Claudio Perrone

Most IT projects fail
Will yours?

“ Software development
productivity would skyrocket...

“ …if the least effective
30% were fired tomorrow
--- Neal Ford

How do you get results?

Sir, I urge Darling,
Dude, check this you to revisit people matter
technology out your process too!

Once upon a time I was a successful
software developer…

My technical skills made me feel invincible

Until one day…

…I entered a world of deception

It was Hell from day 1

What would you do?

I choked

…but then, I decided to fight back

This is what I tried:
2 Effective
Communication
1 Agility
3 Deliberate
Creativity

1
Agility

I made a choice:
from predictive...
...to adaptive

Fixed time-boxes help focus...
Can you focus for
48 minutes?

Short iterations enable everything
almost
Motivation
Prioritization
Feedback
Reflection
Creativity

How do you express requirements?

The 3 Cs of a User Story
Card Conversation Confirmation
(acceptance
criteria)

Card: role, feature, benefit
Customer withdraws cash
As a customer,
I want to withdraw cash
from an ATM,
so that I don’t have to
wait in line at the bank.
Ref: http://dannorth.net/introducing-bdd

How do you know you are done?

Define an acceptance criteria (BDD)
[Scenario title]
Given [some initial context]
When [an event occurs]
Then [ensure some outcomes]
Ref: http://dannorth.net/introducing-bdd

Acceptance criteria example: context
Scenario 1: Account is in credit
Given the account is in credit
And the card is valid
And the dispenser contains cash

Acceptance criteria example: event
When the customer requests cash

Acceptance criteria example: outcomes
Then ensure the account is debited
And ensure cash is dispensed
And ensure the card is returned

A little twist: Scenarios can be parsed…

…and then “automated”!
In Ruby:
Given “the account is in credit” do
# ...
End
In .NET:
.Given(“the account is in credit”)()
{...}

Early success brought confidence…

…but the project was still at risk

2
Effective
Communication

First… SHUT UP!

Listen
Don’t just hear

Find their greatest need

Commit to a ubiquitous language

Establish trust

Build a sense of ownership

Keep your enemies closer

We see things not as they are, but as we are.
--- Anonymous Proverb

Roles and perceptions
plant
Creativity
implementer co-ordinator
Task Direction
completer resource
/specialist investigator
Detail Resources
shaper teamworker
Shaping Team
monitor-evaluator
Criticality

How could we get smarter

3
Deliberate
Creativity

Unlocking creativity:
From what and how to “what if”

The creativity process
Explorer
Artist
Judge
Warrior

Extract Concept (1/2)
You have
identified a
concrete idea
that addresses a
given objective...

Extract Concept (2/2)
Therefore
Extract a broader
concept
to facilitate the
creation
of alternatives.

Connect all dots with 4 straight lines

Connect all dots with 4 straight lines

How about 3 straight lines?

1 line?

Reverse assumptions (1/2)
You want to generate alternative
ideas by challenging your current
assumptions…

Reverse assumptions (2/2)
Therefore
List your assumptions
Write the opposite of those
assumptions
Try to identify how to accomplish each
reversal

Parallel Thinking

Six thinking hats

So, what happened to the project?

Amazingly, it succeeded

Lessons learned...
“
“
We moved from the Flintstones era to the future.
I was part of something. I belonged.
--- a developer
--- an end user

Thank you!
Claudio Perrone
cperrone@innerworkings.com
www.claudioperrone.com/blog