presentation delivered at Agile Trends conference, in São Paulo, Brazil, Apr 2016 In this talk we presented a technique we have developed to normalize scope and requirements comprehension that has been proven effective not just to overcome all the challenges and conflicts regarding scope agreements and planning in Agile projects, but also to determine software size in terms of functional complexity and enable a data-driven foundation for continuous improvement. We shared details of the framework including: how it was conceived, why its useful to address such challenges, how it works and how to apply it.

1. Comparing Apples to Apples
Gilson Gaseorowski
Fernando Ostanelli
CI&T
São Paulo, Brazil
Apr 2016

2. Look at that, Larry!!
Is it that Agile stuff?
I dunno, Cliff!
But it’s freaking beautiful!
I want it now!

4. 1995 2015
Agile
Lean IT
Enterprise
Agile
RUP
CMM5
2 decades
of learning

6. Business Value must be the north … always!
… but predictability still matters… a lot!
Report: Build The Right Things Better And Faster With Modern Application Delivery Metrics
Authors: Diego Lo Giudice and Kurt Bittner
Date released: July 28, 2015
“While I am very interested in knowing the
business value my development teams generate,
my board requires me to be predictable on how
much we are spending and for what.”
-- Dave West, chief product officer, Tasktop

7. No project has
unlimited resources

8. Have you ever been there?

9. “Cone of Uncertainty”

10. value
(intrinsic)
quality
(intrinsic)
Flexibility to adapt
The Agile Triangle
Constraints:
Scope, Time, Cost
Quality and value are non-negotiable!

11. We'll ask for
estimates ...
… and then treat
them as deadlines

12. I have altered
the product scope
Pray I don't alter
it in the future

13. Much disagreement...
I sense...

15. Without a common language, scope complexity
is a matter of individual perspective.

16. Why does it always to
end like this?
Because you
keep adding
features!
and scope
agreements
are a matter of
What I
understood
VS
What you
understood

17. oops… different scales?
oops… reference changed?

19. WTF! Where’s my old pal?!

20. We need a common language
to normalize our perspectives!

21. 2008 2012 2013 2015
NormalizedStoryPoints
DigitalMarketingRuleComplexityPointsRule
BusinessComplexityRule
FunctionPoints
LinesofCode
2006
StoryPoints&
T-Shirt
Normalized Complexity - our Timeline
. . .2014
Across-the-boardrollout

22. Business Complexity Normalization

23. Normalized Complexity
vs Risk vs Effort vs Experience
How to isolate complexity (or size) from other estimates aspects?

24. ● unique, objective and easy to
apply
● universal business and software
engineering language
● decoupled from technical
aspects
● immutable over time and among
different teams
● regardless of effort, risk and team
experience
● common language among the
whole team and with clients
A model to normalize and determine
software functional complexity
Business Complexity Points
Rule

26. Business Complexity analysis rationale

27. NOVEMBER FEBRUARYDECEMBER JANUARY
2015 2016
SPRINT 0
5 WDs
0 CP’S
SPRINT 1
10 WDs
85 / 92 141 / 129 174 / 156
SPRINT 2
10 WDs
SPRINT 3
10 WDs
133 / 148
SPRINT 4
10 WDs
39 / 0
R 2
7 WDs
15
Partner
Type Bulk
Upload
9
Chrome
Landing
Page
9
Android
Landing
Page
24
Partner
Bulk
Upload
22
Find
Partner By
Type
25
Show
Partner
19
Advanced
Find
Partner
6
Geo
ordering
83
Admin
Auth
27
Partner
Password
Recovery
21
Partner
Auth
46
Approve
New
Partner
20
Approve
Partner
Update
41
Partner
Update
19
Highlight
Premium
Partner
18
Contact
Us
59
Multiple
offices
46
Create a
Partner
51
Update
Partner
18
Delete
Partner
Continuous UAT - User Acceptance Test
Continuous Backlog Grooming - Scope Refinement
Environment
SETUP
Team Set-up
Tech
Components
R 1
3 WDs
38 / 0
OUT OF
SCOPE
8
Make
Address
Not
Required
17
Include
Partner
Focus Area
Become a
Partner
44
Security Issues
23Analytics28
UAT
Improvem
ents
23
UAT
Improvem
ents
15
Admin
Bulk
Upload
22
Inform
Location
Filter
23
Resend
Approval
E-mail
36
Adjust
Approval
Workflow
15
Approve
New
Partner -
Assign
19
Contact
Partner
Foundation and non-
functional
requirements
Functional
requirements
Performed / Baseline
Uncovered by
budget
Continuous
MTP
20
Adjust
Footer
Be transparent, share decisions
and continuously manage expectations

28. #noestimates

29. CI&T and Business Complexity Points
Report: Build The Right Things Better And Faster With Modern Application Delivery Metrics
Authors: Diego Lo Giudice and Kurt Bittner
Date released: July 28, 2015
Excerpts featuring CI&T
Stakeholders want innovation but still value predictability. Pyrrhic victories
are never popular.
Business stakeholders want to win but with costs that provide profitable
margins. Predictability is important, too. Modern applications are paired with
changes in business processes that must be orchestrated with precision to be
successful. Digital services firm CI&T, which contributed significantly to Coca-
Cola’s Happiness Flag project for the 2014 World Cup, has defined its own
methodology to calculate what it calls business complexity points to
determine the cost of developing business features.

30. Licensing model
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
You are free to Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
Under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and
indicate if changes were made.
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not
distribute the modified material.

31. learning while having fun!

32. ciandt.com
BUSINESS COMPLEXITY
RULE

33. Thank you!
References:
Build The Right Things Better And Faster With Modern Application Delivery Metrics (http://bit.ly/1QDhFnP)
Cone of Uncertainty (http://bit.ly/1SNmb7w)
Business Complexity Rule - pdf (http://bit.ly/1TAMcau)
Business Complexity Rule - Google Spreadsheet (http://bit.ly/1VEKd8D)

34. Fernando
Ostanelli
Head of Operations
br.linkedin.com/in/ostanelli
ostanelli@ciandt.com
Contact Info
Gílson
Gaseorowski
Lean/Agile Transformation Coach
gilson@ciandt.com
br.linkedin.com/in/gaseorowskigilson