Agile Methodology Understanding Agile Methodology

Just because you’re doing scrum, doesn’t mean you’re off the hook with finance and management when it comes to giving a real estimate for completion. Scrum, as most agile processes, takes the approach that cost and time are fixed and that it’s the scope (or features) that are variable. “You’ll rarely be remembered for missing a feature…but you’ll never be forgotten for missing a schedule”….. Which is why it’s important to make sure that communication with all stakeholders is crisp and that they understand how projects are being scheduled. Ken Whitaker has written a detailed article on The Agile Schedule posted on gantthead.com. The article is fairly technical and includes concepts such as the “cone of uncertainty”, “rough order of magnitude”, and “definitive scheduling”. When I took the ScrumMaster certification course we covered these concepts at a high level. We also talked about backlog grooming and why a good and consistent backlog grooming will do wonders for improving release scheduling. Although backlog grooming is not a formal component of the Scrum process, Ken Schwaber, who founded Scrum, advises teams to dedicate five percent of every sprint to this activity. Everyone should attend the backlog grooming meeting and help the Scrum product owner prepare the scrum backlog for the next sprint planning meeting. Activities during this meeting often include breaking epics into stories, adding stories to the backlog, clearly defining acceptance criteria and more. If this is done on a consistent basis you will greatly improve your agile release planning.

Posted under Agile Methodology, Scrum

By now, it’s practically accepted that software development and project management, generally, are being re-imagined by agile management techniques. But in a recent article on Projects@Work, called “Agile Drivers,” CST Angela Druckman explains why that is. As she explains, there are six factors that are driving agility in organizations—and they’re changing the way we conceive of doing business. To summarize, the six factors she identifies are:

• The “hero” mentality gives way to collective intelligence.
• Small teams rule.
• Stop applying pressure, start removing impediments.
• Focus on business value.
• Distributed teams are the norm, not the exceptioin.
• Roles will change.

Sound like some topics that have been on your mind lately? If so, I encourage you to take a look at DruckmanÂ’s article here.

Posted under Agile Methodology, Scrum

A great way to improve your knowledge of Scrum is by attending one of the Scrum Alliance-sponsored Scrum Gatherings. ItÂ’s an opportunity to meet other Scrum users, attend sessions led by some of ScrumÂ’s most important thought leaders, and learn more about the tooling and training solutions that are out there.

Most recently, the Munich Gathering was held in October, drawing hundreds of Scrum practitioners from across Europe and beyond to the three-day event. From all reports IÂ’ve heard, the undisputed highlight was Jeff SutherlandÂ’s extremely animated opening keynote.

Sound like an event you’d like to attend? The next Scrum Gathering will be held in Orlando, Florida, from March 8 – 10, 2010. You can learn more or register to attend by heading here.

Posted under Scrum

One of the best ways to illustrate how agile and Scrum can transform the way an organization manages its development is through case studies. Rather than simply saying that agile methods will streamline processes, reduce cycle time, and improve product quality, a case study illustrates how agile and Scrum can achieve those things. Moreover, theyÂ’re inspirational. When you can see that someone at another organization has experienced the same challenges and worked through them to successfully implement agile, it gives you the confidence to embark on that journey yourself.

Do you have an agile or Scrum transformation story youÂ’d like to tell? If so, please post them here in the comments. To make things interesting, the person who submits the best one will receive a free iPod Nano.

Please make sure that the story you submit contains the following three sections:

• The Problem. What was going wrong at your organization that made you decide to implement agile or Scrum?
• The Application. Once your organization decided to use Scrum to surface dysfunction and transform its processes, how did you go about doing it? What were the first steps you took? Was it an organization-wide adoption or just on the team level? Did you use training or tools?
• The Solution. What was the result? Can you quantify the improvements that Scrum and agile helped realize? Have other teams at your organization begun adopting agile management techniques?

I look forward to reading your stories. Deadline for submission is Dec. 31, 2009 and please try to keep your case studies to between 500 and 750 words.

Posted under Agile Methodology, Scrum

Lately, “Lean”—which derives from the lean manufacturing practices popularized by Honda and Toyota in the 1980s—has been a popular topic in software development circles. Not only does much of agile development have its roots in Lean’s streamlined, waste-averse practices, but Forester just held its Business Technology Forum which focused on the new concept of “Lean IT.”

Over at ZDNet, columnist Joe McKendrick wonders aloud what this new term actually means and, more specifically, what it means for teams developing software. Citing Wikipedia’s definition of Lean IT as “vague and convoluted,” he ultimately expresses doubt that Lean IT is much more than a new name for waste-reducing activities that agile developers have been using for years. Without a doubt, McKendrick thinks there’s value in the principles being advertised as “Lean IT,” he just doubts that they’re all that different from strategies that organizations are already using. Read the entire post here.

