There is no universal way to coordinate Agile teams in large development projects because they have unique problems. This implies that the best way to coordinate the teams is to ask them how they want to be managed given a set of enabling constraints. This requires particular communication and negotiation skills in the leadership team, which are conveyed in this talk. The skills are described as a set of conventions, founded on the argument that every organization is a complex adaptive system and should therefore be analyzed as a whole and from multiple system perspectives. So, this talk will show that by treating software development as a complex endeavor, rather than a linear, will help managers to master large Agile projects.

1. SARAJEVO, 27.10.2014
JAANA NYFJORD
Coordinating large Agile projects

3. “I think the next century will be the century of complexity.”
Stephen Hawking January 2000

4. Complexity, complex systems & complexity science
Complexity
Complexity is generally used to characterize something with many parts where those parts interact with each other in multiple ways.
Complex systems
Complex adaptive systems -open evolutionary systems in which the components are strongly interrelated, self-organisingand dynamic.
Each of these systems evolves in relationship to the larger environment in which it operates. To survive, the system as a whole must adapt to change.
Complexity science
Complexity science is creating a fundamental shift in how we view the world, and with it the need for a shift in how we must think about, organize, plan for and lead 21st century organisations.
Across the frontiers of science, this new more complete, whole systems approach is replacing the old reductionist paradigm, where scientists traditionally tried to understand and describe the dynamics of systems by studying and describing their component parts.

5. Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS)
Complex adaptive systems is derived from the mathematical science of complexity.
Complex adaptive systems are non-linear, open, dynamic.
In non-linear systems the value of the whole cannot be determined by the sum of the parts
Open system interact with its environment, receiving inputs and providing outputs, but doesn’t control it
A dynamic system changes and evolves its behavior in response to its inputs
Order emerges through the interaction among the system’s parts as they evolve (within the larger system) in response to the changing environment.
Hence, CASs are composed of autonomous agents that seek to maximize some measure of fitness by evolving or adapting to changes as they occur.
Local, often simple, rules guide the interaction among the agents and result in the system’s global behavior.

6. Coordinating large Agile projects
Jaana Nyfjord @jaananyfjord
Bosnia Agile Day
Sarajevo, October 27 2014

7. #*@!&
Photo: Michael Fritz www.un.org

8. Obvious

9. Frequent problems in large projects
Often difficult to get an overview of how changes in one subproject affect other sub-projects
Too many restrictions in the requirement spec makes the whole development process rigid and prevents creative solutions
The larger the project, the less flexibility there is
As transaction costs increase with the size of the project, it is necessary to be strict with upholding discipline, and thus a need for bureaucratic rules that are often not understood

11. Convention
Description
Speak their language
Argyrishas shown that the most effective way to secure that the communication works well when several teams are coordinated is to use their language and give specific feedback to the teams on how they describe their work, their needs and their progress.
Create culture of public benchmarking
If managers do not give feedback, criticism and appreciation in a similar way to various teams it is difficult to create a culture of fair, open communication. To adjust descriptions of various teams, it is necessary to develop a continuous dialogue around comparisons between teams. “Peer Sites” has been successfully tested where a software development site gives a personalized response to another site.
Motivate from personal experience
Managers who cannot argue for their motivation by providing references to practical experience or real examples may risk the communication trap of having subordinates not understanding them.
Include subordinates in meetings
In all large organizations there are power games impeding effective communication. To prevent these, representatives from various hierarchical levels should be included in meetings. Ackoff’ssystem model “Interactive planning” demonstrates how such an approach secures free flowing communication among teams in large projects.
Combine various modeling methods
Ever since Parkinsson'sLaw of Bureaucracy, the dangers of following a specific model too rigidly have been proven over and over again. The solution is to have a flexible attitude towards models and use them as support tools rather than governing systems. E.g., “Rich Pictures” provide models of a problem that can easily be explained and make people aware of the various perspectives among stakeholders.
Use global definitions
Using different definitions on various organizational levels will cause confusion. In the “Viable System Models”, Beer became famous for his introduction of cybernetics. In this model, the communication processes between all levels of the organization could be recursively described, i.e. use the same communication protocols on all project levels.
Accept chaos as a driver of development
Leaders who try to impose order in a complex context will fail. A manager should accept a certain amount of chaos in the development process as long as this does not inflict on the basic goals of the project. To determine an acceptable degree of chaos, managers should be familiar with complexity theory.
Centralizecritical rules
Using a strict “management by objective” approach in a complex context will likely constrain the productivity of teams. Hence, formalizing goals and constraints as generic rules or principles that can be implemented in whatever ways the teams find appropriate will provide a softer direction enabling team creativity and productivity. Thomas describes how productivity rises once there is a sound and stable foundation allowing the employees to design their own work.

