The document provides background information on the authors and outlines a 14-week framework for coaching distributed agile projects. The framework is designed to help teams overcome the challenges of distribution through tools like kaizen workshops, value stream mapping, root cause analysis, and bi-weekly follow-ups. It also describes several lean principles and waste elimination techniques.

1.
Coaching
Distributed
Agile
Projects
Tutorial
booklet
Jaroslav
Procházka
Tomáš
Tureček
jarekprochazka@gmail.com
tomas.turecek@rainfellows.com

2. About
the
authors
About
Jaroslav
Jaroslav
Procházka
works
as
a
Lean
coach
at
Tieto
Corporation
and
has
been
about
10
years
in
IT,
started
as
Java
developer.
He
has
5+
years
coaching
and
mentoring
experience
in
distributed
environment:
coaching
development,
support
and
maintenance
teams
inside
and
outside
Tieto.
Jaroslav
earned
his
PhD
at
University
of
Ostrava
in
2007
and
is
also
teaching
Software
development
and
Information
Systems
there.
He
speaks
at
international
conferences
like
IBM
RSDC
Conference
2009
or
Information
Systems
Development
2010.
About
Tomáš
Tomáš
Tureček
has
been
working
in
IT
for
more
than
10
years
in
various
roles
from
development
to
management.
He
works
as
Agile
and
Lean
coach
in
Tieto
Corporation.
He
has
more
than
5
years
experience
from
coaching
and
mentoring
deliveries
in
distributed
environment
where
he
was
implementing
Agile
and
Lean
principles.
Tomas
has
earned
his
PhD
degree
at
VŠB
Technical
University
of
Ostrava
in
2010
where
he
has
been
giving
lectures
from
area
of
Software
development
for
more
than
9
years.
Among
others
he
contributes
to
communities
around
such
as
Java
User
Group
or
IT
Academy
and
speaks
at
prestigious
international
conferences
such
as
XP2010.
2
©2011
Tieto
Corporation

3.
The
way
to
overcome
distribution
–
14weeks
framework
As
the
mean
of
transport
to
overcome
distribution
we
use
14
weeks
transformation
framework.
It
is
proven
and
ready-­‐made
packaged
solution
leading
to
significant
improvements
in
Lead
time,
quality
and
EBIT.
Continuous improvement
• Improvement (A3) discussion
and implementation
• Internal coach education
• Hands-on support
Independence
• Team self-improvement
• On demand consultancy
Focus / Kick-off
• Common understanding
of situation, motivation
• Top issues captured
(Kaizen workshop)
Introduction
• Transformation goals
• Lean Awareness / Game
• Key terms and tools
•
Investment: 6 man-days extra time in 14 weeks
for core team members
•
Components:
•
•
•
•
Lean Awareness workshops
Kaizen workshop
Bi-weekly follow-ups
Additional tools and materials
It
is
last
evolution
step
of
our
coaching
way
of
working
based
on
5
year
coaching
and
mentoring
experience.
This
framework
contains
among
others
following
tools:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
3
Kaizen
workshop
……………………………………………………
Value
stream
mapping
…………………………………………….
Root
cause
analysis
…………………………………………………
A3/A5
concept
………………………………………………………...
Efficient
meetings
for
follow-­‐ups
……………………………..
Our
own
coach
manifesto
………………………………………...
Agile
and
Lean
principles
and
practices
©2011
Tieto
Corporation
page
4
page
5
page
6
page
8
page
10
page
12

4. Kaizen
Workshop
guideline
Critical
aspect
of
workshop
is
to
choose
the
right
people,
motivated
to
change
things,
having
decision
power,
mixed
roles
and
perspectives.
Workshop
itself
has
following
four
steps:
(1)
Agree
on
common
goal
and
map
end-­‐to-­‐end
value
stream
(2)
Visualize
perceived
issues
(3)
Investigate
root
causes
(4)
Brainstorm
ideal
solutions
and
small
“Kaizen”
steps
4
©2011
Tieto
Corporation

