Building High-Gravity Distributed Teams

Building High-Gravity
Distributed Teams

Derek W. Wade
dwade@kumido.com www.kumido.com

@derekwwade

Experiment: Ask Your Tweeps

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2010 Kumido Adaptive Strategies LLC www.kumido.com

The Dimensions of Distribution
Fragmented
Weak Team

ion
Gravity

ut
rib
D ist
Strong

Unified
Team Low High
Separation


X Dimension: Separation
“distance” between Team members

G
pro eogr
xim aph
Als ity ica
๏ Fully colocated, local tools, same culture o cu , tim l,
l e
exp ture, s zone
๏ On-site, but not co-located erie
nce kill,
๏ 2 colocated teams working remotely from each other
๏ Colocated teamlets of 2-3 people
working remotely from other teamlets

๏ Fully separated team
(e.g. each person physically distant from the other)

Low
Separation High


Minimal Separation… Maximum Separation

Ideal Agile “Real” Agile
therefore
Minimal Structure… Maximum Structure?


Communication Model

Sender’s Transmitted Received
Sender Receiver
Knowledge Message Message

Received Transmitted Sender’s
Receiver Sender
Message Message Knowledge
on
s ing ocus
Focu n = f
io
arat model
Sep this
on


Distributed Team Simulation (I)

“Low-Fidelity...”

gfkpoker.com

“System” = Total Score
“Components” = Poker hands
“Email” = notes passed


Sim (I)
POKER HANDS

5 of a kind = 4 pts

= 3 pts

= 2 pts

= 1 pt
freemoneypoker.info


Sim (I)
RULES OF PLAY
• Players trade cards at your table to make good poker
hands.
• If Players want to trade cards with another table, you have
to write a message, and ask your Dealer to trade for you.
• Players may not pass notes to , show cards to, or ask to see, cards at
another table. Info via the Dealer only.
• If Players want a card from another table, they must give up one of
theirs.
• You make points according to what hands are at your table at
end of game
• “Whole-team scoring:” the only score that counts is the
total score of the room!


Sim (I)
TEAM ROLES

Players
• Trade cards at table to make best hands
• Ask Dealer to trade cards with other tables
• Keep score for their table!
Dealer
• Gets cards for their table at start of game
• Handles all card exchanges between tables

Sim (I)
DEBRIEF

Without drastically changing the rules...
• What would help?
• What problems would still remain?


Gravity Use the Dimensions!

e.g. weak product owner e.g. Sim (I)

e.g. Ideal Agile e.g. “Real” Agile

Separation

Y Dimension: Gravity
anything which increases the team’s focus

• Existing work product
• Clear architecture
• Stable technology platform
• Strong Product Owner
• Team Vision
• Mission (are there “secret missions?)

Smells…
• How often does the Team talk?
• Is their effort/output visible?

Do they learn??

Big Attractor: Alternative to Comm

Sender’s Transmitted Received
Sender Receiver
Knowledge Message Message

Received Transmitted Sender’s
Receiver Sender
Message Message Knowledge


“WorkScapes*”
Tec
“off hnol
loa o
d c gy he
ogn lps
itio
n”
**

A B

* Cross, 2010 ** Dror, 2008

Distributed Team Simulation (II)

misseddrawpoker.com

A B


Sim (II)
RULES / ROLES
• Players may not talk to other teams about the
cards, can only move them. Players may talk among
their team.
• Anyone may move any card, at any time, except:
• Breaking an existing hand:
• Players must ask the Dealer for the team
• Point to card you want: “may I?”
• Only Dealers may allow breaking an existing hand


Sim (II)
DEBRIEF

• What worked?
Without drastically changing the rules...
• What would help?
• What problems might still remain?
• How could you improve them?


eWorkScapes


eWorkScape: Wiki Backlog


eWorkScape: Shared Writing
Retrospectives (webcast, gdocs):
• Provide doc structure, but
let the team ﬁll in
• Team is able to “just talk”
• Anyone can capture items as
they are heard
• Visible to all, live!

“Retrospective using communication tools
is like having sex by phone” -- @xpinjection


eWorkScape: “Conversation Room”

Just like “babble” in a war room:
• Always-on
• No annoying notiﬁcations
• Has a history
• Broadcast, not point-cast

“I store my knowledge in my friends.”


Thank You!
(now what next?)

1. Don’t just try to reduce
Separation... increase Gravity!
2. Sniff out and beware
“communication models”
3. Evaluate tools according to how Derek W. Wade
they help create Gravity dwade@kumido.com www.kumido.com

4. Create eWorkScapes @derekwwade
5. Leverage Social Learning

Let’s see what
our Tweeps said!

Building High-Gravity Distributed Teams

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