Is Being Agile a Good Thing?

1. 1 Is Being “Agile” a Good Thing? Backlog Product Sprint Sprint Daily 1-6 weeks Done Scrum Cycle

3. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 3 • About Agile development • Brief history • High level summary of the most popular schools • Comparison with traditional methods (Waterfall) • Case Studies • Summary and conclusions

5. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 5 • You use Agile Business Suite, BIS, or ePortal • You run on a ClearPath Forward Fabric • You do all of your development with Visual Studio or Eclipse IDEs • You have a daily meeting with all of your developers to discuss status and plan the next day’s work • You use Scrum, XP, RAD, Lean, or some similar methodology You just might be agile if… … but none of this is a guarantee Agility is more about process than technology and tools

6. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 6 • Customer satisfaction through early and continuous delivery of valuable software • Welcome changing requirements, even late in development • Deliver working software frequently (weeks rather than months) • Business people and developers work together throughout the project (daily) • Build projects around motivated individuals, who should be trusted • Face-to-face conversation is the most efficient form of communication (co-location) • Working software is the primary measure of progress • Sustainable development, able to maintain a constant pace • Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design • Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential • Self-organizing teams • The team regularly reflects on how to become more efficient, and adjusts accordingly The Agile Manifesto Paraphrased from: http://www.agilemanifesto.org/principles.html

7. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 7 • Iterative, incremental, evolutionary ▫ Frequently deliver small, but complete, working samples ▫ Also known as Evolutionary Prototyping • Efficient, face-to-face communication ▫ Best if team members are all in the same place • Very short feedback and adaptation cycle ▫ Typical duration is 2-4 weeks per increment or sprint, feedback within the next sprint ▫ Quality focus  Always try to improve Key concepts

8. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 8 • Adaptive Software Development (ASD) • Agile modeling • Agile Unified Process (AUP) – a simplified RUP • Business analyst designer method (BADM) • Crystal Clear Methods • Disciplined agile delivery Popular Agile methods • Dynamic systems development method (DSDM) • Extreme Programming (XP) • Feature-driven development (FDD) • Kanban • Lean software development • Scrum • Scrumban

9. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 9 Scrum • Popular Agile development method • Characterized by small (mostly) co-located, self- managed teams, and multiple, brief iterations • Requirements and tasks defined as “stories” • Sprint Backlog defines the work items for a given Sprint • Various “ceremonies” with each Sprint ▫ Sprint Planning ▫ Stakeholder Demonstrations ▫ Retrospective Backlog Product Sprint Sprint Daily 1-6 weeks Done Scrum Cycle

10. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 10 • Scrum Master – leads the scrum (not a manager) • Product Owner – speaks for stakeholders in the scrum, makes product related decisions • Team members – developers, testers, SMEs as needed ▫ Usually 3-6 members • Business Owner and Stakeholders ▫ Not part of the core team ▫ Author stories ▫ Receive product after each Sprint Organization of Scrum Team Scrum Master Product Owner Business Owner Stakeholders Typical Scrum Team

11. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 11 • Who needs it? • What do they need? • Why do they need it? • How will we know it is done? What makes a good Story? • As a … • I want … • So that I can … • I’ll know it’s done when… “As a mobile phone user, I want secure iPhone access to my ClearPath banking transactions, so that I can make deposits, transfers, and check account balances. I’ll know it’s done when I can do all of my online banking from my iPhone.” “As an iPhone user, I want secure Web access to the account deposit transactions, so that I can make deposits into my checking account. I’ll know it’s done when the same functionality on the DEPST transaction is available on iPhone.” Oops. That’s too big. It is called an Epic. This is more like a Story that can be completed in one Sprint. Content Format

12. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 12 • Waterfall Approach ▫ A Methodology for Development ▫ “Traditional” Application Lifecycle Management • Iterative approach ▫ Allows frequent, rapid feedback ▫ Ideal when requirements may change ▫ An “agile” approach Comparisons

13. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 13 Waterfall approach ▫ Traditional Application Development  Different Tools  Different Skills  Can not easily back-track without losing information Requirements Design Code Integrate Test Deploy Maintain

15. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 15 Iterative approach Iterative Prototyping (Evolutionary Development) Develop, Maintain, Modernize, Re-engineer Investigate Design Develop Deploy/Demo Analyze Business Needs Design Object Model Build System Refine and Repeat for each Sprint

19. CE GateCE Gate CE Gate Application Integration October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 19 Application Modernization – Phase 1 Mainframe channel ASP .NET GUI Web Delivery channel WOF Online Cool ICE VIN Direct Cool ICE Web Delivery channel MotoChek (ASP .NET) eGovt Transact (ASP .NET) Common Data Interface (CDI) Driver Check (ASP .NET) TORO (ASP .NET) Programmatic Interface channel Component Enabler BP Card Upload EAE applicationsRich Client channel WinDLR (ASP .NET) Image Capture Application (VB 6) Image Management System (non-EAE) Solaris FTP/Flat File Application Programmatic Interface Electronic Data Interchange Interface NOF to Component Enabler gateway CE Gate XML/Web Service FTP I/Fs used by these clients must not change Access Control (ACC) Motor Vehicle Register (Landata) Driver License Register (DLR) Scope of Changes Phase 1 Replace older client technology with Component Enabler based clients

21. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 21 • We defined several proof points to demonstrate feasibility ▫ Show “green screen” (Landata) functionality in a Web browser ▫ Show PowerClient (WinDLR) functionality in a Web Browser ▫ Design (“paper proof”) of revised user access ▫ Demonstrate image capture and custom printing interfaces Step 1 – Proof of Concept (December 2010)

24. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 24 • Workshops held in Palmerston North with user representatives to determine requirements and define interface standards • Development team produced a prototype with some key business processes and 15-20 “screens” to show resulting interface • Duration: approx. 2 weeks Step 2 – Prototyping (February 2011)

26. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 26 • Team adopted elements of agile development during the prototype phase ▫ Small team ▫ Daily scrum meeting ▫ Rapid prototyping, frequent releases (sprints) ▫ Continuous testing ▫ Continuous user feedback • Requirements were refined as the project progressed • Positive response from both the development team and the end users Agile development process

27. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 27 • Made “global” changes to EAE model, according to style guidelines • Defined process for Ispec changes ▫ Produced reports for listbox data • Refine style guide ▫ Document exceptions • End user exposure ▫ Feedback rapidly incorporated Development process during prototype phase Prototype Phase Development Team (some part time): • 1 Project manager • 2 Architects • 2 EAE developers • 2 .NET developers • Various from operations, support, test, as needed

28. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 28 • Prototype phase flowed naturally into development ▫ Added development and test personnel ▫ Global changes made during prototyping were kept • Project test team verified functionality ▫ Minor changes to DLR GUI  Due to differences between PowerClient/Visual Basic and Web Browsers) ▫ Internet Explorer selected as default browser  Firefox and others were tested  Any differences or exceptions noted • User representatives confirmed usability factors Step 3 – Develop and Deploy (Begin March 2011)

30. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 30 • The project was named ‘ICT Project of the Year’ at New Zealand’s 2012 ITEX Computerworld Awards. The NZTA CIO stated that “Unisys developed and implemented an innovative modernisation program that provides more flexibility in the way we incorporate changes and engage with our customers without needing to replace our systems. It is definitely an approach that other organisations seeking to modernise their IT infrastructure should consider.” Result

32. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 32 • Develop a new product for ClearPath portfolio • Involved development on ClearPath and Windows .NET • Key attributes: ▫ Maintain security ▫ Improve Performance ▫ Improve Ease of Use Project Description

33. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 33 • Team adopted elements of agile development throughout ▫ Small team ▫ Frequent scrum meetings ▫ Rapid prototyping, frequent releases (sprints) ▫ Continuous testing ▫ Planning and Demonstration with each sprint • Requirements were refined as the project progressed • Positive response from both the development team and the end users ▫ Some early “teething pains” from some developers, but very successful in the end Agile development process The Team (some part time): • 1 Architect • 2 ClearPath developers • 2 .NET developers • SMEs from Security, Performance • Technical writer • Testers both local and remote

34. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 34 • Project completed on time, within budget • Senior management amazed at how much was done so quickly • Performance better than expected • User responses very positive • From the team: “Good process, right people, at the right time” Results

35. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 35 • You use Agile Business Suite, BIS, or ePortal ▫ These tools do allow rapid development, prototyping, and a high degree of automation ▫ Good candidates for use in an agile project • You run on a ClearPath Forward Fabric ▫ Can provide greater flexibility for testing and deploying in different environments • You do all of your development with Visual Studio or Eclipse IDEs ▫ Good tools, but not really a factor in the use cases presented ▫ Use the technology that makes your developers most productive • You have a daily meeting with all of your developers to discuss status and plan the next day’s work ▫ The timing and frequency of the meetings is far less important than the content and how you conduct the meeting • You use Scrum, XP, RAD, Lean, or some similar methodology You just might be agile if… Agility is more about process than technology and tools

36. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 36 Question Response What if you have a large team? Consider splitting it up into to two or more smaller teams Some have a “Scrum of Scrums” to coordinate their activities What if the team is spread out geographically or by shifts? Scrum/Agile prefers co-located teams, but it can be made to work with telephone/video conferencing and social media tools* What if the end-users and stakeholders don’t agree with agile methods? It is really better if you have buy-in from all parties Lacking this, it can still be effective, but will place a greater burden in the Business Owner and Product Owner to coordinate with Stakeholders’ expectations What if my programmers only use COBOL? The specific language is much less critical than the process and the way to structure your project Will it work with offshore development teams? *See above – it can work, but will require more work to coordinate team efforts Some have adopted “Uberscrums” or Scrum of Scrums approaches Additional considerations

37. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC 37 • Agile methods tend to be lighter on up-front design and documentation, but this is not an excuse for “no plan” ▫ User documentation, test plans, design docs are still produced, they are just less formal, and are refined over time • As with any process, radical changes to requirements may result in changes to schedules or deliverable content • Agile is a process of continuous improvement ▫ If you try it and it doesn’t work for you the first time, don’t necessarily blame agile – there may be other factors Final thoughts

38. 38 Content and format of this presentation is Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC. Trademarks and third party products referenced are the property of their respective owners. October 2015Copyright © 2015 Hood Software Solutions LLC For more information, or to schedule consulting, training or a POC, please contact Alan at Alan.Hood@comcast.net Visit our web site: www.HoodSoftwareSolutions.com

Is Being Agile a Good Thing?

Is Being Agile a Good Thing?

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