Full-stack agile refers to implementing agile practices across an entire organization from top to bottom. The New Zealand Debt Management Office is implementing agile to better respond to changes and deliver business value sooner. They are using scaled agile framework (SAFE) principles but customizing it to their needs as a small team by having a single release train and integrated DevOps. Regular feedback loops, funding approvals in iterations, and focusing on delivering business value are part of their agile transformation.

1. FULL STACK AGILE
Daniel Clayton
Treasury

2. What is Full-Stack Agile?
Putting the Agile Mindset into action

3. Core Values
Heart of Agile
Alastair Cockburn

4. Agile Architecture
Cloud Infrastructure
Scaling down Scaled Agile
Full-Stack Culture

5. Who is the NZDMO
We’re the Government’s “micro-bank”

6. We are small volume, big value.
$ 18,360,000,000.00
Assets
$ 86,286,000,000.00
Liabilities

7. Why the Change Programme?

8. Why Agile?
We want to see business value as soon as possible
We don’t know everything
We don’t have money / time for a big plan up-front

9. Agile Architecture
“The stuff that is hard to change later” – Martin Fowler

10. Architecture Evolves
Responding to Change over following a plan…
Working software over comprehensive documentation…

11. Flying Spaghetti Monsters
Increased complexity, failure to meet business needs.

12. The Servant-Architect
Along for the journey, and enjoys getting their hands dirty

13. Benefits of an Architecture Framework
Improves Autonomy, Consistency, Responsiveness

14. Our Architectural Principles
Buy over Build
Service Oriented
Configure over Customise
IaaS & SaaS

15. The Agile Data Warehouse
Collaboration & Responding to change
Let the business play with the data

16. We are in the Cloud

17. Why Cloud?
Govt ICT Strategy – Cloud First
Security
Business Continuity
Cost

18. Why the Cloud is Awesome
Pay for what you use
Scale-up / Scale-out
Access from anywhere

19. Our journey to the Cloud
Treasury Approval
Cloud Assessment
Information Security
High Level Design
GCSB
GCIO

20. How we use the Cloud
Everything is in the Cloud
Developer machines
Web Enabled
Auto-scaling

21. Infrastructure Experiments
“Think big, act small, fail fast, learn rapidly” – Mary Poppendieck
Stand-up & throw away

22. DevOps and more..
Not just deployments
What about networking, security, monitoring

23. Working with an 3rd Party
SaaS Providers
IT Managed Services
Agile First

24. Enterprise Agile
Not about many teams in a big organisation
How to integrate Agile practices across the business

26. Criticism of SAFe
Process and Tools over Individuals and Interactions
Command & Control
Over-complicated

27. Do we need Enterprise Agile?
We’re a small team, surely we can do everything ourselves..

28. Scaling down Scaled Agile
Why not just take the bits we need?
It’s a Framework

29. How we make SAFe work
Single Team / Single Release Train
Integrated DevOps
Release frequently

30. Feedback Loops
Collaborate, Deliver, Reflect, Improve

31. The Features Group
Business Users
Prioritisation at the feature level
Frequent Collaboration

32. Programme Board
Focus on Themes and Epics
Financial Oversight
Strategic View

33. Project Funding
Thinking Agile
Increase Transparency

34. Funding Gateways
Approve Iteratively
Focus on business value
Deliver or “Off-ramp”

35. Metrics can be dangerous
Be careful when measuring value & cost
Provide context

36. What is Culture
Many aspects to building a great culture
No simple solution

37. How does Full-Stack influence culture?
Agile values into action
There is no “too-hard” basket

38. Summing up
Agile Values / Mindset into action
Think outside the Scrum
Challenge the status quo

40. Thanks for listening…
Daniel Clayton
Treasury