Pivotal agile development_the_software-defined_enterprise

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Predictability in an Iterative World
Farhan Thawar, VP Engineering, Pivotal Labs

Pivotal Labs
 Mission is to transform the way the world builds
software
 Disciplined form of Agile since late‘90s (iterations,
pairing, TDD)
 Honed processes over ~15 years and ~500 client
projects
 Now a key component of Pivotal

Overview

Clients

What Matters: Apps. Data. Analytics.
Apps power business, and
those apps generate data
Analytic insights from that
data drive new app
functionality, which in-turn
drives new data
The faster you can move
around the cycle, the faster
you learn, innovate and pull
away from the competition

But, What is Agile?
 Like going to the optometrist
 At the end of the engagement, both you and your
optometrist know your prescription

What About in Software
 We believe that software should be built:
– in short iterative feedback loops
– as a team sport
 You have the right to get smarter over time
– Product definition is always in flux
 Expectations for development teams are at all-time
high (not just in speed)

What Does Business Really Want?
 Consistent rate of output
 No surprises
 Prefers “fast and predictable” over “sometimes
super-fast, sometimes mysteriously slow”
 ...all in the face of constantly changing product
definition
Every product owner wants predictability:

PRODUCTIVITY
PREDICTABILITY
Unpredictable
Predictable
Predictable: Constant Productivity

“GOOD”
Think of a “good” software team as one that
can continuously build whatever it’s asked,
over an indefinite time period
That’s very hard :)

Here’s What a Typical Day Looks Like
 8:45am Breakfast
 9:05 standup
 9:10 team standups
 9:15 Pairing
 12:30ish Lunch
 1:30ish pairing
 6:00pm go home

How Do We Do That?
 Core hours (9-6pm)
 No WFH
 No Flextime
 Short iterations
 Shocking, I know

Breakfast

Standup

How/Why Does Pairing Work?
 How?
– Two keyboards, two mice, two monitors, two engineers
+ 1 keyboard
– Like two pilots in an airplane cockpit
– Exhausting for the first 3 weeks you try it
 Why?
– Pair pressure
– Removes obstacles
– Limits distraction

Testing
DEVELOPMENT
START
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT FOR QA
PLANNING
QA INTEGRATED CYCLES
FEW WEEKS
BEFORE
PROJECT ENDS
BUILD
FIX QA
RC

PLATFORM COVERAGE

Test-driven Development
 Tests are written first(!)
 Write code until the tests pas
 You’re done, go write a new failing test
 Best sleep you’ll ever have as a software engineer 
 Why does this work?
 Is it really faster?

Continuous Integration

Continuous Integration
 Visible build monitor
 Instant regression
 Fixing the build is the #1 priority
 Integrate early and often
 Product can test anytime and create milestones
markers without worry

Product Management
 Helps with the process
 Writes stories for the engineers
 Often a domain or subject matter expert

Design
Rigorous Methodology:
 Inception
 Discovery
 Framing
 Visual & Interaction Design
 Integrated Product Development

Pivotal Tracker
 Forces 1..N ranking (have to work in this order)
 Transparent, two-way dashboard
 Story acceptance

Open Workspace
 Constant hum/chatter
 High-bandwidth conversations
 Faster than Google problem
resolution
 Team can sit together (clients,
Pivots, engineers, design, PM,
etc.)

Creative Breaks
 Pivot Pong
 Arcade/foosball
 100ft from snacks
 Email stations

Common Concerns
 My engineers won’t like it
 It will be slower
 It doesn’t work for my industry (finance,
healthcare, etc.)

Thank You

Pivotal agile development_the_software-defined_enterprise

Pivotal agile development_the_software-defined_enterprise

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