Dr. David F. Rico is an expert in lean and agile project management with over 28 years of experience working on large government IT projects around the world. He has authored several books and articles on agile program management and lean development practices. The document discusses key concepts of agility, agile project management, how lean and agile intersect, a lean and agile project management model, virtual teams, advantages and pitfalls of virtual teams, and varieties of virtual team structures.

1. Lean & Agile
Project Management
Dr. David F. Rico, PMP, CSM
Website: http://davidfrico.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfrico
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1540017424

2. Author Info
 DoD contractor with 28+ years of IT experience
 B.S. Comp. Sci., M.S. Soft. Eng., & D.M. Info. Sys.
 Large gov’t projects in U.S., Far/Mid-East, & Europe
 Published six books & numerous journal articles
 Adjunct at George Washington, UMUC, & Argosy
 Agile Program Management & Lean Development
 Specializes in metrics, models, & cost engineering
 Six Sigma, CMMI, ISO 9001, DoDAF, & DoD 5000
 Cloud Computing, SOA, Web Services, FOSS, etc.
2

3. Table of Contents
 Introduction
Types of Virtual Teams
Key Practices & Techniques
Key Tools & Technologies
Key Case Studies
Conclusions & Summary
3

4. What is Agility?
 A-gil-i-ty (ə-'ji-lə-tē) Property consisting of quickness,
lightness, and ease of movement; To be very nimble
 The ability to create and respond to change in order to
profit in a turbulent global business environment
 The ability to quickly reprioritize use of resources when
requirements, technology, and knowledge shift
 A very fast response to sudden market changes and
emerging threats by intensive customer interaction
 Use of evolutionary, incremental, and iterative delivery
to converge on an optimal customer solution
  Maximizing BUSINESS VALUE with right sized, just-
enough, and just-in-time processes and documentation 
Highsmith, J. A. (2002). Agile software development ecosystems. Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley.
4

5. What is Agile Project Mgt.?
 People-centric way to create innovative solutions
 Market-centric model to maximize business value
 Demand-centric model that supports lean principles
Agile Methods Agile Methods Traditional Methods
‘Values’ ‘Principles’ ‘Values’
Customer also Customer valued Contract
known as more than
Collaboration Interaction Negotiation
Individuals & also High Performance valued Processes
known as more than
Interactions Teams & Tools
Working also Iterative valued Comprehensive
known as more than
Systems Development Documentation
Responding also Adaptability valued Following
to Change known as more than a Plan
or Flexibility
Agile Manifesto. (2001). Manifesto for agile software development. Retrieved September 3, 2008, from http://www.agilemanifesto.org.
5

6. How Do Lean & Agile Intersect?
 Agile is naturally lean and based on small batches
 Agile directly supports six principles of lean thinking
 Agile may be converted to a continuous flow system
Agile Values Lean Pillars Lean Principles Lean & Agile Practices Flow Principles
 Customer relationships, satisfaction, trust, and loyalty
Empowered Relationships  Team authority, empowerment, and resources Decentralization
Teams  Team identification, cohesion, and communication
 Product vision, mission, needs, and capabilities
Respect
Customer Value  Product scope, constraints, and business value Economic View
for People  Product objectives, specifications, and performance
Customer
 As is policies, processes, procedures, and instructions
Collaboration  To be business processes, flowcharts, and swim lanes
WIP Constraints
Value Stream
 Initial workflow analysis, metrication, and optimization & Kanban
 Batch size, work in process, and artifact size constraints
Control Cadence
Iterative Continuous Flow  Cadence, queue size, buffers, slack, and bottlenecks
Delivery  Workflow, test, integration, and deployment automation & Small Batches
 Roadmaps, releases, iterations, and product priorities
Continuous  Epics, themes, feature sets, features, and user stories
Customer Pull Fast Feedback
Improvement  Product demonstrations, feedback, and new backlogs
Responding
 Refactor, test driven design, and continuous integration
to Change  Standups, retrospectives, and process improvements
Manage Queues/
Perfection
 Organization, project, and process adaptability/flexibility Exploit Variability
  
Highsmith, J. A. (2002). Agile software development ecosystems. Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Larman, C., & Vodde, B. (2008). Scaling lean and agile development: Thinking and organizational tools for large-scale scrum. Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Womack, J. P., & Jones, D. T. (1996). Lean thinking: Banish waste and create wealth in your corporation. New York, NY: Free Press.
Reinertsen, D. G. (2009). The principles of product development flow: Second generation lean product development. New York, NY: Celeritas. 6

7. Lean & Agile Proj. Mgt. Model
 Created by Jim Highsmith at Cutter in 2003
 Radical project mgt., Scrum, & XP hybrid model
 Includes strategic, program, and project mgt. tools
Innovation Lifecycle
Envision Speculate Explore Launch Close
 Product Vision  Gather Requirements  Iteration Planning  Final Review  Close Open Items
 Product Architecture  Product Backlog  Technical Practices  Final Acceptance  Support Material
 Project Objectives  Release Planning  Team Development  Final QA  Final Retrospective
 Project Community  Risk Planning  Team Decisions  Final Documentation  Final Reports
 Delivery Approach  Cost Estimation  Collaboration  Final Deployment  Project Celebration
Iterative Delivery
Technical Planning Development, Test, and Evaluation Operational Testing Adapt
 Story Analysis  Development Pairing  Integration Testing  Focus Groups
 Task Development  Unit Test Development  System Testing  Technical Reviews
 Task Estimation  Simple Designs  Operational Testing  Team Evaluations
 Task Splitting  Coding and Refactoring  Usability Testing  Project Reporting
 Task Planning  Unit and Component Testing  Acceptance Testing  Adaptive Action
Continuous
Story Deployment
 Standups, Architecture, Design, Build, Integration, Documentation, Change, Migration, and Integration
Highsmith, J. A. (2010). Agile project management: Creating innovative products. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
7

