Using Agile Development and Cross-Functional Teams Dave Kellogg Chief Executive Officer 9/22/08

Topics Background on the topic My personal tale Customer stories and learnings

Background on the topic

My personal tale

Customer stories and learnings

Agile Software Development Agile software development refers to a group of software development methodologies that promotes development iterations , open collaboration, and process adaptability throughout the life-cycle of the project. It chooses to do things in small increments , with minimal planning , rather than plan at length. This helps to minimize the overall risk, and allows the project to adapt to changes more quickly. There is also an emphasis on stakeholder involvement . Meaning at the end of each iteration, the stakeholder is consulted about the product and comments are noted. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_software_development

Agile software development refers to a group of software development methodologies that promotes development iterations , open collaboration, and process adaptability throughout the life-cycle of the project. It chooses to do things in small increments , with minimal planning , rather than plan at length. This helps to minimize the overall risk, and allows the project to adapt to changes more quickly. There is also an emphasis on stakeholder involvement . Meaning at the end of each iteration, the stakeholder is consulted about the product and comments are noted.

The Agile Manifesto http://agilemanifesto.org

The Iron Triangle Scope (functionality, quality) Schedule (the date) Resources (cost) “ The tighter you grasp the more you let slip through your fingers”

The Mythical Man-Month “Brooks’ Law” Published in 1975 (Not person-month) Over 250,000 copies sold Every* engineering VP I’ve ever met loves it over a beer And then goes ahead and asks for more resource for late projects “ Adding resource to a delayed project makes it later” * Sauf one at Business Objects and at Mark Logic

“Brooks’ Law”

Published in 1975

(Not person-month)

Over 250,000 copies sold

Every* engineering VP I’ve ever met loves it over a beer

And then goes ahead and asks for more resource for late projects

Topics Brief background My personal tale Customer stories and learnings

Brief background

My personal tale

Customer stories and learnings

Ingres 6.0 (Circa 1990) Ingres 5.0 Quel-based, single-threaded, local database management system Ingres 6.0 From Quel to SQL (catch-up to Oracle) And, WYAI, single to multi-threaded (catch-up to Sybase) And, SITSL, from single-server to multi-server (one-up Sybase) And, WYAI, from local to distributed (one-up Oracle) And, SITSL, with a gateway to IMS (uniqueness) And, SITSL, it needs to go 100 TPS (catch-up and one-up Sybase) Results Delivered years late Didn’t work until 6.3 Several fired engineering VPs and managers Company sold to ASK for $100M (<1x revenues) WYAI = while you’re at it. SITSL = since it’s taking so long.

Ingres 5.0

Quel-based, single-threaded, local database management system

Ingres 6.0

From Quel to SQL (catch-up to Oracle)

And, WYAI, single to multi-threaded (catch-up to Sybase)

And, SITSL, from single-server to multi-server (one-up Sybase)

And, WYAI, from local to distributed (one-up Oracle)

And, SITSL, with a gateway to IMS (uniqueness)

And, SITSL, it needs to go 100 TPS (catch-up and one-up Sybase)

Results

Delivered years late

Didn’t work until 6.3

Several fired engineering VPs and managers

Company sold to ASK for $100M (<1x revenues)

Business Objects 4.0 (Circa 1995) BusinessObjects was originally a DOS query and reporting (Q&R) tool Arch-enemy Cognos had a Q&R tool and an OLAP tool BusinessObjects 4.0 specification Complete re-write from DOS to 32-bit Windows And, WYAI, add an OLAP functionality (catch-up) And, WYAI, dynamically create micro-cubes (one-up) And, WYAI, add multi-source reporting (one-up) And, SITSL, add new administration and security Results Release so bad customers thought motherboards were broken Stock dropped from $105 to $6/share

BusinessObjects was originally a DOS query and reporting (Q&R) tool

Arch-enemy Cognos had a Q&R tool and an OLAP tool

BusinessObjects 4.0 specification

Complete re-write from DOS to 32-bit Windows

And, WYAI, add an OLAP functionality (catch-up)

And, WYAI, dynamically create micro-cubes (one-up)

And, WYAI, add multi-source reporting (one-up)

And, SITSL, add new administration and security

Results

Release so bad customers thought motherboards were broken

Stock dropped from $105 to $6/share

Business Objects Tosca (Circa 2001) Tosca project From desktop architecture to web server-based architecture Complete product rewrite And WYAI, new, better server-based dynamic hypercube And WYAI, create and integrate enterprise reporting solution And SITSL, add 50 new features Results Never delivered; project abandoned Engineering director stopped coming to work Spent $1B to acquire Crystal Reports

Tosca project

From desktop architecture to web server-based architecture

Complete product rewrite

And WYAI, new, better server-based dynamic hypercube

And WYAI, create and integrate enterprise reporting solution

And SITSL, add 50 new features

Results

Never delivered; project abandoned

Engineering director stopped coming to work

Spent $1B to acquire Crystal Reports

Why Do I Tell You All This? You can find no deeper convert to agile methodologies (which we obviously use – and to great success – at Mark Logic)