5.
Value
stream
mapping
Value
streams
mapping
(VSM)
help
us
to
visualize
the
flow
of
end
to
end
activities
delivering
the
value
to
our
customer,
starting
with
customer
request,
ending
with
customer
consuming
the
result.
Value
creating
activities
can
be
necessary
or
unnecessary,
we
call
those
unnecessary
waste.
VSM
helps
us
to
understand
what
waste
can
be
eliminated.
As
a
lead
we
use
Lean
principles
and
hints
such
as
following
most
common
IT
wastes:
1. Waiting
and
delays
2. Gold
plating
(over
production)
Jeffrey
K.
Liker
(The
Toyota
way
author):
3. Rework
and
defects
“Most
business
processes
are
90
percent
4. Partially
done
work
waste
and
10
percent
value-­‐added
work.”
5. Relearning
6. Handoffs
7. Task
Switching
One
of
Lean
goals
is
to
eliminate
waste.
When
we
identify
what
are
directly
value-­‐adding
activities
for
our
customers
(necessary
one)
the
remaining
activities
are
considered
as
waste.
Behind
this
elimination
is
question
“Can
we
do
things
in
a
smarter
way?”.
To
get
more
value-­‐adding
activities
we
can
simplify
the
chain,
find
new
solutions
or
combine
activities
to
e.g.
reduce
hand-­‐over
situations.
Improvement
initiative
is
driven
by
idea
“How
can
we
increase
the
customer
value
of
what
we
already
deliver?”
5
©2011
Tieto
Corporation

6.
Root
cause
analysis
(5
why's,
CRT)
When
we
observe
issues
in
the
flow,
e.g.
waste,
we
tend
to
jump
into
solution.
But
these
issues
are
very
often
only
symptoms
with
deeper
root
cause.
To
identify
underlying
root
cause
we
use
simple
tool
called
5whys.
If
we
just
stick
to
symptoms
and
not
solve
the
root
cause,
it
can
become
unsolvable
with
much
bigger
impact.
We
ask
WHY?
–
in
several
steps.
The
steps
below
show
an
example
from
real
life.
The
root
cause
can,
in
many
cases,
be
difficult
to
map
and
can
sometimes
be
seen
as
being
completely
unrelated
to
the
original
problem.
In
the
specific
case
more
or
less
than
five
questions
may
be
asked.
Issue:
Men
discovered
his
car
in
garage
has
got
flat
tire
⤷ Why?
Because
there
are
scattered
nails
over
the
floor
⤷ Why?
Because
the
carton
box
with
the
nails
in
the
rack
is
wet
and
loses
its
nails
⤷ Why?
Because
the
roof
is
broken
and
water
is
leaking
to
the
garage
onto
the
box
The
problem
often
needs
to
be
resolved
on
several
levels
at
the
same
time.
In
the
example
above,
nails
need
to
be
swept
and
cartoon
box
changed
in
short-­‐term
perspective.
In
the
long-­‐term,
roof
needs
to
be
fixed.
Another
possible
approach
to
map
root
causes
is
tool
from
EliYahu
M.
Goldratt’s
Theory
of
Constraints
called
Current
Reality
Tree.
Check
CRT
example
at
the
following
page.
Now
we
know
what
the
real
issue
is
and
we
can
start
to
solve
it
using
PDCA
cycle
(using
A3
form).
6
©2011
Tieto
Corporation

7.
7
©2011
Tieto
Corporation

8. A3/A5
A5
is
a
form
of
improvement
proposal.
It
documents
the
problem
along
with
a
solution
proposal.
It
contains
information
about
the
name
of
the
person
who
came
up
with
the
proposal,
date
and
issue
area
to
make
the
subsequent
work
easier.
The
A5
will
be
then
hung
up
on
the
team
Lean
dashboard.
From
there
everyone
in
the
team
can
vote
on
the
proposal.
Approved
and
prioritized
A5
can
be
already
implemented
if
the
actions
are
simple
enough.
If
the
problem
is
more
complicated
or
costy
the
A5
is
developed
to
so
called
A3.
A3
is
more
elaborated
A5
following
Plan-­‐Do-­‐Check-­‐Act
approach.
It
has
planning
part
describing
perceived
and
measured
issues
together
with
expected
goals
to
achieve.
To
solve
the
right
problem,
it
contains
also
root
cause
analysis
(e.g.
5
whys
or
CRT).
Check
A3
example
at
following
page.
8
©2011
Tieto
Corporation

