1. SaiHo Yuen
M.Sc, ift.a, SCJP, PSM I, ITIL
saihoyuen@gmail.com
17 February 2012
1st INTERTIONAL CONFERENCE ON
AGILE AND LEAN SOFTWARE METHODS
Adopting Agile in medium and large organization
RISKS AND STRATEGIES

2. Me
Canada, Québec
M.Sc. from U. Montréal and U. Rostock
Software Developer, Project Manager
SCRUM Master and Agile transition
Netscape, Database, Civil engineering
Scientific & Military research and Government
Employers of my area
SME in high technologies, Game industries
Insurance companies, Banking and Government
The world I live
Who am I?

3. Why are you doing this ?
What are you looking for ?
Why Agile ?
What Agile means to you ?
Is Agile the right answer ?
How are you going to do it ?
Where do you stand ?
What do you have ?
What do you need ?
They will guide you into all the truth!
What is yours?
Every why hath a wherefore

4. Problems
What makes Agile adoption so difficult?
Risks
Some common pitfalls you may want to avoid!
Strategies
Some ideas to make your adoption a little bit easier!
Concerto in 3 Movements

5. Too Many Reasons!
Migration means change
complex and underestimated, so often unmanaged
Change doesn’t mean only the process or tools
Also the people and specially the people
Process can’t never change people
(a lasting change come always from the inside)
Capability of change is different for everyone, thus every organization
Isolated initiative, trial and error
What makes Agile migration so difficult?
Introduction

6. A successful Agile project means a lot, but not everything
(A certain type of project under certain conditions with a very specific team)
An idea, a thought, a state of mind, a philosophy
Knowing is one thing; Doing is quite another;
Too many “ways”, “practices”, “products” and “Tools”
Everyone has his own idea and model
Are we getting the right helps, coaching on the right things?
So on and so on…
Too many ways to get lost!
Why so difficult?

7. Well, I have to say…Yes
An established culture and structure
You can hardly play with the magic triangle
Different levels of hierarchy has different goals
Nothing is personal, thus everything becomes personal
Informal VS official
Does size really matter?
Small, medium, large

8. Complex business model and structure
First mission is not always software development
Business and TI don’t mixed, thus don’t understand
Concurrence from inside and outside
Resources availability & distributed Teamwork (International laws)
Governance & procurement model
Union
They also have money!
Complicated, but don’t forget…

9. Version One 2011 Survey
Leading causes of failed Agile projects
So far, how do we do?

10. Version One 2011 Survey
Barriers to further Agile adoption
Any icebergs ahead?

11. Understands the risks and chooses the right strategy!
Understand the strategy and choose the right risks!
A dog chasing its tail?
So, where should we start?

12. Culture and Structure
The personality of your organization. You may not notice it, but it is certainly there
Process
It isn’t about how we change, but how to make it acceptable
Human factor (Resistance)
First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident
Communication
Most known problem, but still always underestimated
Come from not knowing what you're doing!
Risks

13. Consistency for an organization and its people
Order and structure for activity within an organization
Boundaries and ground rules
Communication patterns
Membership criteria
Patterns for internal relationships among people
Why so important?
Organizational Culture

14. Condition for reward and punishment
Expectations and priorities
Define performance
Approach to management
Limits strategy
Productivity
Without it, there will be no soul!
Organizational Culture

15. Why is it so popular among Agilists?
William E. Schneider’s Model

16. 20 Questions from William E. Schneider
When we worry about something in the organization, it is usually about:
a) Losing. We worry most about being also-rans or having our reputation
harmed because we couldn’t deliver as well as, or better than our competitors.
b) Stagnation. We worry most about failing to progress, simply existing from
day to day, or even going backwards.
c) Vulnerability. We worry most about being in a position where others have
more power or market share than we do
d) Lack of unity. We worry most about the team being broken up or alienating
our customers. We worry about a lack of trust among ourselves.
What’s your culture?
Freud on the sofa

17. R. Harrison
Power, role, task and person orientation
T.E. Deal and A. A. Kennedy
Tough-guy/macho, work hard/playhard, bet-your-company and process
W. Bennis and b. Nanus
Formalistic, collegial and personalistic
O’
J. O’Toole
Meritocracy, egalitarianism, behaviorism and humanism
Giving a name to your culture is not important.
Understand it, it is.
Yes, of course!
Other models?

18. No matter which culture there is always an organizational structure
Huge impact on adoption, but often ignored
Reflects decision making, tasks execution, communication pathway
Competitions between divisions
We are sisters, and therefore, born to be rivals
The Other Boleyn Girl

19. One size fit all?

20. Change requires an adequate preparation
Simplicity necessitates understanding complexity
Each problem has multiple solutions
We can not predict the best solutions
Ever-changing environment requires ever-changing process
Change process depend on its environment
And as soon as the process exists, it changes its environment and itself
Each strange solution is the best one somewhere
It isn’t about how we change, but how to make it acceptable
Process

21. All plausible solutions should be examined
The process should gather and synthesize different viewpoints
Raison of change has to be clearly defined
Processes has to be transparent and meaningful
Otherwise, it won’t able to mobilize people and increase the resistance
Confusion may occur
If different “changes processes” are already underway or planned
The process should not ignore organization‘s core cultural,
values and past events
Process

22. happiness does not necessarily mean commitment
false signals can easily lead to misinterpretations
The responsibilities has to be clearly defined
The lack of or too many responsible impair the process
Adequate means to measure is required
Therefore, it is difficult to manage, monitor and measure
the impacts of the process and the process itself
It may take considerable time before the new performance indicators and
incentive systems are acting in line with the objectives
which can greatly affect the mechanism of decision making
Process

