Agile Project Management - Facing the Challenges of Distributed Development using Agile - Mayank Gupta

Time for Introduction Working w ith GlobalLogic India Practicing Agile for last 3 years Certified CSM, CSP, OCP and ISTQB professional Published Articles in Scrum Alliance & CM Journal Blog - http://thought-reader.blogspot.com/

Working w ith GlobalLogic India

Practicing Agile for last 3 years

Certified CSM, CSP, OCP and ISTQB professional

Published Articles in Scrum Alliance & CM Journal

Blog - http://thought-reader.blogspot.com/

Agenda Food for thought Agile – Does it work? Distributed Agile – Issues and success factors Distributed Scrum styles How to keep the rhythm Engineering solutions Examples and case studies Questions

Food for thought

Agile – Does it work?

Distributed Agile – Issues and success factors

Distributed Scrum styles

How to keep the rhythm

Engineering solutions

Examples and case studies

Questions

Food for thought The question isn’t whether Agile can be applied to Distributed projects or not It’s more! Can Distributed projects afford not to apply Agile practices?

The question isn’t whether Agile can be applied to Distributed projects or not

It’s more!

Can Distributed projects afford not to apply Agile practices?

Agile – Does it work? Everybody says that Agile works for ideal scenario Small teams Collocated teams When customer is available to team all the time What about real scenario? Big teams Globally distributed teams Large projects When real customer is not available to the team

Everybody says that Agile works for ideal scenario

Small teams

Collocated teams

When customer is available to team all the time

What about real scenario?

Big teams

Globally distributed teams

Large projects

When real customer is not available to the team

Distributed Agile Large/distributed projects are very high risk Standish chaos report 31.1% projects get cancelled before they get completed 52.7% projects get completed but cost almost double of their original estimates 16.2% projects are completed on time on budget Today's prevailing trend – geographical diversification Exponential Demand for complex functionality along with ease of use, scalability, reliability, and maintainability

Large/distributed projects are very high risk

Standish chaos report

31.1% projects get cancelled before they get completed

52.7% projects get completed but cost almost double of their original estimates

16.2% projects are completed on time on budget

Today's prevailing trend – geographical

diversification

Exponential Demand for complex functionality along with ease of use, scalability, reliability, and maintainability

Issues in Distributed development Strategic: Difficult leveraging available resources, best practices are often deemed proprietary, time consuming and difficult to maintain. Project and process management: Difficulty synchronizing work between distributed sites. Communication: Lack of effective communication mechanisms. Cultural: Conflicting behaviors, processes, and technologies. Technical: Incompatible data formats, schemas, and standards. Security: Ensuring electronic transmission confidentiality and privacy. It is a communication problem

Strategic: Difficult leveraging available resources, best practices are often deemed proprietary, time consuming and difficult to maintain.

Project and process management: Difficulty synchronizing work between distributed sites.

Communication: Lack of effective communication mechanisms.

Cultural: Conflicting behaviors, processes, and technologies.

Technical: Incompatible data formats, schemas, and standards.

Security: Ensuring electronic transmission confidentiality and privacy.

Agile Values We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools Working software over comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over contract negotiation Responding to change over following a plan That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.

We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

Working software over comprehensive documentation

Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

Responding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.

Success Factors – Distributed Agile Success of Distributed agile substantially depends on real-time collaboration Avoid depending heavily on the use of E-mails for knowledge sharing! Wiki and Collaboration systems gaining popularity IM tools, NetMeeting, and video conferencing enable effective collaboration Robust and Scalable engineering platform to enable: Real-time Collaboration and transparency Re-usability and Refactoring Collective Code Ownership Continuous Integration ……… .etc.

Success of Distributed agile substantially depends on real-time collaboration

Avoid depending heavily on the use of E-mails for knowledge sharing!

Wiki and Collaboration systems gaining popularity

IM tools, NetMeeting, and video conferencing enable effective collaboration

Robust and Scalable engineering platform to enable:

Real-time Collaboration and transparency

Re-usability and Refactoring

Collective Code Ownership

Continuous Integration

……… .etc.

