allan kelly 
Twitter: @allankellynet 
http://www.allankelly.net 
BCS Bristol 
November 2014 
Does Agile work 
outside of software? 
#AOSW
Allan Kelly… 
 Provide advice on software 
development & business strategy 
 Training in Agile, Coaching, 
Consulting 
Author 
– Xanpan: Team Centric Agile Software 
Development, 2014 
https://leanpub.com/xanpan 
– Business Patterns for Software Developers 
(2012, Wiley - ISBN: 978-1119999249) 
– Changing Software Development: Learning 
to be Agile (2008, Wiley)
Is Agile only for 
Software 
Development? 
Lets see if I can answer this question…
Coming full circle 
Agile Manufacturing 
~1994 Lightweight software 
development 
1996->2000 
Agile Software Development 
2000-2001 
Agile 
business? 
Can we have…. 
Looks good… 
Agile Competitors and Virtual 
Organizations - Strategies for 
Enriching the Customer 
Goldman, Nagel & Preiss, 1995
What do we expect from the Agile 
company?
I can’t think of anything more important than building 
an agile company, because the world changes so 
quickly and unpredictably 
[Agility] comes in different forms, but 
basically it’s the ability to quickly adapt to 
or even anticipate and lead change. 
Agility in the broadest form affects strategic 
thinking, operations, technology innovation 
and the ability to innovate in products, 
processes and business models. 
Michael A Cusumano 
Distinguished Professor of Management at 
the MIT Sloan School of Management
Agile: What do we want? 
Agile Strategy 
Agile Tactical 
Agile Operations 
Adaptability 
Listen to customer 
Lead the market 
Use change competitively 
Experiment 
“Expeditionary Marketing” 
Live in the now 
Prepare for the future 
Deliver fast 
Deliver quality 
Deliver value
Is Agile only for Software 
Development? 
• Answer in 3 parts 
– Practices 
– The Roots 
– Case studies
Practices
Agile Umbrella 
Scrum 
Kanban ASD XP 
DSDM 
Lean SD 
Xanpan 
Stand up 
meetings 
TDD BDD 
Boards ATDD 
WIP limits 
Iterations 
Retrospectives 
Planning poker 
CI
Practices from outside of software 
Stand up meetings NATO, Japanese local government, bar 
staff, oil-platforms 
Retrospectives Lessons learned, Post mortem 
US Marines “After Action Review” 
WIP Limits Toyota Production System “Lean” 
Pair programming Surgeons, Aircrew
Some Agile practices have been taken 
back-ported to business 
Test Driven Development 
– Write the test before you write the code 
– Don’t do more than you need 
Is 
– Lean Startup 
– What do you want to learn? 
– What is the minimum?
And some Agile tools may never be 
used outside software 
e.g. JUnit
Ask Not 
“Will Agile work outside 
software development?” 
“Which Agile software 
development practices can be 
helpful in MY field?” 
But Ask 
Look inside the Agile Box… 
… choose what’s right for 
you
Roots
Agile 
Lean 
More 
prescriptive 
Organizational Learning 
More philosophical: 
value, idea based 
XP 
Scrum 
… 
Applicability 
Manufacturing (Toyota), 
Supply Chain(Amazon) 
Healthcare, Construction 
(Heathrow) 
3M, US Marine Corp. 
Royal Dutch/Shell, 
HP (old), KAO Corp. 
Toyota
Agile Software Development 
Is 
An application of Lean Thinking in the software 
development arena
Agile Software Development 
Is 
An application of Lean Thinking in the 
software development arena
Lean Thinking 
is 
An application of Learning Organizations 
in action
Lean 
Organizational Learning
Lean 
Organizational Learning
XP Scrum 
… 
Lean 
TQM 
System Thinking 
… 
Organizational Learning
Is Agile Are Learning 
Organizations only for 
Software Development? 
No! 
Amazon
But 
‘‘In the accumulation of over 20 years 
of studies, [organizational learning 
writers] have not developed a 
comprehensive view on what 
constitutes ‘organisational learning’.’’ 
