Our Journey Down the Yellow Brick Road (Agile Adoption @ Directi) By Bhavin Turakhia (CEO) & Naresh Jain (Agile & Community Evangelist) Directi (http://www.directi.com) Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Sharealike Noncommercial

By Bhavin Turakhia (CEO)

& Naresh Jain (Agile & Community Evangelist)

Directi (http://www.directi.com)

Agenda Why Agile is important to us? Our Journey General Tips and Observations The Road ahead

Why Agile is important to us?

Our Journey

General Tips and Observations

The Road ahead

Safeguard Ballistic Missile Defense System 1969-1975, 5407 person years Hardware designed at the same time as software specs being written Late changes in requirements not an option The project was delivered according to specifications Cost: $25 Billion (not adjusted) ‘ By the time the 6-year anti-missile system project was completed, the new missiles were faster than the anti-missile missiles’ Operational for 133 days - Project terminated in 1978 reqmts 20 % design 20 % code & unit test 18 % integration testing 42 %

1969-1975, 5407 person years

Hardware designed at the same time as software specs being written

Late changes in requirements not an option

The project was delivered according to specifications

Cost: $25 Billion (not adjusted)

In Conventional Software Development Processes Features are fixed Release spec is fixed .. and in theory ... time and cost is fixed Feature creep is a bad word Quality ?? Cost/Resource Time Scope

Features are fixed

Release spec is fixed

.. and in theory ... time and cost is fixed

Feature creep is a bad word

The Reality is – Change is the only Constant

Agile as the word suggests Acknowledges that uncertainty and change exist Recommends being open to change and evolving Is feedback driven Encourages ongoing and open communication Discourages over-engineering Encourages lean thinking KISS, DRY, YAGNI Introducing Agile … Agile is not a process. It is a philosophy / set of values

Agile as the word suggests

Acknowledges that uncertainty and change exist

Recommends being open to change and evolving

Is feedback driven

Encourages ongoing and open communication

Discourages over-engineering

Encourages lean thinking

KISS, DRY, YAGNI

Our Journey

Observations Maintain a heartbeat of the project Serve as quicker feedback loops (what works / doesn’t work) Maintain deadlines and focus / minimize timeline deviations Identify hurdles quickly Create a sense of urgency Demonstrate progress Motivate members Get a sense of performance amongst team members Communicate and trickle down vision regularly Create a sense of team ownership and collectiveness .. and they take almost no time Challenges Common time Daily Stand up meetings

Observations

Maintain a heartbeat of the project

Serve as quicker feedback loops (what works / doesn’t work)

Maintain deadlines and focus / minimize timeline deviations

Identify hurdles quickly

Create a sense of urgency

Demonstrate progress

Motivate members

Get a sense of performance amongst team members

Communicate and trickle down vision regularly

Create a sense of team ownership and collectiveness

.. and they take almost no time

Challenges

Common time

Weekly Iterations & Monthly Releases Implementation Time box each release to a month Schedule weekly demos Concept of iteration and completeness Observations Regular Stakeholder participation Reduces Business Risk Enables adaption to avoid delays Effective Prioritization Focus / Clear Targets Motivation Long enough to get stuff done Short enough to maintain predictability Challenges Chances of Burn out, lack of slack

Implementation

Time box each release to a month

Schedule weekly demos

Concept of iteration and completeness

Observations

Regular Stakeholder participation

Reduces Business Risk

Enables adaption to avoid delays

Effective Prioritization

Focus / Clear Targets

Motivation

Long enough to get stuff done

Short enough to maintain predictability

Challenges

Chances of Burn out, lack of slack

eXtreme Programming Implementation TDD Refactoring Continuous Integration Observations Code coverage - safety net Drives better design Taking baby steps The last 5% doesn’t end up taking 95% time Early Feedback Reusable Test framework (Safety Net) Lets face it ... manual testing is boring Tests as Training documentation Lower cumulative testing cost Challenges Learning curve Easy to fall back to older habits Add a Test Run the Test Make a little change Run the Test Refactor Fail Pass Fail Pass

Implementation

TDD

Refactoring

Continuous Integration

Observations

Code coverage - safety net

Drives better design

Taking baby steps

The last 5% doesn’t end up taking 95% time

Early Feedback

Reusable Test framework (Safety Net)

Lets face it ... manual testing is boring

Tests as Training documentation

Lower cumulative testing cost

Challenges

Learning curve

Easy to fall back to older habits

Release Retrospective Implementation Discuss macro lessons learnt / process evolution / challenges Observations What worked / What didn’t work / What needs improvement Inspect and adapt Process evolution Challenges Not everyone is comfortable speaking up

Implementation

Discuss macro lessons learnt / process evolution / challenges

Observations

What worked / What didn’t work / What needs improvement

Inspect and adapt

Process evolution

Challenges

Not everyone is comfortable speaking up

Raising the Bar People matter *much* more than process Pair Programming during Interviews Very high focus on technical excellence / communication skills Diversity in skill-sets We spend extra time in making sure we hire the RIGHT people, so we don’t have to spend time in making sure the job gets done RIGHT

People matter *much* more than process

Pair Programming during Interviews

Very high focus on technical excellence / communication skills

Diversity in skill-sets

General Tips / Observations Tips You need local champions/ambassadors for percolation Don’t start out with 100% adoption - prioritize the practices Requires changes to your infrastructure and facilities Cross-functional agile adoption vs dev team only Only buy-in not sufficient / dedicated involvement and commitment required Embrace tools Learn by Activity / Knowledge Percolation strategies Observations A fundamental shift in thought process Everyone is really excited!! (Moral Boast / Motivation) Higher visibility / greater transparency through the organization

Tips

You need local champions/ambassadors for percolation

Don’t start out with 100% adoption - prioritize the practices

Requires changes to your infrastructure and facilities

Cross-functional agile adoption vs dev team only

Only buy-in not sufficient / dedicated involvement and commitment required

Embrace tools

Learn by Activity / Knowledge Percolation strategies

Observations

A fundamental shift in thought process

Everyone is really excited!! (Moral Boast / Motivation)

Higher visibility / greater transparency through the organization

The Road ahead Pair Programming Automated Acceptance Testing Identify right metrics to measure Informative Work-spaces and Information Radiators User Stories or Clarity in terms of Feature Granularity Regular Cross Pollination and Rotation of Team members across different products Less Cubical more Dinning Table style seating arrangements

Pair Programming

Automated Acceptance Testing

Identify right metrics to measure

Informative Work-spaces and Information Radiators

User Stories or Clarity in terms of Feature Granularity

Regular Cross Pollination and Rotation of Team members across different products

Less Cubical more Dinning Table style seating arrangements

What’s been your experience?

Questions?? bhavin.t@directi.com [email_address] http://directi.com http://careers.directi.com Download slides: http://wiki.directi.com