This document discusses continuous improvement in agile projects. It covers topics like retrospectives, process tailoring, value stream mapping, and systems thinking. The key takeaways are: 1) Agile uses a continuous improvement cycle of plan, do, check, act to iteratively learn and improve processes on projects. 2) Various techniques are discussed for analyzing and improving processes, like retrospectives, process tailoring, value stream mapping, and identifying anti-patterns. 3) Continuous improvement happens on the process, product, and people levels through regularly evaluating work and incorporating feedback to enhance outcomes.

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DOMAIN VII
Continuous Improvement
(version 2.2)
MSc. PMP. Nguyen Thanh Phuoc
phuocnt@gmail.com
Key Topics
• Agile hybrid models
• Approved iterations
• Continuous improvement
• Feedback methods
• Learning cycle
• Process analysis
– Anti-patterns
– Success criteria
– Success patterns
• Process Tailoring
– Risks
– Recommendations
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• Product feedback loop
• Project pre-mortems
• Retrospectives
(introspective)
– Five-step process
– Three problem solving steps
• Reviews
• Self-assessment tools and
techniques
• Systems thinking
• Value stream mapping
– Non value-added time
– Process cycle efficiency
– Total cycle time
– Value-added time
Tasks TO DO
1. Periodically review and tailor the process
2. Improve team processes through retrospectives
3. Seek product feedback via frequent demonstrations
4. Create an environment for continued learning
5. Use value stream analysis to improve processes
6. Spread improvements to other groups in the
organization
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Continuous Improvement - Non-Agile
• Most traditional projects capture the majority of their lessons learned
at the end of the project. The intent behind capturing these lessons is
to allow the organization to apply them to future projects with a similar
business or technical domain, or to projects that have similar team
dynamics.
• This approach, frankly, is too little, too late. We need to apply the
benefits of learning as we go on our current project, and as soon as
possible.

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5
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Continuous Improvement
• The agile approach to lessons learned is deliberate and frequent,
and it helps ensure that the team regularly considers adaptation
and improvement to the point where it becomes habitual and
part of their normal way of working.
• We will look at the T&T and K&S that are part of this “Learn” step:
o Retrospectives; Process Tailoring
o Principles of Systems Thinking (Complex, Adaptive, Chaos)
o Process Analysis
o Self Assessment
> Agile Cycle vs PDCA
• The agile cycle employs a continuous cycle of Plan, Develop, Evaluate,
and LEARN. This cycle is very similar to Deming’s “Plan, Do, Check, Act”
cycle
Agile Cycle
Plan
Do
Check
Act
Plan, Do, Check, Act Cycle
> Agile Cycle vs PDCA
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> Agile Cycle
• As shown in the diagram below, the “Learn” step of inspecting,
adapting, and improving is built into every agile iteration
• The “Learn” step shown here includes the team’s iteration reviews
and retrospectives

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Continuous Improvement (cont.)
• Multiple Levels of Improvement
– Agile continuous improvement efforts are layered like an onion
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Continuous Improvement (cont.)
• This process is never completed; instead, it continues throughout
the project in much the same way as stakeholder communications
do.
• Kaizen focuses on encouraging the team to frequently initiate and
implement small, incremental improvements
• Continuous Improvement works on three levels:
Ø Continuous Process Improvement
Ø Continuous Product Improvement
Ø Continuous People Improvement
Continuous PROCESS
Improvement
[K&S] Process Continuous Improvement
• [T&T] Process Tailoring
• [K&S] Hybrid Models
• [K&S] Systems Thinking
• [K&S] Process Analysis
• [T&T] Value Stream Mapping
• [T&T] Project Pre-Mortems
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> Process Tailoring
• Amend the methodology to better fit the project environment.
• Create process-per-project approach.
• Process tailoring can be effective and productive, but that we
should be aware of the risks involved in this practice.
• Removing or augmenting any of these elements in process without
understanding the relationships among them can lead to problems
• Examples about Tailoring
• Scrum BUT
• XP minus TDD practice, Pair Programming.
> [K&S] Hybrid Models
– Might be a combination of two (or more) agile methods, or an
agile methodology and (heaven forbid!) a traditional approach
– Let’s look at examples of both an agile-agile and an agile-
traditional hybrid model
• Agile-Agile Hybrid: Scrum-XP
• Agile-Traditional Hybrid
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> [K&S] Hybrid Models
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– Agile-Agile Hybrid: Scrum-XP
• XP provides great technical guidance but not much in the way of
project governance guidance
• Scrum provides a project governance model but not much in the
way of how to do the work
• Because there is so little overlap between these two methodologies,
this hybrid can offer well-formed.
> [K&S] Hybrid Models
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• Agile-Traditional Hybrids
– Sometimes certain
portions of a project are
best suited to an agile
approach and other
parts to a traditional
approach.