Posted under Agile Methodology, Scrum

Scrum company Danube Technologies has launched a new series of video blogs, in which their team of Certified Scrum Trainers tackle various topics related to Scrum. So far, DanubeÂ’s posted two. In the first, Jimi Fosdick discusses what Scrum is and, in the second, Michael James continues the conversation by explaining why teams should use it. ItÂ’s great to see meaty video content for Scrum and agile users finally popping up on the web. Danube promises more video blogs soon, so be sure to check the companyÂ’s blog for the latest posts.

Posted under Agile Methodology, Scrum

DZone just posted a video interview with Danube Certified Scrum Trainer Michael James, in which he discusses the reasons organizations should trust Scrum to improve project management processes. He also considers what lessons Scrum practitioners can take away from high performing teams who work outside of software development. Catch it here: http://agile.dzone.com/videos/scrum-adoption-michael-james

Posted under Agile Methodology, Scrum

In a recent post at InfoQ, Mike Bria reports on two recent articles by Johanna Rothman which discuss best practices for agile implementation. The right way to go about an agile transformation is a controversial subject, in which some agile practitioners advocate an “all-in” approach to adoption and other recommend a “toe-dipping” strategy. According to Rothman, both approaches are valid, but what matters is the context in which these approaches are applied. Rothman recommends that an “all-in” approach is appropriate, but only at the project level. Similarly, she believes that “toe-dipping” is also a good idea, but, again, only at the organizational level.

This is consistent with other literature IÂ’ve read on the subject. And, at least for those who know agile and Scrum well, an understandable piece of advice. After all, by beginning an agile transformation with a by-the-book implementation at the project level, the organization can expand its installation in an incremental and iterative fashion. (Sound familiar?) That is, this method actually harnesses agileÂ’s most important principles to provide a framework for expanding it throughout an organization. For example, just as agile does not require development teams to identify all requirements of a project at the outset, an isolated deployment of agile functions like a pilot, allowing the team to observe impediments and collect requirements (and best practices) as the team makes its way through its initial sprints. Once this pilot team feels it has a strong understanding of project management with agile and has amassed some best practices, itÂ’s time for the organization to take the next step in an incremental rollout and create a second agile project team.

Because agile represents such a significant shift in both how work is done and how teams conceive of work, implementing agile at the entire organization from the outset would likely result in disaster. Considering that the single biggest impediment to successful Scrum adoptions is cultural, beginning with a pilot team allows a supportive buzz to build throughout the organization that will lessen resistance when other teams are asked to adopt agile methods.

Posted under Agile Methodology, Scrum

If you were unable to attend Agile 2009 in Chicago this past August, Agile Journal has your back. The site just uploaded a report in which Laszlo Szalvay, CEO of Danube Technologies, Inc., discusses the latest release of ScrumWorks Pro, which his company publishes, and its integration with Tasktop Pro. While ScrumWorks Pro 4 delivers powerful program management for enterprise customers, Tasktop ProÂ’s task-focused user interface offers developers a personalized view of all relevant work. Taken together, the two provide a complete range of functionality from a high-level organizational view to a drilled-down view of an individualÂ’s work. Watch it here: http://www.agilejournal.com/media-center/videos?task=videodirectlink&id=81

Posted under Agile 20XX, Agile Methodology, Scrum

I just came across a really interesting read on the Dr. Dobb’s site. In Ivar Jacobson and Bertrand Meyer’s article “Methods Need Theory,” the two consider the natural impulse for the creator of something to tout it as the latest and greatest. Drawing parallels to the fashion industry’s flash-in-the-pan fads, Jacobson and Meyer suggest that software, like fashion, is not immune to the crazes its most influential tastemakers promote. Certainly, software has seen various management paradigms rise and fall in terms of popularity and the majority of their article focuses on today’s most headline-grabbing trend: agility.

Now, agile has been repeatedly taken to task for being a vague method. After all, it’s really just an umbrella term that collects all the practices that fall beneath it. Of those, several which had their heyday—DSDM, Crystal—have fallen by the wayside. Scrum seems to have emerged the victor in this fight, with its careful balance of structure and flexibility.

One interesting thing to note about Scrum is that it was, in large part, inspired by complex adaptive systems theory, which is, in essence, a theory of evolution. The idea was that Scrum teams—through regular points of inspection and adaptation—would follow the path toward survival, much like a species learning to adapt in the midst of an evolving climate or food chain. This article, written by Laszlo Szalvay of Danube, a Scrum company, suggests that, if that’s the case, Scrum has a mechanism built into it to ensure that it stays relevant to emerging conditions.

What do you think? Are Scrum and generalized agile flavors of the week or built to last?

Posted under Agile Methodology, Scrum