8. What are Virtual Teams?
 Virtual teams are often non-collocated project teams
 Often communicate using asynchronous technology
 Geographically and sometimes nationally dispersed
Zigurs Curseu Schlenkrich Ahuja
Traditional vs Virtual
2003 2008 2009 2010
Collocated vs distributed
   
F2F vs electronic collaboration
   
 Different vs similar goals
Similar vs different hours
 
 
Similar vs diverse culture
 
Same vs different organization 
Specialized vs cross functional

Single vs multiple teams  
Static vs shifting teams
 
Office bldg vs telecommuting

Zigurs, I. (2003). Leadership in virtual teams: Oxymoron or opportunity? Organizational Dynamics, 31(4), 339-351.
Curseu, P. L., Schalk, R., & Wessel, I. (2008). How to virtual teams process information? Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23(6), 628-652.
Schlenkrich, L., & Upfold, C. (2009). A guideline for virtual team managers. Electronic Journal of Information Systems Evaluation, 12(1), 109-118.
Ahuja, J. (2010). A study of virtuality impact on team performance. IUP Journal of Management Research, 9(5), 27-56. 8

9. Why Use Virtual Teams?
 Oft cited benefit of virtual teams is reduced expenses
 Access to global talent pool is probably best reason
 Other advantages such as cycle time are oft cited
Bergiel Labrosse Shachaf Kuruppuara- Siebdrat
Advantage of Virtual Teams
2008 2008 2008 chchi 2009 2009
Reduced operating expenses
   
Utilize global talent pool
    
Staffing flexibility
 
Improved productivity
 
Workforce diversity
   
Reduced travel expenses
   
Faster cycle time
  
Better work life balance

Reduced environmental footprint

Improved business advantage
   
Bergiel, B. J., Bergiel, E. B., & Balsmeier, P. W. (2008). Nature of virtual teams: A summary of their advantages and disadvantages. Management Research News, 31(2), 99-110.
LaBrosse, M. (2008). Managing virtual teams. Employment Relations Today, 35(2), 81-86.
Shachaf, P. (2008). Cultural diversity and information and communication technology impacts on global virtual teams. Information & Management, 45(2), 131-142.
Kuruppuarachchi, P. R. (2009). Virtual team concepts in projects: A case study. Project Management Journal, 40(2), 19-33.
Siebdrat, F., Hoegl, M., & Ernst, H. (2009). How to manage virtual teams. MIT Sloan Management Review, 50(4), 63-68. 9

10. What are the Pitfalls?
 Culture and language difference most oft cited pitfalls
 Time zones and communications are frequently cited
 Lack of visioning, context, and requirements are key
Disadvantage of Virtual Teams A B C D E F G H I J
Cultural differences
      
Language differences
     
Time zone
    
Coordination breakdown
   
Lack of visioning
   
Technology issues
   
Loss of communication richness   
Loss of team cohesion
  
Lack of trust   
Lack of F2F communications   
Ambiguous requirements
  
Alves, C. H., et al. (2008). A qualitative risk model for offshoring IT applications. IEEE SIEDS Conference, Charlottsville, Virginia, USA, 317-322
Chatfield, A. T., & Wanninayaka, P. (2008). IT offshoring risks and governance capabilities. 41st HICSS Conference, Waikaloa, Hawaii, USA, 436-444.
Yalaho, A., & Nahar, N. (2008). Risk management in offshore outsourcing of software projects. PICMET Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, 1721-1748.
10

11. What is the Paradox?
 Collocation & F2F interaction are a means to success
 Virtual teams communicate less undermining success
 Low productivity, quality, customer satisfaction results
Customer
Satisfaction
Quality
Virtual Team “Performance”
Fast
Feedback
Fast
Cycle Time
Productivity
Synergy
Trust
Identity
Cohesion
Interaction
Compatible Collocated F2F Video Audio Instant Electronic Blog Wiki Document
Team Team Meeting Conference Conference Messaging Mail Interaction Interaction Review
“Loss” of Virtual Team “Communication Quality”
Rico, D. F. (2010). The paradox of agile project management and virtual teams. Gantthead.
Carmel, E. (1999). Global software teams: Collaborating across borders and time zones. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 11

12. Table of Contents
Introduction
 Types of Virtual Teams
Key Practices & Techniques
Key Tools & Technologies
Key Case Studies
Conclusions & Summary
12

13. Basic Varieties of Teams
 Lipnack created a model for virtual teams in 1997
 Distribution & organization are its major dimensions
 Distributed, cross organizational teams most complex
Distributed
Different
Distributed
Cross Organization
Spacetime
Collocated
Collocated
Same
Cross Organization
Same Different
Organization
Lipnack, J., & Stamps, J. (1997). Virtual teams: Reaching across space, time, and organizations with technology. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
13

14. Varieties of Virtuality
 Lipnack extended her model for virtual teams in 2000
 Included notion of external joint ventures & alliances
 External, global alliances are most complex types
Global Global Global
Global
Sites Cross Organization Alliance
Spacetime
Distributed Local Local
Local
Sites Cross Organization Alliance
Same Place
Traditional Collocated Joint
Work Unit Cross Organization Venture
Same Organization Cross Internal Cross External
Organization
Lipnack, J., & Stamps, J. (2000). Virtual teams: People working across boundaries with technology. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
14