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> [K&S] System Thinking
• One part of the systems-
thinking approach
involves classifying
projects in terms of their
complexity (i.e., level of
uncertainty) in two areas:
the project requirements
and the technological
approach
• Tailoring our process, it’s
helpful to consider the
project environment from
this systems - level
perspective.
Simple
Low
Complexity
Low
Complexity
Chaos
Complex
Close to
certainty
Far from
certainty
Technology
Close to
agreement
Far from
agreement
Requirement
Agile works
well here
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> [K&S] Process Analysis
• Process analysis is closely related to process tailoring and
systems thinking.
• Process analysis involves reviewing and diagnosing issues with a
team's agile methods. This analysis can help us reach a decision
about whether to tailor the process.
> [K&S] Process Analysis
• Methodology Anti-Patterns Alistair Cockburn provides the
following list of anti-patterns (bad or unhelpful attributes) to watch
out for in our methodologies:
– One size for all projects (một cho tất cả)
• It isn’t possible to create one optimal methodology for all types of
projects, all technologies, and all team sizes.
– Intolerant (không khoan dung)
• A methodology can be like a straight jacket, in the sense that it is
a set of conventions and policies that we agree to follow and use.
• The size and shape of the straight jacket should be chosen by the
team and should not be made any tighter than necessary, to give
people a little wiggle room in their choices
> [K&S] Process Analysis
• Methodology Anti-Patterns (cont.)
– Heavy (nặng nề)
• There is a common but incorrect belief that the heavier a
methodology is, the safer it is. However, adding weight to a
methodology is not likely to improve our chance of delivering
the project successfully. Instead, its imply diverts our
attention from the real goal of the project
– Embellished (tân trang)
• All methods tend to get embellished (decorate) over time.
Teams tend to add things that they think they “should” be
doing—but that way of thinking usually just leads to
potentially expensive, error- prone add-ons to the process