9.
9
©2011
Tieto
Corporation

10. Efficient
meetings
In
a
meeting,
two
or
more
people
come
together
for
the
purpose
of
discussing
a
(usually)
predetermined
topic
such
as
business
or
community
event
planning,
often
in
a
formal
setting.
Important
vehicle
for
personal
contact
but
often
waste
unless
properly
planned
and
executed.
Coaching
is
in
fact
all
about
meeting
people.
Efficient
meeting
structure:
• Book
a
place
and
time
of
people
Before
the
meeting
• Send
agenda
upfront
o With
the
meeting
goal
and
what
is
the
expected
output
o With
action
points
o With
information
what
should
participants
prepare
for
the
meeting
• Open
the
meeting
Meeting
time
o Meeting
goals
overview
o Participants'
expectations
• Walk
through
existing
action
points
• Discussion
• Next
steps
&
follow-­‐ups
o Define
new
action
points
and
add
not
finished
old
ones
o Plan
follow-­‐up
meeting
• Give
feedback
against
goals
and
expectations
–
were
they
met?
• Give
feedback
to
meeting
efficiency
using
cards
and
discussion
• Send
meeting
minutes
to
the
meeting
participants
and
other
relevant
stakeholders
After
the
meeting
Hints:
• Ensure
2
persons:
meeting
leader
and
meeting
secretary
who
beams,
shares
materials
and
takes
meeting
minutes
• Make
meeting
time-­‐boxed
• Cut-­‐off
unnecessary
discussions
not
contributing
to
the
topic
• Use
(anonymous)
voting
for
deciding
about
options
• Visualize
everything
important
onto
whiteboard
or
sharing
tool
• If
meeting
does
not
go
well
suspend
it
and
perform
quick
retrospective
with
participants
to
improve
meeting
for
the
rest
of
the
time
10
©2011
Tieto
Corporation

11.
Theory
of
constraints
–
resistance
to
change
In
order
to
change
something
in
a
way
we
do
things
we
need
to
understand
why
and
also
understand
the
benefits.
Let’s
assume
we
have
team
and
one
person
sees
the
problem
then
this
problem
most
likely
touches
whole
team.
The
problem
is
joint
problem
even
if
the
rest
of
the
team
do
not
see
it.
You
know
what
people
say:
“If
you
do
not
see
the
problem
then
you
are
part
of
it”
:-­‐)
It
often
happens
that
problem
identifier
does
not
know
how
to
present
problem
so
it
is
understandable
for
others.
Here
can
help
Eliyahu
M.
Goldratt’s
Theory
of
Constraints
and
its
Layers
of
resistance
to
change.
It
explains
why
we
humans
resist
to
changes:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
We
don’t
agree
about
the
extent
or
nature
of
the
problem.
We
don’t
agree
about
the
direction
or
completeness
of
the
solution.
We
can
see
additional
negative
outcomes.
We
can
see
real
obstacles.
We
doubt
the
collaboration
of
others.
So
to
successfully
overcome
objections
and
fear
of
change
consider
following
steps:
1. Visualize
the
problem
in
context
e.g.
as
described
above
using
Value
stream
mapping
and
analyze
problem
root
cause
so
that
everyone
sees
and
understands
the
problem
and
its
nature.
2. Brainstorm
together
solution
attacking
root
cause,
not
symptom,
so
everyone
understands
why
exactly
these
actions
shall
solve
the
problem.
This
way
all
the
people
will
take
the
same
direction
and
accept
the
solution.
3. Identify
and
visualize
potential
negative
outcomes
of
the
solution
as
risks
and
handle
them
as
“known
unknown”
problems.
Either
you
accept
them
or
you
plan
actions
to
mitigate
them.
4. Ensure
executive
support
for
the
change
from
the
leaders
so
that
if
any
obstacle
comes
it
will
be
taken
care
of.
5. Ensure
the
owner
of
the
action
and
executive
group
of
people
who
will
support
the
change
implementation.
Then
it
most
likely
not
happen
that
solver
ends
up
alone
with
its
solution.
Others
will
help
:-­‐)
Kaizen
workshop,
as
you
can
see
above
in
description,
already
counts
with
these
resistance
layers.
11
©2011
Tieto
Corporation

