and do it in person. Walk over or pick up the phone and invite them personally.
- Don't make your worries their worries. You might think that your iteration planning meeting is too long; they might not, so don't even suggest the possibility. Instead, you could venture: “We'll probably be talking about many things during our meeting; you might want to just stick around for a part of it.”
- If you really want to share your excitement with quick cycles of delivery, that's what you should invite them to. In other words, get them in for the demo, not the planning. The demo is great for building pride, goodwill and excitement. Iteration planning and standup meetings are, well, somewhat less exciting.
Organizational boundaries, especially those surrounded by barricades of process, sometimes look insurmountable. But you can cross them with leadership: Working with people as people.
Copyright © 2010, 3P Vantage, Inc. All rights reserved.
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