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> [K&S] Process Analysis (cont.)
• Methodology Anti-Patterns (cont.)
– Untried (chưa thử qua)
• Instead of creating a complicated new theoretical methodology, it
is better to reuse, adjust, tune, and create just what is needed
– Used once (sử dung một lần)
• A methodology that is used once is a little better than one that is
untried, but it is still no recipe for success è not sure for success
with your project
> [K&S] Process Analysis (cont.)
• Success Patterns: Cock burn also lists seven principles that tells us
if the methodology tend to success criteria:
1. Interactive, face-to-face communication is the cheapest and fastest
channel for exchanging information
2. Excess (dư thừa) methodology weight is costly: we want to minimize
such documentation to a barely sufficient level
3. Larger teams need heavier methodologies
4. Greater ceremony is appropriate for projects with greater criticality
5. Increasing feedback and communication reduces the need for
intermediate deliverables
6. Discipline, skills, and understanding counter process, formality, and
documentation
7. Efficiency is expendable in non-bottleneck activities.
> [T&T] Value Stream Mapping
– We create a visual map of a process flow, so that we can identify
where delays, waste, and constraints are occurring
– The goal of this technique is to optimize the flow of information
or materials required to complete a process, there by reducing
the time it takes to create value and eliminating wasteful or
unnecessary work
– Once we identify the areas that could be improved in the
process, we can then look for ways to remove those problems
and make the process more efficient
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> [T&T] Value Stream Mapping (cont.)
– The value stream mapping process involves the following
steps:
1. Identify the product or service to be analyzed
2. Create a value stream map of the current process, identifying
steps, queues, delays, and information flows
3. Review the map to find delays, waste, and constraints
4. Create a new value stream map of the desired future state of
the process, optimized to remove or reduce delays, waste, and
constraints
5. Develop a road map for creating the optimized state
6. Plan to revisit the process in the future to continually refine and
optimize it
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> [T&T] Value Stream Mapping (cont.)
– Value Stream Mapping Example
• Step 1: identifying the activity we want to map
– You're buying a cake so that you and a friend can have a little party
to celebrate your passing the PMI-ACP exam
• Step 2: begin mapping the value stream
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> [T&T] Value Stream Mapping (cont.)
– Value Stream Mapping Example
• Step 2: begin mapping the value stream (cont.)
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> [T&T] Value Stream Mapping (cont.)
– Value Stream Mapping Example
• Step 2: begin mapping the value stream (cont.)
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> [T&T] Value Stream Mapping (cont.)
– Step 3: review the value stream map to identify
waste, bottlenecks, and process inefficiencies
Ex: there are waiting delays at the bakery counter
and the checkout counter
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> [T&T] Value Stream Mapping (cont.)
– Step 4: remove the waste and create a new value stream map of
the future optimized state, along with a roadmap of how to get
to that state.
è Solution: we could consider phoning a specialty cake catering
service and having the cake express-delivered to our house
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> [T&T] Value Stream Mapping (cont.)
To understand value stream mapping, we need to break
down the concept of cycle time into more detail—there
are four more terms you’ll need to know
• Total cycle time
• Value-added time
• Non value-added time
• Process cycle efficiency: This is the value - added
time divided by the total cycle time
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> [T&T] Value Stream Mapping (cont.)
– Step 5: Develop a road map for creating the optimized state
– Step 6: Plan to revisit the process in the future to
continually refine and optimize it
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> [T&T] Project Pre-Mortems
– A project pre-mortem is a facilitated team exercise that aims to
identify the possible failure points on a project before they happen,
so that we can avoid or minimize those risks.
– The product owner’s participation is key, because the team will be
proposing risk avoidance or mitigation actions that the product
owner will need to agree to add to the product backlog.
– A pre-mortem exercise typically includes four working steps
1. Imagine the failure
2. Generate the reasons for the failure
3. Consolidate the list
4. Revisit the plan
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[K&S] Continuous PRODUCT
Improvement
Continuous PRODUCT Improvement
• [T&T] Reviews
• [T&T] Product Feedback Loops and Learning Cycles
• [T&T] Feedback Methods
• [T&T] Approved Iterations
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Continuous Improvement - Product
• Iterative and incremental development is a form of
continuous improvement, with customer feedback
steering us toward the final solution
> [T&T] Product Feedback Loops and Learning Cycles
• [T&T] Product Feedback Loops and Learning Cycles
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> [T&T] Feedback Methods
– Product feedback methods such as prototypes,
simulations, and demonstrations of functionality are
critical for success on agile projects
– The term IKIWISI(“I’ll Know It When I see It!”)
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> [T&T] Approved Iterations
– The term “approved iterations” in the exam content
outline is related to iteration (or sprint) reviews
– If the product owner is satisfied that the increment has
met the iteration goal—the items selected from the
backlog forth at iteration—then they will “approve” that
iteration
– When working in an out sourced environment, approved
iterations can be used to control the release of
incremental funding payments to a vendor
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[K&S] Continuous PEOPLE
Improvement
Continuous PEOPLE Improvement
• [T&T] Retrospective
• [K&S] Team Self-Assessment
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> [T&T] Retrospectives
Ø Retrospectives are the primary learning, reflection, and
readjustment events on agile projects.
Ø A retrospective is a special meeting that takes place after each
iteration, in which the team members gather to inspect and
improve their methods and teamwork.
Ø Retrospectives offer a number of benefits for teams, including the
following types of improvements:
• Improved productivity
• Improved capability
• Improved quality
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> [T&T] Retrospectives (cont.)
Ø The retrospective process goes through the following five steps:
The typical time is 2 hours (timebox: 2 hours)
1. Set Stage (5%)
2. Gather Data(30-50%)
3. Generate Insights(20-30%)
4. Decide what to do(15-20%)
5. Close the Retrospective (10-15%)
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> [T&T] Retrospectives (cont.)
1. Set Stage
2. GatherData
3. GenerateInsights
4. Decide what to do
5. Close the
Retrospective
3. Deliver completeduser
stories for evaluation
2. Build and test selected
user stories
1. Plan the iteration,
incorporating
improvements and
experiments identified in
the retrospective
Retrospective
Iteration
These steps operate
in an ongoing cycle
that is synchronized
with the iterations
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[T&T] Retrospectives (cont.)
Ø Step 1: Set the Stage:
Ø At the start of the retrospective, we need to set the stage to
help people focus on the task at hand of reflecting on how
things went.
Ø In setting the stage, we aim to create an atmosphere where
people feel comfortable speaking about things that may not
have gone so well on the project.
Ø Activities to help set the stage include:
• Check-in
• Focus on/ Focus off
ØWorking agreements