Distributed Scrum Styles Type A: Isolated Scrums Type B: Distributed Scrum of Scrums Type C: Totally Integrated Scrums Reference - Distributed Scrum: Agile Project Management with Outsourced Development Teams - By Jeff Sutherland, Anton Viktorov, Jack Blount

Type A: Isolated Scrums

Type B: Distributed Scrum of Scrums

Type C: Totally Integrated Scrums

Reference - Distributed Scrum: Agile Project Management with Outsourced Development Teams - By Jeff Sutherland, Anton Viktorov, Jack Blount

How to keep the Rhythm Daily Scrum Meeting Adjust meeting time to meet all time zones Write the answer of three scrum questions and distribute the answers by email before the Scrum meeting (overcomes language issues) Local teams can have their separate standup meetings as well Publish audio recording of meetings Video conference between sites Release/Sprint planning Fly key people to one place (Release) Share pictures of planning charts (Sprint) All team members participating Video conference between sites (Sprint) Release/Sprint Review One session for all teams Web meeting application to share Demo and Presentation All team members participating Video conference between sites

Daily Scrum Meeting

Adjust meeting time to meet all time zones

Write the answer of three scrum questions and distribute the answers by email before the Scrum meeting (overcomes language issues)

Local teams can have their separate standup meetings as well

Publish audio recording of meetings

Video conference between sites

Release/Sprint planning

Fly key people to one place (Release)

Share pictures of planning charts (Sprint)

All team members participating

Video conference between sites (Sprint)

Release/Sprint Review

One session for all teams

Web meeting application to share Demo and Presentation

All team members participating

Video conference between sites

It is all about planning Team Structure Key challenge: process management, work synchronization Cross functional teams at all locations Scrum masters at all locations Use scrum of Scrum (SoS) If number of teams are more (more than 10), use Scrum of Scrum of Scrum (SoSoS ) Scrum Masters reporting daily to SoS and to SoSoS Proxy product owners Architects playing the role of proxy product owners Link between product owner and delivery team Break down User story into requirements

Team Structure

Key challenge: process management, work synchronization

Cross functional teams at all locations

Scrum masters at all locations

Use scrum of Scrum (SoS)

If number of teams are more (more than 10), use Scrum of Scrum of Scrum (SoSoS )

Scrum Masters reporting daily to SoS and to SoSoS

Proxy product owners

Architects playing the role of proxy product owners

Link between product owner and delivery team

Break down User story into requirements

It is all about planning (Cont…) Identifying dependencies Unified planning meeting after each sprint planning Scrum masters meeting to resolve dependencies New distributed scrum teams New scrum teams for Documentation, Integration and Validation can be formed Documentation team participation in all planning meetings Integration scrum team responsible for nightly build and automatic installation, participate in SoSoS forum and part of all planning meetings Scrum team “validation” taking care of test and validation of the Cross suite user scenarios & engaging real customer in validation process

Identifying dependencies

Unified planning meeting after each sprint planning

Scrum masters meeting to resolve dependencies

New distributed scrum teams

New scrum teams for Documentation, Integration and Validation can be formed

Documentation team participation in all planning meetings

Integration scrum team responsible for nightly build and automatic installation, participate in SoSoS forum and part of all planning meetings

Scrum team “validation” taking care of test and validation of the Cross suite user scenarios & engaging real customer in validation process

Use of Agile Methodology: Iterative Product Development & Incremental Releases Working Releases

Work Organization: Sample success pattern

Work Organization: Large Scale

Creating an Integrated Tracker Ability to properly derive test cases from raw requirements All tasks need to be mapped, inter-linked, and driven by its priority Writing use cases, test cases, code reviews, etc. Requirement mapping also necessary for test results, defects, and code changes

Ability to properly derive test cases from raw requirements

All tasks need to be mapped, inter-linked, and driven by its priority

Writing use cases, test cases, code reviews, etc.

Requirement mapping also necessary for test results, defects, and code changes

Processes - Continuous Integration It is essential that code repository is centralized and unified tools are used Automated Schedule builds – preferably daily Build dashboard highlights failing builds which are resolved immediately. Traceability to requirements to builds

It is essential that code repository is centralized and unified tools are used

Automated Schedule builds – preferably daily

Build dashboard highlights failing builds which are resolved immediately.