15. More Varieties of Virtuality
 Fisher developed a three dimensional model in 2001
 Includes the dimensions of time, place, and culture
 Type 2 multi cultural projects are most ambitious
Time
Type 5 Type 6
Shift Workers Mono Cultural Global Project
 Different Time
  Different Time

 Same Place  Different Place
 Same Culture
  Same Culture

Type 1 Type 2
Multi Cultural Shift Workers Multi Cultural Global Project Type 7
 Different Time  Different Time Intra
 Same Place  Different Place Regional
 Different Culture  Different Culture  Same Time
 Different Place
 Same
Culture
Place
Type 3 Type 4
Multi Cultural Team Same Longitude
 Same Time  Same Time
 Same Place  Different Place
 Different Culture  Different Culture
Culture
Fisher, K., & Fisher, M. D. (2001). The distance manager: A hands on guide to managing off site employees and virtual teams. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
15

16. Outsourcing vs. Offshoring
 Schaaf compared outsourcing vs. onshoring in 2004
 His model disambiguates outsourcing vs. onshoring
 Combining outsourcing & offshoring is the riskiest
International
Offshore Offshore
Subsidiaries Outsourcing
Offshoring
Internal Onshore
Domestic
Service Provision Outsourcing
Internal External
Outsourcing
Schaaf, J. (2004). Offshoring: Globalisation wave reaches services sector. Frankfurt, Germany: Deutsche Bank Research.
16

17. Rightshoring vs. Offshoring
 Hendel introduced the concept of rightshoring in 2004
 There are alternatives to just onshoring vs. offshoring
 A popular notion is to nearshore to similar timezones
Nearshore Offshore
International
 Retain Project HQ  Retain Project HQ
 Same Timezone  Differing Timezone
Offshoring
Onshore Onshore
Domestic
 Retain Project HQ  Retain Project HQ
 Same Timezone  Differing Timezone
Same Timezone Differing Timezone
Rightshoring
Hendel, A., Messner, W., & Thun, F. (2004). Rightshore: Successfully industrialize SAP projects offshore. Berlin, Germany: Springer.
17

18. Team Dispersion
 Siebdrat simplified types of virtual teams in 2009
 Time, space, and cultural distance introduces risks
 Increased virtuality increases risk if not managed well
High
Effectiveness
Performance
Efficiency
Low
Same Same Same Same Same Same Different
Floor Building Site City Country Continent Continent
Dispersion
Siebdrat, F., Hoegl, M., & Ernst, H. (2009). How to manage virtual teams. MIT Sloan Management Review, 50(4), 63-68.
18

19. Agile Distributed Teams
 Woodard created basic model of agile teams in 2010
 It compares asynchronous activities vs. distribution
 Synchronous activities also needed for success
High
Levels of Distribution
Low
Collocated Distributed With Distributed Without
Collocated Part Time Overlapping Hours Overlapping Hours
Amount of Asynchronous Activity
Woodward, E., Surdek, S., & Ganis, M. (2010). A practical guide to distributed scrum. Indianapolis, IN: IBM Press.
19

20. Table of Contents
Introduction
Types of Virtual Teams
 Key Practices & Techniques
Key Tools & Technologies
Key Case Studies
Conclusions & Summary
20

21. Standard Practices
 Standard practices is an oft cited aid to virtual teams
 Agile methodologies are not known in every country
 Training should be provided and standards created
VIDEO
Video used to record and playback
communications
CODING
Coding conventions are established
WIRE FRAMES
Wire frames are used for visual support
USER STORIES
Customer needs are captured in user stories
TEMPLATES
Templates are established for project communications
PROCESSES
Entire team follows the same agile process
TRAINING
Entire team is trained on agile methods
Young, C., & Terashima, H. (2008). How did we adapt agile processes to our distributed development? Agile Conference, Toronto, Canada, 304-309.
21

22. Virtual Infrastructure
 Infrastructure needs are most often overlooked
 Many countries do not have adequate computers
 Internet service is also a luxury in across the globe
SECURITY
Information security is established to
protect project information
SUPPORT
24x7 infrastructure support is available
INTERNET
Broadband Internet is leased and utilized
SOFTWARE
Synchronous and asynchronous tools are selected
SERVERS
Dedicated servers are established for project information
LAPTOPS
Entire team is provided with laptops for office and home use
MOBILE
Entire team is provided with cell phones, smart phones, tablets, etc.
Vax, M., & Michaud, S. (2008). Distributed agile: Growing a practice together. Agile Conference, Toronto, Canada, 310-314.
22

23. Virtual Tools
 Many projects do not standardize development tools
 Complete development tools are easy to assemble
 Development environments should be integrated
MULTIMEDIA
Development tools with collaborative
capabilities are utilized
CONTENT
Wikis and other repositories are utilized
METRICS
Code metrics and defect tracking tools are used
TESTING
Unit, system, and acceptance testing tools are used
BUILD
Build tools are used for continuous integration and deployment
VERSIONING
Configuration management tools are used to manage source code
WORKFLOW
Release and iteration workflow tools are used
Cannizzo, F., Marcionetti, G., & Moser, P. (2008). Evolution of the tools and practices of a large distributed agile team. Agile Conference, Toronto, Canada, 513-518.
23

24. Virtual Meetings
 Frequent communication is a key to project success
 Communication is better than documentation alone
 A critical key is to encourage frequent interactions
SPLINTER
Virtual splinter group meetings are
held, i.e., design, brainstorming, etc.
RETROSPECTIVE
Virtual iteration retrospectives are held
DEMONSTRATION
Entire team participates in virtual demonstrations
DEVELOPMENT
Virtual development meetings held, i.e., pair programming
STANDUP
Entire team participates in virtual daily standup meetings
ITERATION
Entire team participates in virtual iteration planning meetings
RELEASE
Entire team participates in virtual release planning sessions
Summers, S. (2008). Insights into an agile adventure with offshore partners. Agile Conference, Toronto, Canada, 513-518.
24