Nonaka & Takeuchi 1995 
“Learning organization” literature says little 
about what to do 
Agile is very specific
Case Studies 
Bad news 
• Case studies of Agile Software 
Development are much easier to come by 
than case studies of Agile outside of 
software. 
• You are unlikely to find one that matches 
your environment.
Case Studies 
Good news 
– There are some!
Lonely Planet – legal team! 
Kate Sullivan 
Agile on the Beach 2012 
New Frontiers for In- 
House Practice 
Innovating Legal Affairs from a 
Partner Model to being an Agile 
service provider at Lonely Planet. 
Kate Sullivan
Agile at Lonely Planet 
• Whiteboards & cards 
• Morning stand-up meeting 
• Estimate size & cost 
• Prioritization – highest first 
• Weekly iterations 
• Regular retrospectives 
• Measure flow 
New Frontiers for In- 
House Practice 
Innovating Legal Affairs from a 
Partner Model to being an Agile 
service provider at Lonely Planet. 
Kate Sullivan 
Taken from Kate Sullivan’s 
Agile on the Beach 2012 
presentation
Petroc College 
FdSc Computing 
Martin Rowe, Agile on the Beach 2013 
“Even badly implemented Scrum worked” 
• Boards - Information Radiator – Visualize! 
• Deadlines & time boxes (marking students!) 
• Work “Product” Backlog + work breakdown 
• Stand-ups (weekly) 
Agile bound team together
Agile at a PR agency 
“The agile manifesto is an idiot proof 
way of approaching work” 
• Work collaborate with customers 
• Cut down waiting time 
• Streamlines paperwork 
• Make work streams visible 
“I love my Kanban board” 
Rachel Picken, Mpad - Agile on the Beach 2014
Sullivan Cuff, Redruth (Sep 2014)
Customer Service
Scrum Marketing 
James S. Wright, 2014
Shamrock Foods, Arizona 
“Should you build 
strategy like you build 
software?” 
Keith R. McFarland 
MIT Sloan Management Review, 
Spring 2008
Shamrock Foods 
“Since adopting the new approach to 
strategy, Shamrock has flourished.” 
• Quarterly Strategy Scrum offsite 
• Evaluate progress on previous actions 
• Discuss learning & strategy modifications 
• Create prioritized action list 
Taken from 
Keith R. McFarland, 
MIT Sloan Management Review, 
Spring 2008
GSMA 
• Couponing & Loyalty project 
– Weekly meetings (face-to-face) 
– Visual board (electronic) 
– Work stories 
– Strict prioritization 
– Deferred work 
– Walking skeleton 
– Retrospective
Agile Innovation 
• Examples from Oxford Innovation in Cornwall 
– http://youtu.be/eoxxsfXsulQ 
• Talk by Belinda Waldock 
– Agile on the Beach 2014 
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNVO6a_2E4 
8 
– http://belindaw.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/agile 
-innovation-embedding-agile-in-cornwall/
Try this at home… 
1. Use a board & cards 
2. Create a work backlog 
3. Prioritize the backlog 
4. Hold morning stand-up meeting 
5. Do iterations: weekly plan & review meetings
Try this at home… 
Advice 
• Cards: -> Stories -> Vertical slices worth £££ 
• Don’t bother with estimates (#NoEstimates) 
• Get a Coach
Conclusion: 
YES! 
• Agile will work outside software development 
But 
• Not all practices are applicable 
– And you may need to find some new ones 
• Not many case studies at the moment 
(And … it becomes increasingly difficult to 
differentiate Agile from Lean)
Your choice 
For many companies Agile working is an 
innovation therefore Agile working is a risk 
Remember: Profit is the return for risk
Your choice, either… 
Adopt Agile today 
• Take a risk 
• Act with incomplete 
knowledge 
• Gain an advantage on 
competitors 
Wait 
• Play it safe 
• Wait for more case studies 
• Let others take the risk (and 
get the advantage) 
• Take the risk of playing 
catch up with competitors
Agile Outside 
Software 
We have the technology 
(But we need some more 
guinea pigs case studies) 
allan kelly - Software Strategy Ltd. 
www.allankelly.net - 
allan@allankelly.net -@allankellynet 
Discount link…. 
https://leanpub.com/ 
xanpan/c/BCSBristol 
#AOSW

Agile Outside Software: Does Agile work outside of sofware? #AOSW

  • 1.
    allan kelly Twitter:@allankellynet http://www.allankelly.net BCS Bristol November 2014 Does Agile work outside of software? #AOSW
  • 2.