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[T&T] Retrospectives (cont.)
Ø Step 2: Gather Data:
Ø In the gathering data phase, we create a shared picture of what
happened during the iteration (or release or project, depending on the
focus of the retrospective).
Ø Without a common vision for what occurred, the team will simply be
speculating on what changes or improvements to make and may
actually be addressing different issues or concerns without realizing it.
Ø There are several team-based activates that can be used to gather
data:
Ø Timeline; Triple nickels; Color code dots.
Ø Mad, sad, glad; Locate strengths.
Ø Satisfaction histogram; Team radar; Like tolike.
Ø When we are finished with this step in the process, we should have a
comprehensive collection of observations, facts, and findings, all of
which have a shared understanding by the team.
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[T&T] Retrospectives (cont.)
Ø Step 3: Generate Insights:
Ø This stage gives the team time to evaluate the data that was gathered in
the previous step and derive meaningful insights from it.
Ø The goal of the generating insights stage is to help team members
understand the implications of their findings and discussions.
Ø There are several team-based activates that can be used to gather data:
ØBrainstorming
ØFive whys (5WHY)
ØFishbone
ØPrioritize with dots
ØIdentify themes (topics)
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[T&T] Retrospectives (cont.)
Ø Step 3: Generate Insights (cont.)
Ø Brainstorming
Ø Five whys
Ø Fishbone
Ø Prioritize with dots
• To determine their priorities, the team members use the dot
voting technique
Ø Identify themes (topics)
• The participants identify recurring patterns in the strengths
[T&T] Retrospectives
Step 4: Decide What to Do:
Ø The activities involved in the "decide what to do" step move the
team from thinking about the iteration they just completed into
thinking about the next iteration, including what they will change
and how they will behave differently.
Ø In this step, the team identifies the highest-priority action items,
creates detailed plans for experiments, and sets measurable goals to
achieve the desired results.
Ø There are several activities that can be used to help the team
decide on an action plan:
Ø Short subjects.
Ø SMART goals.
Ø Retrospective planning
game.
Ø Circle of questions.

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[T&T] Retrospectives (cont.)
Step 5: Close the Retrospective:
Ø The final step is closing the retrospective. We provide the team members
opportunities to reflect on what happened during the retrospective and
to express appreciation to each other
Ø Activities that summarize what the team decided to keep and what to
change, what we are thankful for, and where we can make the best
use of our time going forward, help round out the retrospective and
reinforce its value to the project.
Ø There are several team-based activities that can be used in this final
stage:
Ø Plus/Delta.
Ø Helped, Hindered, Hypothesis.
Ø Return on Time Invested (ROTI).
Ø Appreciations.
> [K&S] Team Self Assessments (by James Shore)
Ø “James Shore” offers a self-assessment quiz and scoring model that is
focused on XP practices, teams can use this model to gauge their
performance.
Ø The quiz and scoring graph measures how teams perform within the
following categories:
• Thinking
• Collaborating
• Releasing
• Planning
• Developing
Ø The quiz is completed by answering questions within each category and
scoring the answers on a 0-100 scale.
80
60
40
20
0
100
Thinking
Collaborating
Releasing
Planning
Developing
1. Self-organization: Is the team self-organizing, rather than functioning
in a command-and-control, top-down organization?
2. Empowered to make decisions: Is the team empowered to discuss,
evaluate, and make decisions, rather than being dictated to by an
outside authority?
3. Belief in vision and success: Do team members understand the
project vision and goals, and do they truly believe that, as a team, they
can solve any problem to achieve those goals?
4. Committed team: Are team members committed to succeed as a
team, rather than being committed to individual success at any cost?
> [K&S] Team Self Assessments (by Jean Tabaka)
5. Trust each other: Does the team have the confidence to continually
work on improving their ability to act without fear, anger, or bullying?
6. Participatory decision making: Is the team engaged in participatory
decision making, rather than bending to authoritarian decision
making or succumbing to decisions from others?
7. Consensus-driven: Are team decisions consensus-driven, rather
than leader-driven? Do team members share their opinions freely
and participate in the final decision?
8. Constructive disagreement: Is the team able to negotiate through
a variety of alternatives and impacts surrounding a decision, and
craft the one that provides the best outcome?
[K&S] Team Self Assessments (by Jean Tabaka)

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> [K&S] Team Self Assessments (by Jean Tabaka)
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Review by Key Topics
• Agile hybrid models
• Approved iterations
• Continuous improvement
• Feedback methods
• Learning cycle
• Process analysis
– Anti-patterns
– Success criteria
– Success patterns
• Process Tailoring
– Risks
– Recommendations
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• Product feedback loop
• Project pre-mortems
• Retrospectives
(introspective)
– Five-step process
– Three problem solving steps
• Reviews
• Self-assessment tools and
techniques
• Systems thinking
• Value stream mapping
– Nonvalue-added time
– Process cycle efficiency
– Total cycle time
– Value-added time
Thank you for your attention!
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