25. Light Coordination
 The work of two or more teams requires facilitation
 Local/remote team leaders must communicate often
 All team leaders can then pass on critical information
FEEDBACK
Customer feedback to developers is
provided very quickly
REPORTING
Manual and automated status reporting
FACILITATION
Proactive management of intercultural dissonance
TECHNICAL
Coordination between local and remote technical leaders
GOVERNANCE
Lightweight governance teams with local and remote members
LEADERSHIP
Regular communications between local and remote process leaders
CUSTOMER
Regular communications between customers and remote teams
Drummond, B. S., & Unson, J. F. (2008). Yahoo distributed agile: Notes from the world over. Agile Conference, Toronto, Canada, 315-321.
25

26. Periodic Rotations
 Periodic F2F interaction is a CSF for virtual teams
 Teams should meet at critical junctures, i.e., kickoff
 Rotating customers and leaders helps establish trust
ENDPOINTS
Teams collocate at critical junctures,
i.e., kickoff, middle, closeout, etc.
DEVELOPMENT
Teams periodically collocate for iterations
PLANNING
Teams collocate for release and iteration planning
PERSONNEL
Individuals rotate to maintain healthy relationships
LEADERS
Project leaders keep local and remote teams in-synch
AMBASSADORS
Ambassadors are exchanged to minimize intercultural dissonance
CUSTOMERS
Customer apprises remote teams of product vision, mission, goals, objectives, etc.
Robarts, J. M. (2008). Practical considerations for distributed agile projects. Agile Conference, Toronto, Canada, 327-332.
26

27. Regional Localization
 Minimizing interfaces between timezones is oft cited
 Products should be structured to localize activities
 It’s easier to communicate with nearshore teams
DEVELOPMENT
Subsystem interfaces are devised to
localize development activities
SOCIALIZATION
Remote teams engage in social activities
EMPOWERMENT
Empower remote teams to make technical decisions
MEETINGS
Hold synchronous meetings at the local level
LEADERS
Empower local personnel to serve as process facilitators
CUSTOMERS
Empower local personnel to serve as customer proxies
TIMEZONES
Minimize organizational interfaces and organize teams by timezones
Ramesh, B., Cao, L., Mohan, K., & Xu, P. (2006). Can distributed software development be agile? Communications of the ACM, 41(10), 41-46.
27

28. Table of Contents
Introduction
Types of Virtual Teams
Key Practices & Techniques
 Key Tools & Technologies
Key Case Studies
Conclusions & Summary
28

29. VersionOne
 One of the first APM tools created in 2003
 Has about 36% of the marketshare for APM tools
 Free for small teams, but increases sharply thereafter
Product Roadmapping Iteration Closeout Reviews
 
 Roadmap Authoring  Sprint Reviews
 Customization  Sprint Retrospectives
 Collaboration  Issue and Action Item Tracking
 Publishing  Backlog reconciliation
Product Planning Tracking
 
 Backlog Planning and Management  Sprint and Member Tracking
 Epics, Goals, Themes, Feature Groups  Storyboard Wall
 Customer Requests and Idea Management  Task Board and Test Board
 Product Roadmapping Features  My Work and My Dashboard
Release Planning Reporting and Analytics
 
 Release Planning  Program Dashboard
 Release Forecasting  Project Dashboard
 Cross Project Planning and Scheduling  Iteration Dashboard
 Regression Test Planning  Burnup/Burndown Reports
Sprint Planning Other Features
 
 High Level Sprint Planning  Agile Closeout Reviews
 Detailed Sprint Planning  Test Management
 Capacity Planning  Collaboration
 Issue Management Features  Open Source Integration
http://www.versionone.com
29

30. Rally
 One of the first web-based APM tools created in 2004
 Has about 20-30% of the marketshare for APM tools
 Also free for small teams and gets more expensive
Agile Project Management Communication and Collaboration
 
 High Level Roadmap Decomposition  Customizable Role Dashboards
 Epic, Theme, and Feature Tracking  Rich Text, Email, and RSS Support
 User Story Planning and Tracking  Social Media Style Interfaces
 User Story Breakdown Management  Comments, Discussions, and IM
Multi-Team Management Development Management
 
 Organization Chart Mirroring  Requirements Management
 Multi Level Project Hierarchies  Test Management
 Common Progress and Status Views  Defect Management
 Program, Feature, and Resource Rollup  Build and Source Code Traceability
Release Planning Reporting
 
 Step by Step Release Planning  Flexible Queries and Filters
 Team Velocity Determination  Customer Tabular Graphical Reports
 Release and Iteration Schedules  Burnup/Burndown Reporting, etc.
 User Story Allocation to Iterations  User Generated Mashup Support
Iteration Planning Product Management
 
 Iteration Goal and Theme Support  Customer Feedback Management
 Team Capacity Determination  Product Field Support
 Backlog Item Prioritization  Demand Management
 Task Creation, Estimation, and Tracking  CRM Integration and Support
http://www.rallydev.com
30

31. ScrumWorks
 Scrum project management tool created circa 2004
 Similar size of user base to VersionOne and Rally
 Leadership in agile metrics and business value
Product Management Real Time Custom Dashboards
 