Traceability to requirements to builds

Sprint health check Reference - Distributed Scrum: Agile Project Management with Outsourced Development Teams - By Jeff Sutherland, Anton Viktorov, Jack Blount

Reference - Distributed Scrum: Agile Project Management with Outsourced Development Teams - By Jeff Sutherland, Anton Viktorov, Jack Blount

High Visibility on Project Status - Metrics Test Cases Test Cases - Status

Product Dashboard as Information Radiator Distributed Agile needs a common view assembling product engineering processes together A Product Dashboard provides a holistic view of lifecycle Reconciles information from requirement management, test case management, issue tracking system, etc. No manual consolidation of information Provides great transparency from all perspectives Real-time visibility into the progress Role-based dashboard boosts productivity of the distributed product teams

Distributed Agile needs a common view assembling product engineering processes together

A Product Dashboard provides a holistic view of lifecycle

Reconciles information from requirement management, test case management, issue tracking system, etc.

No manual consolidation of information

Provides great transparency from all perspectives

Real-time visibility into the progress

Role-based dashboard boosts productivity of the distributed product teams

Video Conference Biggest contributing factor in distributed development Brings meaningful and effective communication Better video conferencing tools would decrease the need of travelling Use video conference for Daily scrum meetings Release planning meeting Iteration planning meeting Sprint Review

Biggest contributing factor in distributed development

Brings meaningful and effective communication

Better video conferencing tools would decrease the need of travelling

Use video conference for

Daily scrum meetings

Release planning meeting

Iteration planning meeting

Sprint Review

Daily Scrum Meeting Audio Or/And Video Conference

Case Studies IDX (now GE Healthcare) – 567 developers, many locations IDX Web Team Scrum 1996-2000 – Burlington, VT – Boston – Seattle Factors accelerating the IDX hyperproductive Distributed Scrum – Scrum organizational pattern – Engineering practices – Daily meeting of distributed team – Tools (direct connection to Microsoft development) SirsiDynix and StarSoft used Scrum in globally distributed environment developing a Java application with over 1,000,000 lines of code. a distributed team of 56 Scrum developers working from Provo, Utah; Waterloo, Canada; and St. Petersburg At 15.3 function points per developer/month, this is one of the most productive projects ever documented.

IDX (now GE Healthcare) – 567 developers, many locations

IDX Web Team Scrum 1996-2000

– Burlington, VT

– Boston

– Seattle

Factors accelerating the IDX hyperproductive Distributed Scrum

– Scrum organizational pattern

– Engineering practices

– Daily meeting of distributed team

– Tools (direct connection to Microsoft development)

SirsiDynix and StarSoft used Scrum in globally distributed environment

developing a Java application with over 1,000,000 lines of code.

a distributed team of 56 Scrum developers working from Provo, Utah; Waterloo, Canada; and St. Petersburg

At 15.3 function points per developer/month, this is one of the most productive projects ever documented.

Case Study ????

????

Velocity Continuous Integration

Velocity Continuous Integration

Conclusion Agile would help you to actually address the problems created by the distance instead of making them worse It is extremely easy to integrate Scrum with XP practices even on large distributed teams. Meaningful communication and collaboration are the key factors One Scrum meeting a day is necessary which should include all team members across geographies. This would improve productivity, reduce project risk, and enhance software quality.

Agile would help you to actually address the problems created by the distance instead of making them worse

It is extremely easy to integrate Scrum with XP practices even on large distributed teams.

Meaningful communication and collaboration are the key factors

One Scrum meeting a day is necessary which should include all team members across geographies.

This would improve productivity, reduce project risk, and enhance software quality.

References Distributed Scrum: Agile Project Management with Outsourced Development Teams At Agile 2006 International conference By Jeff Sutherland, Anton Viktorov, Jack Blount

Distributed Scrum: Agile Project Management with Outsourced Development Teams

At Agile 2006 International conference

By Jeff Sutherland, Anton Viktorov, Jack Blount

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