    Allan Kelly… Provide advice on software development & business strategy  Training in Agile, Coaching, Consulting Author – Xanpan: Team Centric Agile Software Development, 2014 https://leanpub.com/xanpan – Business Patterns for Software Developers (2012, Wiley - ISBN: 978-1119999249) – Changing Software Development: Learning to be Agile (2008, Wiley)
  • 3.
    Is Agile onlyfor Software Development? Lets see if I can answer this question…
  • 4.
    Coming full circle Agile Manufacturing ~1994 Lightweight software development 1996->2000 Agile Software Development 2000-2001 Agile business? Can we have…. Looks good… Agile Competitors and Virtual Organizations - Strategies for Enriching the Customer Goldman, Nagel & Preiss, 1995
  • 5.
    What do weexpect from the Agile company?
  • 8.
    I can’t thinkof anything more important than building an agile company, because the world changes so quickly and unpredictably [Agility] comes in different forms, but basically it’s the ability to quickly adapt to or even anticipate and lead change. Agility in the broadest form affects strategic thinking, operations, technology innovation and the ability to innovate in products, processes and business models. Michael A Cusumano Distinguished Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management
  • 9.
    Agile: What dowe want? Agile Strategy Agile Tactical Agile Operations Adaptability Listen to customer Lead the market Use change competitively Experiment “Expeditionary Marketing” Live in the now Prepare for the future Deliver fast Deliver quality Deliver value
  • 10.
    Is Agile onlyfor Software Development? • Answer in 3 parts – Practices – The Roots – Case studies
  • 11.
  • 12.
    Agile Umbrella Scrum Kanban ASD XP DSDM Lean SD Xanpan Stand up meetings TDD BDD Boards ATDD WIP limits Iterations Retrospectives Planning poker CI
  • 13.
    Practices from outsideof software Stand up meetings NATO, Japanese local government, bar staff, oil-platforms Retrospectives Lessons learned, Post mortem US Marines “After Action Review” WIP Limits Toyota Production System “Lean” Pair programming Surgeons, Aircrew
  • 14.
    Some Agile practiceshave been taken back-ported to business Test Driven Development – Write the test before you write the code – Don’t do more than you need Is – Lean Startup – What do you want to learn? – What is the minimum?
  • 15.
    And some Agiletools may never be used outside software e.g. JUnit
  • 16.
    Ask Not “WillAgile work outside software development?” “Which Agile software development practices can be helpful in MY field?” But Ask Look inside the Agile Box… … choose what’s right for you
  • 17.
  • 18.
    Agile Lean More prescriptive Organizational Learning More philosophical: value, idea based XP Scrum … Applicability Manufacturing (Toyota), Supply Chain(Amazon) Healthcare, Construction (Heathrow) 3M, US Marine Corp. Royal Dutch/Shell, HP (old), KAO Corp. Toyota
  • 19.
    Agile Software Development Is An application of Lean Thinking in the software development arena
  • 20.
    Agile Software Development Is An application of Lean Thinking in the software development arena
  • 21.
    Lean Thinking is An application of Learning Organizations in action
  • 22.
  • 23.
  • 24.
    XP Scrum … Lean TQM System Thinking … Organizational Learning
  • 25.
    Is Agile AreLearning Organizations only for Software Development? No! Amazon
  • 26.
    But ‘‘In theaccumulation of over 20 years of studies, [organizational learning writers] have not developed a comprehensive view on what constitutes ‘organisational learning’.’’ Nonaka & Takeuchi 1995 “Learning organization” literature says little about what to do Agile is very specific
  • 27.