 Project Milestone Management  Velocity Charts
 Epics for Project Scope Goals  Milestone Charts
 Categorization using Themes  Cycle Time Charts
 Business Weighting and ROI  Cross Product Status Reporting
Program Management Data Accessibility
 
 Coordination of Multiple Projects  Full Excel Import/Export
 Manage and Track Overlapping Goals  Print to User Story Cards
 Shared Component/System Modeling  Web Services API
 High Level Feature Management  Backups and Notifications
Iteration Management User Management
 
 Drag and Drop Iteration Planning  Full Access Control
 Team Task Board  Role Based Access Permissions
 Sprint Task Tracking  Cross Site Role Templates
 Impediment Tracking  Security Management
Reporting and Analytics Integration
 
 Release Date Forecasting  Commercial Environment Integration
 Basic Burnup/Burndown Reporting  Open Source Environment Integration
 Canned and Custom Report Generation  Issue and Defect Tracking Integration
 Analysis of Planned vs. Actuals  Support for Tool Plugins
http://www.danube.com
31

32. Extreme Planner
 XP project management tool created around 2004
 Noted commercial tool for managing XP projects
 No free version, although it is moderately priced
Multiple Project Support Test Management
 
 Multiple Project Definition  Test Criteria Generation
 Multiple Project Status Tracking  Test Case Generation and Capture
 Multiple Project Report Generation  Test Case Initiation
 Multiple Project Task Tracking  Test Status Reporting
User Story Generation Integrated Issue Tracking
 
 Cross Project Story Themes  Track Customer Support Requests
 Create a Story from an Issue  Track Bug Reports
 Theme and Story Template Reuse  Track Ad Hoc Suggestions
 Inter Project Story Management  Transition Issues to User Stories
Release Planning Report Generation
 
 Capture User Stories Generated  Velocity and Task Tracking
 Estimate and Prioritize User Stories  Iteration Burnup/Burndown Charts
 View Schedule Stories for Releases  Cumulative Workflow Diagrams
 View Estimated Effort for Releases  User Defined Reports
Drag and Drop Iteration Planning Notification and Alerts
 
 Iteration Generation and Management  Email Notifications
 Drag and Drop User Story Management  Notification Capture and Management
 Iteration Effort Estimation  Notification Viewing and Filtering
 Iteration Status Reporting  User Selectable Notifications
http://www.extremeplanner.com
32

33. Mingle
 APM tool created by ThoughtWorks in late 2007
 Extensible templates for multiple agile methods
 Growing user base that is free for small teams
Program Management Test Management
 
 Support for Multiple Projects  Visual Defect Workflows
 Multi Project Status Tracking  User Story and Defect Traceability
 Multi Project Report Generation  RSS and Email Test Alerting
 Resource Allocation and Management  Wiki Support for Screenshots and Reports
Project Management Project Collaboration
 
 Multi Agile Method Support  Virtual Drag and Drop Card Walls
 Customizable Dashboards  Integrated Wiki
 Workflow Generators  RSS Feeds and Email Alerts
 User Management and Access Control  Murmurs, Queues , and Comments
Release and Iteration Planning Enterprise Support
 
 Hierarchical Card Trees  Application Life Cycle Management
 Prioritized Card Ranking  Integration with IDEs
 User Story Searching and Recall  Integration with Versioning Tools
 Global User Story Updating  Integration with Build/Deployment Tools
Tracking and Reporting External Interfaces
 
 Customizable Templates  I/O from Common Data Formats
 Customizable Tabs, Favorites, and Views  Integration with External Databases
 Advanced Filtering, Properties, and Tags  Integration with Workflow Tools
 Burndown, Velocity, and Ad Hoc Reports  Integration with External Software
http://www.thoughtworks-studios.com
33

34. Target Process
 APM tool originally created for XP circa 2004
 Now includes support Scrum, Lean, Kanban, etc.
 Also free for small teams and then price rises sharply
Agile Planning and Tracking Quality Assurance
 
 Backlog Management and Prioritization  Test Plan and Test Case Generation
 Release and Iteration Planning  Automated Test Initiation
 Task Boards and Personal To Do Lists  User Story/Test Case Traceability
 Impediments and Blockage Management  Defect Tracking and Management
Lean Development Reports and Dashboards
 
 Value Stream Mapping  Customizable Dashboards
 Kanban Boards  Release and Iteration Forecasting
 Cumulative Workflow Diagrams  Release and Iteration Burndown Charts
 Work in Process Limits  Task, User Story, and Iteration Progress
Customization Collaboration
 
 Customizable Development Process  Customizable Email Notifications
 Customizable User Roles and Terminology  Content Sharing and Management
 Customizable Navigation and Lists  Support for Multiple Content Types
 Customizable Fields and Other Attributes  Integration with Synchronous Tools
Integration Product Support
 
 Web Services API  Customer Help Desk Portal
 Visual Studio and Eclipse IDE Integration  Ideas and Issues Tracking
 Subversion, Bugzilla, JUnit, and Selenium  Bug Reports Traceable to User Stories
 Single Sign On Support  Full Customer Email Integration
http://www.targetprocess.com
34

35. Other APM Tools
 There are literally dozens, if not 100s of APM tools
 There are dozens of free open source software tools
 Annual tool & price surveys are frequently conducted
VersionOne. (2010). 5th annual state of agile survey. Atlanta, GA: Author.
Allen, W. (2008). Agile PM tools (hosted). Retrieved May 11, 2011 from http://weblogs.asp.net/wallen. 35

36. Table of Contents
Introduction
Types of Virtual Teams
Key Practices & Techniques
Key Tools & Technologies
 Key Case Studies
Conclusions & Summary
36