12. Speak their language

13. Create a culture of public benchmarking
https://www.flickr.com/photos/giesenbauer/4100946842/

14. Accept chaos as a driver of development
http://bubbi-robot.deviantart.com

15. Centralize critical rules
www.dot.state.mn.us

16. Convention
Empirical findings
Speaktheir language
Nearly all interviewees shared a similar view that speaking their teams’ language implies connecting people to people, and teams to teams not merely a process output to a process input. Ten of 14 explicitly confirmed that continually adjusting the communication will encourage teams’ congruence and collaboration. Hence, the convention has definite acceptance and is likely to be used to secure that the communication works well.
Create culture of publicbenchmarking
Not all interviewees shared a similar view about the convention’s importance. Five out of 14 interviewees think that it is a very sensitive topic, which can easily drive teams to oppose each other. Two reasons were given: due to cultural considerations, four have failed to implement the convention while one believes that the convention is of low priority. The latter indicated that it is inappropriate to compare the teams’ presentations because it will be a waste of time and effort to ask other teams to adjust their work accordingly. However, the rest mentioned that benchmarking could help in raising performance standards by enabling knowledge to be shared and reused. Among those it wasmentioned: “Creating such culture... increases the good competition between the teams, because one team’s good performance is an example for the other teams. Hence, the convention has partial acceptance due to corporate culture’s inflexibility or for its uncritical use while it is likely to be used as a lever for continuous dialogue
Motivate frompersonal experience
Nearly all interviewees shared a similar view that the use of bundled experiences would help both the managers and teams to overcome communication bottlenecks. However, 9 of out of 14 interviewees indicated that the arguments must be carefully composed to achieve certain needs and to not impose any restraints on the teams’ own inspiration. Twelve out of 14 interviewees indicated that the convention could enhance better communication between the managers and teams. Hence, the convention has a definite acceptance, as it is likely to be used to enhance better communication with teams.
Include subordinatesin meetings
All interviewees acknowledged the need of connecting people to people regardless to their positions and responsibilities which in return would foster their teams’ development and learning. In their comments to what benefits they get, the following were mentioned: “It is a good technique especially to motivate people and to develop people further”; “it is one of the very efficient tools to develop people... and “very effective way of decision making”; “taking feedback is very important... it will be like a 360 view of any subject”.” Hence, the convention has definite acceptance as it is likely to be used to promote effective communication.
Combine various modeling methods
All interviewees shared a similar view that in complex projects, models are used to address and help solving problems not merely processes and standards to follow. As one said “in software development projects, flexibility is essential and very important in managing projects… it is advisable to use different models”. Hence, the convention has definite acceptance, as it is likely to be used to support for better project governance.
Use global definitions
All interviewees shared similar opinion that common definitions across the project organization would provide high synergy among teams and maintain consistency in communication, documentation, and reporting. Generally, their adoption of the convention is primarily to reduce confusion and eliminate potential conflicts that may occur due to misinterpretation. Nine out of 14 interviewees indicated that using global definitions could be timesaving and efficient. Hence, the convention has a definite acceptance, as it is likely to be used to support mutual understanding.
Accept chaos as a driver of development
Nearly all interviewees consider some chaos to be effective in many ways. For instance, a) ten out of 14 interviewees consider it a driver for timely project development and delivery, as it was stated: “Chaos is sometimes important to provide control over the project cycle itself, otherwise many projects might go in no end to be completed” and b) five out of 14 interviewees considered it as an enabler for teams to thrive and assume higher responsibilities. However, three interviewees mentioned that accepting chaos must be accompanied with careful attention, as motivated by one : “It should not change the scope of work, time frame, the budget, and project model or standards.” Hence, the convention has partial acceptance, and likely to be used to drive development forward to gain control and as an enabler for communication and team development.
Centralizecritical rules
Everyone but two have accepted the convention. The latter two favor "management by objectives" as a support for timely delivery of the project and securing productivity. The other interviewees, on the other hand, share similar views on accepting a critical set of rules instead of strict objectives and systems as a driver of productivity.

17. Photo: www.gi.alaska.edu

18. Leading 21stcentury organisations
By treating software development as a complex endeavor, rather than linear, will help you master its complexity.

20. Thank You