The document discusses the concept of Minimally Viable Agile, which advocates focusing on just enough Agile practices and ceremonies to be effective, rather than following recipes which can lead to "Cargo Cult Agile". It suggests practices like mob programming, minimalist planning, and refactored burn down charts provide customer value with less effort. Transitioning to Minimally Viable Agile involves understanding the principles of Lean and Agile to avoid blindly following practices, decentralizing innovation, and continuously working towards an "awesome" vision using improvement katas.

1. Just Enough: Minimally Viable Agile
Troy Tu'le
Lean Agile Coach
KanFlow.com
troy@kanflow.com
@troytu:le
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival.
- W. Edwards Deming

2. The Agile Dysfunction Spiral
Detailed sprint
planning
Formal sprint
commitment
Work the sprint Unfinished work
We need to get
be:er at
planning sprints
Coaching to help
improve sprint planning
Sprint planning
takes longer
Management
Applies pressure
Culture of Blame
creeps back in…
Team works
overIme
Are we really just aKer be#er sprints?

3. The Agile Dysfunction Spiral
Detailed sprint
planning
Formal sprint
commitment
Work the sprint Unfinished work
We need to get
be:er at
planning sprints
Coaching to help
improve sprint planning
Sprint planning
takes longer
Management
Applies pressure
Culture of Blame
creeps back in…
Team works
overIme
Are we really just aKer be#er sprints?

4. Which is why we see…
(Actual Google searches, BTW)

5. Minimally Viable Agile
Borrowing from the Product Development concept
of Minimum Viable Product.
"The minimum viable product is that version of a
new product which allows a team to collect the
maximum amount of validated learning about
customers with the least effort."
What is it?

6. Minimally Viable Agile
Minimally Viable Agile is a search for Agile
practices and ceremonies, informed by Lean and
Agile theory, that produces the maximum amount
of customer value, with the least amount of effort.
What is it?
Minimally Viable Agile is a mindset where
decentralized Agile innova@on is cul@vated.
Or (Just Enough pracIces
and ceremonies to be effecIve).

7. Cargo Cult (Agile)
Many early Agile a:empts simply installed pracIces (recipes).
Warning!
Following recipes leads to Cargo Cult Agile

8. Mob Programming
-- Aaron Griffith, Woody Zuill, Llewellyn Falco

9. Mob Programming: An original MVA?
Reduces or Eliminates:
1. Standup or other alignment meeIngs
2. Detailed planning-only sessions
3. The need for esImates
4. Context Switching
5. Burn-down charts for performance tracking
6. Code Reviews
Increases:
1. Quality
2. CollaboraIon
3. ProducIvity
4. SaIsfacIon

10. Mob Programming: Why does it work?
Sample Imeline of a user story or requirement.
Time 2
= wait Ime
weeks = touch Ime
weeks
4 - 10 4 - 10 2
Customer Request
PrioriIzed in Product Backlog
Backlog Grooming
Planning Into
a Sprint
Story
Completed
(tacit knowledge decay)

11. Minimally Viable Agile Canvas
Focus Learning
Simplicity Customer Value
• Work VisualizaIons
• WIP limits / smaller batches
• Cadence / Time-boxes
• RetrospecIves / Improvement Kata
• Acceptance Test Driven Development
• ConInuous IntegraIon/Delivery
• Emergent Architecture
• Art of the work not done
• DefiniIon of Done
• Progress measured in working
soKware
Respect for People
• Sustainable pace
• Purpose, Autonomy, Mastery
(CollaboraIon)

12. Visceral Reaction Disclaimer
We might cover some “controversial” topics.

13. Minimum Viable Agile
Let’s take a closer look at
some popular Agile pracIces.
1. Story Point based Velocity
2. Burn Down charts
This is my journey, your mileage may vary!

14. Story Points based Velocity

15. Story Point Predictability?
Courtesy of Bennet Vallet
Director of Development
Siemens Health Services
Expected DistribuIon
Actual DistribuIon

16. Minimalist Planning
OpAon #1
Hours-long tradiIonal sprint planning meeIngs spent playing planning
poker and a team arguing about the difference between 2’s and 3’s.
OpAon #2
Short story slicing meeIng where the focus is on understanding
and slicing large stories.
“Do we understand this story? If not, let’s keep slicing.”
1 2 3 5 8 13 21 40 100
Right-sizing the work

17. Minimalist Planning
Input Q Design Develop Test
Done
3
12
9
7
8
6
4
5
Cycle Time
Throughput
10
14 days from this point
5 stories per week
ProbabilisIc ForecasIng
is preferred!
For Example:
-85% certain one card
delivered <20 days
-75% certain 50 stories
delivered in 15 weeks

18. Burn Down Charts
Why do we assume this is the
wrong place for this team to be?
Work
Time

19. Nature of the Work
Manufacturing = repeatable processes
Product Development = one Ime processes
One-Ime processes are non-determinisAc in nature

20. Nature of the Work
DeterminisAc Approach
Project Start
Knowledge
“Complete”
Planned AcIvity
Non-determinisAc Reality
Project Start
Knowledge
“Complete” ?
What Customer
Really Wants Be:er Knowledge
Project Managers in the middle,
pulling out their hair

21. Burn Down Charts
Even if this is a problem,
what exactly do we do now?
Work
Time
It’s not acAonable!

22. Burn Down Charts (refactored)
AcAonable InformaAon!

23. Burn Down Charts (refactored)
(from Ac@onableAgile.com)
Work
Time
AcIonable InformaIon!

24. Minimally Viable Agile
While there is value in the items on
the right, we value the items on the left more.
Flow-based metrics and visualizaAons over burn down charts
Story slicing skills over esImaIon schemes
(. . .)

25. Applying Minimally Viable Agile
We can apply MVA thinking in two forms:
Training and educaIon
How we transiIon
“We’re going to stop creaIng burn
down charts and stop using velocity.”
“Are you insane?”

26. Improvement Kata
Awesome
Current CondiAon
Our Vision
Next Target CondiAon
Steps: PDCA
P
D
C
A

27. Improvement Kata
Improvement Theme
Now / Current
CondiAon
Next Target
CondiAon
DefiniAon of
Awesome
(vision)
First Steps
--Jimmy Janien, Crisp Blog

28. Improvement Kata
PracIcal Toyota Kata Format:

29. Improvement Kata

30. Improvement Kata
Merge Day ConInuous
IntegraIon

31. Minimally Viable Agile Summary
Focus Learning Simplicity
Customer Value Respect for People
Understand the Why behind Lean and Agile, as
your inoculaIon against Cargo Cult Agile.
Decentralize the Agile InnovaIon.
Focus on Awesome, and deliberately work towards
that vision, and the process cruK will fall away.
Minimally Viable Agile Canvas:

32. Just Enough: Minimally Viable Agile
Troy Tu'le
Lean Agile Coach
KanFlow.com
troy@kanflow.com
@troytu:le
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival.
- W. Edwards Deming

33. References
A Day of Mobbing, Aaron Griffith, Woody Zuill, Llewellyn Falco.
Improvement Theme – Simple and practical Toyota Kata, Jimmy
Janien, Crisp’s Blog (http://goo.gl/beHbNp)
Toyota Kata, Mike Rother
Drive, Daniel Pink
Lean Startup, Eric Reis
Kanban at Scale – A Siemens Success Story, Bennet Vallet
CFD generated from ActionableAgile.com