37. British Telecom
 Middleware products for phone call processing
 Goal was to obtain fast feedback with virtual teams
 Satisfied using intensive automation for fast feedback
Maximum Status Visibility Immediate Feedback
 Virtual Release Planning  Virtual Static Analysis Reporting
 Virtual Iteration Tracking  Virtual Build and Test Reporting
 Virtual Build and Test Status  Virtual Iteration Status Reporting
Feedback
 Telecommunications
 XP and Scrum
 Five Sites
 UK, US, India
 50 People
Intensive Automation
Ruthless Automation Effective Communication
 Virtual Static Analysis  Virtual Video Conferences
 Virtual Operational Builds  Virtual Content Wikis
 Virtual Software Testing  Periodic F2F and Collocation
Cannizzo, F., Marcionetti, G., & Moser, P. (2008). Evolution of the tools and practices of a large distributed agile team. Agile Conference, Toronto, Canada, 513-518.
37

38. Yahoo!
 Development of commercial Internet services
 Goal was to adapt agile methods for virtual teams
 Satisfied by minimizing use of synchronous meetings
Localized Meetings Localized Proxies
 Localized Scrum Meetings  Localized Product Owners
 Periodic Leadership Meetings  Localized Scrum Masters
 Reporting Good and Bad News  Periodic Meetings to Synchronize
Adaptation
 Internet Services
 Scrum
Periodic F2F Meetings  Six Sites Near Realtime Info Sharing
 US, India, Norway, UK
 Quarterly F2F Release Planning  90 People  Localized Information Radiators
 Periodic F2F Sprint Planning  Virtual Wiki Content Repositories
 Periodic F2F Sprint Collocation Reduce Dependencies  Shared Electronic Image Content
Virtual Sprint Planning Task Localization
 Virtual Sprint Planning Initiation  Reduce Cross Site Dependency
 Localized Sprint Planning Closure  Localized Team Independence
 Virtual Sprint Planning Followups  Periodic Virtual Scrum of Scrums
Drummond, B. S., & Unson, J. F. (2008). Yahoo distributed agile: Notes from the world over. Agile Conference, Toronto, Canada, 315-321.
38

39. ThoughtWorks
 Development of web applications for global clients
 Goal was to maintain high levels of communications
 Satisfied with F2F visits and detailed status reporting
Visits & Rotations Common Understanding
 Face to Face Kickoff Meetings  Agree on Development Practices
 Customer and Leadership Visits  Setup Wiki Process Repositories
 Developer and Tester Rotations  Share Templates and Artifacts
Communication
 Web Applications
 Scrum
Sharing Progress  Three Sites Regional Accommodations
 US, India, HK, and China
 Virtual Timezone Standups  115 People  Plan for Local Non Work Days
 Localized Standup Meetings  Exchange Data Before Absences
 Virtual Daily Leadership Meetings Status Reporting  Use Overlapping Work Schedules
Communications Product Visioning Infrastructure Needs
 Periodic Reporting Between Sites  Periodic Visioning Meetings  Supply Laptops to All Personnel
 Following Up Meetings with Notes  Localized Prototypes and Models  Supply Mobile Computing Devices
 Up To Date Wiki Content Sharing  Recorded Expert Videos  Supply Internet Services
Robarts, J. M. (2008). Practical considerations for distributed agile projects. Agile Conference, Toronto, Canada, 327-332.
39

40. Wipro Technologies
 Development of software engineering products
 Goal was to be productive across different cultures
 Satisfied by use of intensive coaching and mentoring
Project Setup Local & Remote Mentoring
 Setup Release Planning Tools  Use Mentors as Customers
 Setup Modeling Tools  Assign Automation Advisors
 Setup Code and Defect Tools  Use Release Planning Tools
 Setup Automated Test Tools  Daily Standups with Mentoring
 Setup Wiki Content Repository Ramping Up  Post Daily Standups Data in Wiki
 Software tools
 XP
 Two Sites
 India, China
 24 People
Coaching & Mentoring
Project Kickoff
 Face to Face Kickoff Meeting
 Communicate Using Diagrams
 Use Wikis for Content Sharing
 Localize Work if Needed
 Periodically Merge Code
Shrinivasavadhani, J., & Panicker, V. (2008). Remote mentoring a distributed agile team. Agile Conference, Toronto, Canada, 322-326.
40

41. CampusSoft
 Development of software systems for academia
 Goal was to improve quality results of global teams
 Achieved by using agile methods and onsite visioning
Product Visioning Working Practices
 Onsite Product Visioning  Standardized Development Tools
 Virtual Product Owner Meetings  Virtual Shared Content Wikis
 Open Communications  Virtual Defect Tracking Tools
 Utilize Stories for Discussion  Virtual Source Code Repositories
 Start With Easy User Stories Quality  Virtual Build and Integration Tools
 Educational Software
 Scrum
 Three Sites
 UK, Romania, India
 44 People
Agile & Visioning
Sprint Planning Ongoing Meetings Testing and Integration
 Virtual Release Planning  Periodic Face to Face Sprints  Joint Early Test Planning
 Local Release Planning Experts  Virtual Brainstorming Meetings  Automated Testing
 Virtual Planning Poker Sessions  Virtual Daily Standup Meetings  Localized Testing and Debugging
 Virtual Sharing During Planning  Virtual Sprint Review Meetings  Automated Deployments
 Wikis for Release Planning Data  Virtual Retrospective Meetings  Virtual Daily Operational Builds
Summers, S. (2008). Insights into an agile adventure with offshore partners. Agile Conference, Toronto, Canada, 513-518.
41