You can find no deeper

convert to agile methodologies

(which we obviously use – and to great success – at Mark Logic)

Topics Brief background My personal tale Customer stories and learnings

Brief background

My personal tale

Customer stories and learnings

Case 1 Rewrite of existing successful STM product Accommodating role-in of top-up acquired product Complete infrastructure replacement Distributed development team in 3+ locations Separation of missions and roles by center Team 1: content integration and cleansing Team 2 and 3: application development Matrixed corporate standards boards overseeing the business unit Rich functional specification based on customer observation and contextual design methodology Results Project scrapped Networking benefit: I now know people at many different publishers New team favored quick-hit, small cycles

Rewrite of existing successful STM product

Accommodating role-in of top-up acquired product

Complete infrastructure replacement

Distributed development team in 3+ locations

Separation of missions and roles by center

Team 1: content integration and cleansing

Team 2 and 3: application development

Matrixed corporate standards boards overseeing the business unit

Rich functional specification based on customer observation and contextual design methodology

Results

Project scrapped

Networking benefit: I now know people at many different publishers

New team favored quick-hit, small cycles

Lessons from Case 1 Beware excess project decomposition and distributed teams Communication is critical Beware the urge to purge Complete re-writes are sometimes – but rarely – necessary If you are doing one, you shouldn’t do any WYAIs Best case I’ve seen: WebIntelligence – minimal feature set Hard “no” often liberates creativity Often, you’re better off introducing a new product to avoid major legacy feature burden The quick-hit, small cycles may keep the teams’ jobs but is it a slow-death solution?

Beware excess project decomposition and distributed teams

Communication is critical

Beware the urge to purge

Complete re-writes are sometimes – but rarely – necessary

If you are doing one, you shouldn’t do any WYAIs

Best case I’ve seen: WebIntelligence – minimal feature set

Hard “no” often liberates creativity

Often, you’re better off introducing a new product to avoid major legacy feature burden

The quick-hit, small cycles may keep the teams’ jobs but is it a slow-death solution?

Case 2 New team, new product Web 2.0, web-facing, consumer news site Tech lead and VP/CTO drove the agile approach given Big fans of agile given prior experiences The dynamic nature of the project: unknowable requirements “What seemed so important 9 months ago.” Long Beta; feature experimentation Logging all user actions for analytics LinkedIn profile extraction Launched on-time and on-budget Commercial success TBD – but enabled

New team, new product

Web 2.0, web-facing, consumer news site

Tech lead and VP/CTO drove the agile approach given

Big fans of agile given prior experiences

The dynamic nature of the project: unknowable requirements

“What seemed so important 9 months ago.”

Long Beta; feature experimentation

Logging all user actions for analytics

LinkedIn profile extraction

Launched on-time and on-budget

Commercial success TBD – but enabled

Learnings: Timeboxing The single most important thing in my opinion Forces decomposition mind-set Forces periodic delivery Forces prioritization Reduces last-train faux urgency

The single most important thing in my opinion

Forces decomposition mind-set

Forces periodic delivery

Forces prioritization

Reduces last-train faux urgency

Learnings: Trust Perceived loss of accountability 750 page specification Ability to monitor 99.5% compliance with requirements So what? Are we trying to maximize revenue or accountability for failure? (Hint: you can fire them anyway) Which is the bigger leap of faith? Working closely with a team to periodically deliver working software? Handing someone a tome and waiting 2 … 3 years? Our “normal” thinking is inverted! Rewarding negotiation more than anything else See “Beyond Budgeting” for related business rants

Perceived loss of accountability

750 page specification

Ability to monitor 99.5% compliance with requirements

So what?

Are we trying to maximize revenue or accountability for failure?

(Hint: you can fire them anyway)

Which is the bigger leap of faith?

Working closely with a team to periodically deliver working software?

Handing someone a tome and waiting 2 … 3 years?

Our “normal” thinking is inverted!

Rewarding negotiation more than anything else

See “Beyond Budgeting” for related business rants

Learnings: Communication Frequent communication a key element Scrums, stand-up meetings, small teams Elimination of some roles The liaison communicators More direct engineer to user conversations Interpretation and reinterpretation of requirements Think: design for assembly or maintenance Some people can’t hack the change Defend past roles Dislike communication Value reality Reduce fear of delivering bad news

Frequent communication a key element

Scrums, stand-up meetings, small teams

Elimination of some roles

The liaison communicators

More direct engineer to user conversations

Interpretation and reinterpretation of requirements

Think: design for assembly or maintenance

Some people can’t hack the change

Defend past roles

Dislike communication

Value reality

Reduce fear of delivering bad news

Conclusion The principles Breaking the iron triangle Remembering the mythical man-month The horror stories I’ve shared mine Yours are better The reality Agile works Agile requires change Agile can be adopted on small scale and then rolled out You owe it to yourself to try agile development

The principles

Breaking the iron triangle

Remembering the mythical man-month

The horror stories

I’ve shared mine

Yours are better

The reality

Agile works

Agile requires change

Agile can be adopted on small scale and then rolled out

You owe it to yourself to try agile development