    Case Studies Badnews • Case studies of Agile Software Development are much easier to come by than case studies of Agile outside of software. • You are unlikely to find one that matches your environment.
  • 28.
    Case Studies Goodnews – There are some!
  • 29.
    Lonely Planet –legal team! Kate Sullivan Agile on the Beach 2012 New Frontiers for In- House Practice Innovating Legal Affairs from a Partner Model to being an Agile service provider at Lonely Planet. Kate Sullivan
  • 30.
    Agile at LonelyPlanet • Whiteboards & cards • Morning stand-up meeting • Estimate size & cost • Prioritization – highest first • Weekly iterations • Regular retrospectives • Measure flow New Frontiers for In- House Practice Innovating Legal Affairs from a Partner Model to being an Agile service provider at Lonely Planet. Kate Sullivan Taken from Kate Sullivan’s Agile on the Beach 2012 presentation
  • 31.
    Petroc College FdScComputing Martin Rowe, Agile on the Beach 2013 “Even badly implemented Scrum worked” • Boards - Information Radiator – Visualize! • Deadlines & time boxes (marking students!) • Work “Product” Backlog + work breakdown • Stand-ups (weekly) Agile bound team together
  • 32.
    Agile at aPR agency “The agile manifesto is an idiot proof way of approaching work” • Work collaborate with customers • Cut down waiting time • Streamlines paperwork • Make work streams visible “I love my Kanban board” Rachel Picken, Mpad - Agile on the Beach 2014
  • 33.
  • 34.
  • 35.
    Scrum Marketing JamesS. Wright, 2014
  • 36.
    Shamrock Foods, Arizona “Should you build strategy like you build software?” Keith R. McFarland MIT Sloan Management Review, Spring 2008
  • 37.
    Shamrock Foods “Sinceadopting the new approach to strategy, Shamrock has flourished.” • Quarterly Strategy Scrum offsite • Evaluate progress on previous actions • Discuss learning & strategy modifications • Create prioritized action list Taken from Keith R. McFarland, MIT Sloan Management Review, Spring 2008
  • 38.
    GSMA • Couponing& Loyalty project – Weekly meetings (face-to-face) – Visual board (electronic) – Work stories – Strict prioritization – Deferred work – Walking skeleton – Retrospective
  • 39.
    Agile Innovation •Examples from Oxford Innovation in Cornwall – http://youtu.be/eoxxsfXsulQ • Talk by Belinda Waldock – Agile on the Beach 2014 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNVO6a_2E4 8 – http://belindaw.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/agile -innovation-embedding-agile-in-cornwall/
  • 40.
    Try this athome… 1. Use a board & cards 2. Create a work backlog 3. Prioritize the backlog 4. Hold morning stand-up meeting 5. Do iterations: weekly plan & review meetings
  • 41.
    Try this athome… Advice • Cards: -> Stories -> Vertical slices worth £££ • Don’t bother with estimates (#NoEstimates) • Get a Coach
  • 42.
    Conclusion: YES! •Agile will work outside software development But • Not all practices are applicable – And you may need to find some new ones • Not many case studies at the moment (And … it becomes increasingly difficult to differentiate Agile from Lean)
  • 43.
    Your choice Formany companies Agile working is an innovation therefore Agile working is a risk Remember: Profit is the return for risk
  • 44.
    Your choice, either… Adopt Agile today • Take a risk • Act with incomplete knowledge • Gain an advantage on competitors Wait • Play it safe • Wait for more case studies • Let others take the risk (and get the advantage) • Take the risk of playing catch up with competitors
  • 45.
    Agile Outside Software We have the technology (But we need some more guinea pigs case studies) allan kelly - Software Strategy Ltd. www.allankelly.net - allan@allankelly.net -@allankellynet Discount link…. https://leanpub.com/ xanpan/c/BCSBristol #AOSW

Editor's Notes

  • #5 TODO Follow the references back, so far I can get back to 1994 – be more specific – blog about it