42. Elastic Path/Luxoft
 Development of electronic commerce websites
 Goal was to maintain context with distributed team
 Satisfied with coordination in overlapping time zones
Nearshore Resources Coordination
 Use Nearby Coordinators  Virtual Scrum of Scrums
 Use Resources Within Timezone  Scrummasters as Product Owners
 Use Face to Face Interactions  Unrestricted Communications
 Interaction within Two Timezones  Create Architecture Liaison
Context
 E-Commerce
 Scrum
 Five Sites
 Canada, Russia
 14 People
Partial Nearshoring
Processes and Tools Communication Plans Shared Workspaces
 Standard Agile Practices  Provide Mobile Computing Tools  Establish Infrastructure Servers
 Virtual Release Planning Tools  Periodic Virtual Standup Meetings  Virtual Content Workspaces
 Virtual Source Code Repository  Use Asynchronous Retrospectives  Establish Security Measures
 Virtual Build and Testing Tools  Use Multi Media Communications  24x7 Infrastructure Support
Vax, M., & Michaud, S. (2008). Distributed agile: Growing a practice together. Agile Conference, Toronto, Canada, 310-314.
42

43. Scandinavia
 Development of internal & external web applications
 Goal was to determine if agile practices are scalable
 Satisfied with routine face-to-face & virtual meetings
Scrum Meetings Communication
 Virtual Audio Standup Meetings  Periodic Leadership Rotations
 Weekly Video Standup Meetings  Periodic Personnel Rotations
 Multimedia Splinter Meetings  Periodic Face to Face Sprints
 Virtual Weekly Scrum of Scrums  Multimedia Communication
Scalability
 Backoffice Systems
 Scrum
Sprints  Six Sites Development Environment
 Fin, Latvia, DE, NO, Malay.
 Synchronized Sprints  67 People  Virtual Sprint Planning/Tracking
 One to Many Sprints  Virtual Backlog Management
 Clear Sprint Deadlines and Goals F2F & Virtual Meetings  Virtual Wiki Content Servers
 Periodic Release Sprints  Shared Development Tools
Sprint Planning Reviews & Retrospectives
 Virtual Sprint Planning  Virtual Sprint Review Meetings
 Virtual Sprint Application Sharing  Virtual Sprint Review Sharing
 Periodic F2F Sprint Planning  Periodic F2F Sprint Reviews
 Virtual Audio Planning Followups  Virtual Sprint Retrospectives
Paasivaara, M., Durasiewicz, S., & Lassenius, C. (2009). Using scrum in distributed agile development. Global Software Engineering Conference, Limerick, Ireland, 195-204.
43

44. Table of Contents
Introduction
Types of Virtual Teams
Key Practices & Techniques
Key Tools & Technologies
Key Case Studies
 Conclusions & Summary
44

45. Leadership Considerations
 Agile management is delegated to the lowest level
 There remain key leadership roles & responsibilities
 Communication, coaching, & facilitation are key ones
Customer Communication
Facilitate selection of methods for obtaining and maintaining executive commitment, project
resources, corporate communications, and customer interaction
 Product Visioning
Facilitate selection of methods for communicating product purpose, goals, objectives, mission,
vision, business value, scope, performance, budget, assumptions, constraints, etc.
Distribution Strategy Facilitate selection of virtual team distribution strategy to satisfy project goals and objectives
Team Development
Facilitate selection of methods for training, coaching, mentoring, and other team building
approaches
 Standards & Practices
Facilitate selection of project management and technical practices, conventions, roles,
responsibilities, and performance measures
Telecom Infrastructure Facilitate selection of high bandwidth telecommunication products and services
Development Tools Facilitate selection of agile project management tools and interactive development environment
High Context Meetings Facilitate selection of high context agile project management and development meetings
 Coordination Meetings
Facilitate selection of meetings and forums for regular communications between site
coordinators
F2F Communications
Facilitate selection of methods for maximizing periodic face to face interactions and
collaboration
Performance Management
Facilities selection of methods for process improvement, problem resolution, conflict
management, team recognition, product performance, and customer satisfaction
Maholtra, A., Majchrzak, A., & Rosen, B. (2007). Leading virtual teams. Academy of Management Perspectives, 21(1), 60-70.
Hunsaker, P. L., & Hunsaker, P. L. (2008). Virtual teams: A leadership guide. Team Performance Management, 14(1/2), 86-101.
Fisher, K., & Fisher, M. D. (2001). The distance manager: A hands on guide to managing off site employees and virtual teams. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
45

46. Lean & Agile Proj. Mgt. Metrics
 Agile metrics include trust/communication principles
 Lean metrics align lean principles & agile practices
 Flow metrics embody advanced lean principles
Agile Values Agile Metrics Lean Pillars Lean Metrics Flow Metrics
Empowered Teams Relationships
 Team competence  Customer relationships, satisfaction, trust, and loyalty  Decentralization
Individuals &  Team motivation  Team authority, empowerment, and resources
 Team cooperation  Team identification, cohesion, and communication
Interactions  Team trust
 Team cohesion Customer Value
 Team communication Respect  Product vision, mission, needs, and capabilities
 Economic view
Customer Interaction For People  Product scope, constraints, and business value
 Interaction frequency  Product objectives, specifications, and performance
Customer  Communication quality
 Relationship strength
Value Stream
Collaboration  As is policies, processes, procedures, and instructions  WIP constraints
 Customer trust
 Customer loyalty  To be business processes, flowcharts, and swim lanes  Kanban
 Customer satisfaction  Initial workflow analysis, metrication, and optimization
Iterative Delivery Continuous Flow
 Iteration size  Batch size, work in process, and artifact size constraints  Control cadence
Working  Iteration number  Cadence, queue size, buffers, slack, and bottlenecks  Small batches
 Iteration frequency  Workflow, test, integration, and deployment automation
Software  Continuous iterations
 Operational iterations Customer Pull
 Validated iterations Continuous  Roadmaps, releases, iterations, and product priorities  Fast feedback
Adaptability & Flexibility Improvement  Epics, themes, feature sets, features, and user stories
 Organization flexibility  Product demonstrations, feedback, and new backlogs
Responding  Management flexibility
 Individual flexibility Perfection
to Change  Refactor, test driven design, and continuous integration  Manage queues
 Process flexibility
 Design flexibility  Standups, retrospectives, and process improvements  Exploit variability
 Technology flexibility  Organization, project, and process adaptability/flexibility
Womack, J. P., & Jones, D. T. (1996). Lean thinking: Banish waste and create wealth in your corporation. New York, NY: Free Press.
Reinertsen, D. G. (2009). The principles of product development flow: Second generation lean product development. New York, NY: Celeritas. 46

