How MYOB developed the largest agile workspace in Australia to foster innovation and creativity based on learnings from the world's most creative artists (like Pixar, 30 Seconds to Mars & South Park).

1. Hacking a shopping centre
Creating Australia's largest Agile workspace
@benross50

2. How do the world’s most creative
people set up their workspace for
optimum productivity and
creativity?

4. What we saw working for others…
Space to collaborate
– to work
– to chill (and work)
and
Space to work on your own

5. “If a building doesn’t encourage collaboration,
you’ll lose a lot of innovation and the magic
that’s sparked by serendipity.
So we designed the building to make people get
out of their offices and mingle in the central
atrium with people they might not otherwise
see.”
Steve Jobs (on Pixar’s office)

7. 1. Space to collaborate - work

8. 2. Space to collaborate – more relaxed

9. 3. Space to work on your own

10. 3. Space to work on your own

11. 1. Space to collaborate - work

13. 2. Spaces to work on your own

15. MYOB’s Opportunity

19. Developed hypotheses and experimented in our
existing premises
• Agile walls – how big, how many… what type
• Standup desks – how many, how fit with other desks
• Technology – what works (lync, jira, rally, hangouts…)
• Meeting rooms – how many, how used, by whom
• Team area layouts – Optimum composition, self
contained vs shared areas..

20. Deep customer discovery
We got feedback from our existing customers (our staff!) = Four
themes for the new environment
1. Encourage Innovation
a) “work from anywhere” technology
b) Support innovation and change
2. Enable Connection
a) Between people : collaboration + communication
b) Across divisions - High activity spaces grouped around major circulation
paths to increase serendipitous meetings between staff
c) To the environment: Access to natural light and views for all staff
3. Remind us of our Customers
a) Communicate the values of our clients to MYOB, reminders of our
clients and their needs
4. Amplify our Culture & Values
a) Friendly, dynamic, fun, green & sustainable…

22. Individuals and interactions (over process and
tools)
In agile development, self-organization and motivation
are important, as are interactions like co-
location and pair programming
Where can 500+ people coalesce in a single space to
enable collaboration and self organization?

25. Slide 25

30. What worked well

31. Local teams - big physical local walls

32. Distributed teams - technology for virtual walls
Standup VC
camera is here

33. Distributed teams with technology for virtual
walls

34. Visible charts & feedback devices

35. Collaboration & chill out spaces - Music

36. Collaboration & chill out spaces - Campsite

37. Collaboration & chill out spaces - Festival

38. Collaboration & chill out spaces - Sport

39. Allow teams to ‘own’ their space

40. Think carefully about technology
Tablets enable staff to book rooms and see whether the room is
booked

41. What we learned along the way…

43. Customer collaboration (over contract
negotiation)
Requirements cannot be fully collected at the
beginning of the software development cycle, therefore
continuous customer or stakeholder involvement is
very important.
As soon as we moved in, we made changes on the fly:
• Noise dampening
• Extra showers
• More walls
• More standup desks
• Bike storage,…..

44. Social experiment (noise vs customer connection)
Phone-based support teams
Development
team

45. Plan a break-out workspace here….

46. ….. but teams gather here…

47. Enabled self organisation …..

48. If we could do it again….
Self contained areas
Work
Collaborate
Standup

49. Think carefully about technology
Staff are unforgiving – it’s got to be plug & play
• Placement direction of camera & audio
• Integrated cabling & connectivity (USB, video camera,
VGA/DVI/HDMI, power, phone…)
• A technology cocktail is often needed
- voice, video and content across multiple locations including
private home offices

50. So, when you try this at your work
1. Learn from the rockstars
2. Listen to your customers (staff)
3. Run experiments
– Take a lean & agile approach to the project (test & learn)
– Don’t bolt anything down
4. Carefully consider how technology is embedded into your
office environment