12. Coach
manifest
Types
of
coaching
There
are
many
different
types
of
coaching
like
Life
coaching,
Sport
coaching,
Business
coaching,
Financial
coaching
and
many
more.
Remember
that
each
coaching
type
needs
slightly
different
approach.
But
one
thing
is
common
for
all
of
those
–
you
coach
people.
Thus
if
you
want
to
be
a
good
coach
you
must
continuously
improve
your
soft
skills.
We
mostly
focus
onto
IT
Business
coaching
where
we
coach
individuals
or
organizations
(let’s
call
them
coachee)
to
improve
effectiveness
of
their
business.
In
order
to
succeed
we
do
a
lot
of
stuff.
Let
us
conclude
it
into
following
coaching
hints.
Expertise
Pure
coaching
does
not
depend
on
how
much
a
coach
understands
the
subject.
It
is
more
about
keeping
coachee
focused
on
his
goals.
But
if
we
talk
about
Business
coaching
then
people
expect
from
you,
as
an
expert,
to
know
what
to
do
at
some
moments
of
chaos
and
confusion.
If
you
plan
to
mentor
and
teach
others
you
must
know
the
subject
very
well.
Professionalism
Coach
is
discrete,
always
willing
to
help,
listening
and
understanding
person
that
never
has
the
right
to
be
angry
or
even
think
bad
things
about
anyone.
Try
first
on
yourself
what
you
recommend
to
others
–
practise
what
you
preach
–
and
you
might
gain
the
trust
and
respect
of
people
you
coach.
Leadership
People
follow
leaders.
To
inspire
and
encourage
people
you
as
a
coach
need
to
mobilize
your
leadership
skills.
Especially
in
Business
coaching
you
might
be
the
first
one
who
see
the
light
at
the
end
of
the
tunnel
during
some
complex
transformation.
In
these
times
it
is
necessary
to
play
a
leader
role
to
calm
down
situation
and
encourage
coachees.
12
©2011
Tieto
Corporation

13.
Executive
support
If
the
organization
feels
the
need
for
change
it
must
be
supported
by
its
leaders.
Without
this
support
all
activities
are
doomed.
First
–
people
unconsciously
copy
leader’s
behaviour
and
second
–
someone
has
to
finance
the
change.
Leaders
must
fully
understand
the
need
for
change
and
stand
behind
it.
Pull
concept
One
wise
man
once
said
“Remember
that
not
wanted
good
is
pure
evil”.
Coaching
does
not
have
sense
if
there
is
no
one
to
listen.
Pareto
principle
80:20
works
also
here;
coachee
must
be
willing
to
spend
much
more
time
on
learning
than
you
do
on
coaching.
Push
does
not
lead
to
sustainable
change
and
new
behaviour
adoption.
Visualization
Visualization
is
one
of
the
most
powerful
coach
tools.
To
show
the
problem,
to
agree
on
solution,
to
whatever
-­‐
it
boosts
communication
if
you
use
visual
tools
like
whiteboard,
dashboard
or
other
information
radiators.
Measurement
towards
goals
Coaching
is
about
helping
coachee
to
achieve
his/her
goals.
It
is
really
important
for
coach
and
coachee
to
evaluate
not
only
goal
achievement
but
also
a
progress.
Progress
visualization
enables
both
to
keep
focus
on
targets
and
continuously
evaluate
and
replan
planned
steps.
Humbleness
Coach
does
not
need
to
show
others
how
great
he/she
is.
Remember
that
coaching
is
not
about
you
coach
but
it
is
about
coached
people.
If
they
succeed
with
anything
it
is
mostly
their
credit
–
not
coach’s
one
:-­‐)
13
©2011
Tieto
Corporation

14. Notes...
14
©2011
Tieto
Corporation

15.
Notes...
15
©2011
Tieto
Corporation

16.
16
©2011
Tieto
Corporation