47. Offshore Outsourcing Metrics
 Vashistha has complete guide to offshore outsourcing
 Strategic framework for evaluating offshore locations
 Offers metrics and data to support decision making
Factors Subfactors India Phil China Canada Lat Am Ireland Czech Poland Hungary Russia
Exogenous Geopolitical Environment
Factors that define Government Support
the characteristics
of the country Educational System
beyond influence of
organization
Infrastructure
Cost Advantage
Catalyst
Language
Factors that drive
offshore service
Culture
delivery in a country
Timezone
Labor Pool
Business
Factors related to Competency
direct advantages,
supplier skills, and Quality
business issues
Attrition
Vashistha, A., & Vashistha, A (2006). Offshore nation: Strategies for success in global outsourcing and offshoring. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
47

48. Costs and Benefits
 Unfacilitated virtual teams are less effective than F2F
 Offshoring saves about 25% due to lower labor costs
 Offshore savings vary based on leadership methods
Variable F2F Virtual Variable % Cost Low Med High
Team score 82% 78% Wage rate 46% $17.5m $2.2m $4.8m $8.7m
Interactions 24.9 17.6 Comm system 20% $7.6m $1.0m $2.1m $3.8m
Task effort 5.8 hrs 7.1 hrs Infrastructure 7% $2.7m $0.3m $0.7m $1.3m
Trust 84% 72% Transition and governance 4% $1.5m $0.2m $0.4m $0.8m
Cohesion 79% 66% Resource redeployment 1% $0.4m $0.0m $0.1m $0.2m
Outcome sat 86% 78% Training and productivity 9% $3.4m $0.4m $0.9m $1.7m
Process sat 86% 76% Business continuity 3% $1.1m $0.1m $0.3m $0.6m
Emergent leader 60% 75% Advisory services 4% $1.5m $0.2m $0.4m $0.8m
Free riders 2% 9% Travel costs 3% $1.1m $0.1m $0.3m $0.6m
Deserters 0% 2% Currency fluctuation 3% $1.1m $0.1m $0.3m $0.6m
83% 74% $38.0m $4.8m $10.5m $19.0m
Vashistha, A., & Vashistha, A (2006). Offshore nation: Strategies for success in global outsourcing and offshoring. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
De Pillis, E., & Furumo, K. (2007). Counting the cost of virtual teams: Studying the performance, satisfaction, and group dynamics of virtual and
face to face teams. Communications of the ACM, 50(12), 93-95.
48

49. Current Trends & Directions
 Virtual teamwork is 21st century business model
 Opens the door to offshore/nearshore outsourcing
 Farshoring is normal but nearshoring is also popular
 
Gidwana, J. (2005). Research summary: Mapping offshore markets update. San Ramon, CA: NeoIT.
49

50. Key Points & Takeaways
 Virtual teams communicate less undermining success
 A key is not to eliminate them in favor of F2F teams
 A better answer is to support them with leadership
Customer Process
Satisfaction Improvement
Quality Rotation
Virtual Team “Performance”
Virtual Team “Leadership”
Fast
Coordination
Feedback
Fast
Coaching
Cycle Time
Productivity Training
Development
Synergy
Tools
Trust Infrastructure
Standards &
Identity
Practices
Cohesion Visioning
Interaction Rightshoring
Compatible Collocated F2F Video Audio Instant Electronic Blog Wiki Document
Team Team Meeting Conference Conference Messaging Mail Interaction Interaction Review
“Loss” of Virtual Team “Communication Quality”
Rico, D. F. (2010). The paradox of agile project management and virtual teams. Gantthead.
Garton, C., & Wegryn, K. (2006). Managing without walls: Maximize success with virtual, global, and cross cultural teams. Lewisville, TX: MC Press. 50

51. Books—Agile Virtual Teams
 Virtual teams are the last frontier in agile methods
 Numerous books emerging on agile virtual teams
 Books by Woodward & Eckstein among the best
Woodward, E., Surdek, S., & Ganis, M. (2010). A practical guide to distributed scrum. Indianapolis, IN: IBM Press.
Eckstein, J. (2010). Agile software development with distributed teams: Staying agile in a global world. New York, NY: Dorset House.
Upadrista, V. (2008). Managing offshore development projects: An agile approach. Oshawa, Canada: Multi-Media Publications.
Ambler, S., & Aguanno, K. (2010). Adapting agile for use with distributed teams. Oshawa, Canada: Multi-Media Publications.
Mite, D., Moe, N. B., & Ågerfalk, P. J. (2010). Agility across time and space: Implementing agile methods in global software projects. Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag.
51