If you like the ideas raised in this presentation, don't forget to check out my latest book, Directing the Agile Organisation (http://theagiledirector.com/book).

1. EVAN LEYBOURN
AUTOPSY OF A
FAILED AGILE
PROJECT

2. Evan Leybourn
Lean / Agile Business Leader and Author
Melbourne, Australia
@eleybourn
http://theagiledirector.com

3. Project 1: Business Intelligence
Primary Cause of Failure:
Customer Engagement

4. SYMPTOM #1:
POOR
ENGAGEMENT AND
COMMUNICATION

5. SYMPTOM #2:
NO TRUST
BETWEEN
BUSINESS &TEAM

6. SYMPTOM #3:
LACK OF SUBJECT
MATTER EXPERTS

7. POORLY MANAGED
EXPECTATIONS
SYMPTOM #4:

8. MISUNDERSTANDING
BUSINESS VALUE
SYMPTOM #5:

9. ‘A manufacturer is not through
with his customer when a sale is
completed. He has then only
started with his customer.’
- Henry Ford, 1922

10. PREVENTION #1:
DO YOU HAVE THE
RIGHT PRODUCT
OWNER?

11. PREVENTION #2:
HAVE YOU TRAINED
THE CUSTOMER &
PRODUCT OWNER?

12. PREVENTION #3:
ARE THERE CLEAR
AND AGREED
EXPECTATIONS?

13. Project 2: Telecommunications
Primary Cause of Failure:
Poor Planning

14. SYMPTOM #6:
CONFLICT BETWEEN
CUSTOMER AND
STRATEGIC WORK

15. SYMPTOM #7:
POORLY DEFINED
PROJECT GOALS

16. POORLY DEFINED
SUCCESS CRITERIA
SYMPTOM #8:

17. ‘It is always wise to look ahead,
but difficult to look further than you
can see.’
- Winston Churchill, ~1960

18. PREVENTION #4:
IS THE SYSTEM
FRAMEWORK
AVAILABLE?

19. PREVENTION #5:
ARE THE GOALS
AND END STATE
CLEARLY DEFINED?

20. PREVENTION #6:
HAVE YOU PLANNED
THE INITIAL
ITERATIONS?

21. Project 3: Government
Primary Cause of Failure:
The Team

22. SYMPTOM #9:
POOR AWARENESS
OF THE WHY’S
BEHIND AGILE

23. SYMPTOM #10:
CHRONICALLY
UNDERSTAFFED

24. SYMPTOM #11:
MISSING REQUIRED
SKILLS

25. COMPETING
PRIORITIES
SYMPTOM #12:

26. SYMPTOM #13:
LOW TEAM
MORALE, TRUST
OR RESPECT

28. SYMPTOM #14:
POOR SUPPORT
FROM EXTERNAL
TEAMS (e.g. DBA)

29. SYMPTOM #15:
NOT DELIVERING
VALUE IN EACH
ITERATION

30. ‘Treat your men as you would your
own beloved sons. And they will
follow you into the deepest valley.’
- Sun Tzu, ~6th Century BCE

31. PREVENTION #7:
ARE YOU
RECRUITING FOR
AN AGILE TEAM?

32. HAVE YOU
FOCUSED ON
DEVELOPING TEAM
CAPABILITY?
PREVENTION #8:

33. PREVENTION #9:
CAN YOU POSTPONE
STORIES NEEDING
MISSING SKILLS?

34. IS YOUR TEAM
TRAINED IN AGILE?
PREVENTION #10:

35. Project 4: Information Management
Primary Cause of Failure:
Infrastructure

36. UNDER-
DEVELOPED
ARCHITECTURE
SYMPTOM #16:

37. SYMPTOM #17:
MISSING SUPPORT
DOCUMENTATION

38. SYMPTOM #18:
UNSTABLE
UPSTREAM
SYSTEMS & DATA

39. SYMPTOM #19:
POOR TEST TOOLS
AND DATA

40. ‘Beautiful objects are wrought by
study through effort, but ugly
things are reaped automatically
without toil.’
- Democritus, ~4th Century BCE

41. HAVE YOU BUILT
THE BASELINE
INFRASTRUCTURE?
PREVENTION #11:

42. PREVENTION #12:
DOES YOUR
INFRASTRUCTURE
SUPPORT
ITERATIVE WORK?

43. PREVENTION #13:
DO TEAMS MANAGE
THE DEVELOPMENT
ENVIRONMENT?

44. HAVE YOU
INVESTED IN
AUTOMATED TEST
TOOLS?
PREVENTION #14:

46. TO LEARN MORE, CHECK OUT
DIRECTING THE AGILE
ORGANISATION
BY EVAN LEYBOURN
AVAILABLE AT AMAZON AND ALL
GOOD BOOK STORES
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