23. Capability of change is different for everyone
Changes always clashes with old habits
Resistance to change caused often by the loss of acquired
(recognition, prestige, social status, power, job security, etc..)
Fear of the unknown and failure reduces the desire for change
Doubts about the reasons of change hinder the motivation of those involved
Understanding the vision, purpose and importance of the change
Resistance is futile…eventually?
Human factor

24. The benefits of change should be visible to those concerned
All participations should be properly managed and encouraged
Incentives and recognition should be properly granted
Participations may not properly evaluated by the old and new metrics
Change increases necessarily the existing conflicts
Human factor

25. Recognize someone?
Mike Cohn’s Model

26. What shall we do?(Active & Like Status quo)
Align incentive
Create dissatisfaction with the status quo
Acknowledge and confront fear
With a vengeance?
Diehards

27. What shall we do?(Passive & Like Status quo)
Change the composition of the team
Praise the right behaviour
Involve them
Model the right behaviours yourself
Identify the true barrier
Of the One ring?
Followers

28. What shall we do?(Passive & don’t like Scrum)
Let time run its course
Provide training
Solicit peer anecdotes
Appoint a champion skeptic
Push the issue
Build awareness
Finger of St Thomas?
Skeptics

29. What shall we do?(Active & Don’t like scrum)
Success
Reiterate and reinforce the commitment
Move them
Fire them
Be sure the right people are talking
An ardent believers?
Saboteurs

30. What’s his name again?
A smart guy does a stupid thing?

31. Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey
Resistance doesn’t mean opposition nor inertia
Unwittingly caught in a Competing Commitment
The Competing Commitment is created by a Big Assumption
But it doesn’t mean there is nothing!
Real Men Don’t Cry

32. 1) What would you like to see changed at work, so you could be more
effective, or so work would be more satisfying?
2) What commitment does your complaint imply?
3) What you are doing, or not doing, to keep your commitment from being fully
realized?
4) Imagine doing the opposite of the undermining behaviour. Do you feel any
discomfort, worry or vague fear?
5) By engaging in this undermining behaviour, what worrisome outcome are
you committed to preventing?
5 Questions
The competing commitment

33. 1) Create a sentence stem that inverts the competing commitment, then “fill in
the blank”
2) Test and Consider replacing the big Assumption
a) Notice and record current behaviour
b) Look for contrary evidence
c) Explore the history
d) Test the assumption
e) Evaluate the result
Some little steps
Big Assumption

34. The communication plan is always required
(planned and supported)
Access to information should be
homogeneous, uniform, continuous and transparent
Information should come from and receive from official channels
(eg. through the hierarchy, official statements, etc.)
Communication should promote understanding of the objectives of the change
Do we need oil for an engine?
Communication

35. Communication should focus on quality rather than quantity
Organization confuses information with communication
People are flooded with all kinds of information
but it doesn’t help them to better understand the situation
Communication relies heavily on technology and organization structure
face to face communication is underestimated
Communication should accompanied by appropriate activities
Communication should not focused exclusively on the objectives
the reasons that command are important
= Information + relationship + Feedback
Communication

36. Well, fortunately there is none!
(Otherwise, it will be a little bit boring!)
Never forget: A lasting change come always from the inside
Is there any magic bullet?
Strategies

37. Why are you doing all this ?
What are you really looking for ?
Why Agile ?
What Agile means to you ?
Is Agile the right answer ?
Thinking Agile + acting Agile = Being Agile
(sometime, you may also have to love it)
Water cannot rise higher than its source, neither can human reason
Once again, Why?

38. Symphony in 6 Movements
(Inspired by John P. Kotter & Ken Schwaber)
Establish a sense of urgency Teams of power
Consolidate, institutionalize Create visions and values
and produce more
Communicate everything
Re-
Plan to Re-plan, small victories
All models are wrong, but some are useful!
My two cents

39. Point out the facts: Good, Bad and Ugly
(sometime Weird)
Examine environment and competitive realities
for potential crises and untapped opportunities
Statue quo is more dangerous than the unknown
Never underestimated the difficulty of driving people out of the comfort zones
Understands where we stand
Establish a sense of urgency

40. Lean Management Mieux, plus vite avec les mêmes personnes (Pierre Pessiardi)
Mieux, mê Pessiardi)
4 metrics
Active
Turnovers lost without this computer system
Replacement cost by men
Total cost
The annual saving oragnisation realize that if it abolished the system
Carte d’état-major

41. Passive
The expense would be needed to bring the application to productivity
standards consistent with your purpose
The number of unprocessed demands
Number doesn’t lie

42. Who is the best?

43. Two committees : Director (3 + 1) and Coordination (5)
Director : approve and guide the change
Coordination : make the change
Change agent: Informer when sit on the director committee
Groups with shared idea and enough power to lead the change
Never forget the ones whom oppose it, Union, RH and You (change agent)
Rotate committee members
Work as a team outside the normal hierarchy
It takes two to make a thing go right!
Teams of power

44. Create visions and values to direct the change effort
Develop strategies for realizing those visions and values
(Backlog of things to be changed)
Don’t present a vision too complicated
or too vague to be communicated in 5 minutes
Define organization and team’s values
(be specific, measurable, meaningful, attainable, realistic and Timed)
Vision and values must respond to the organization existing core culture
(Never try to change your organization culture in one step)
Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others L
Creation visions and values

45. Do-It-
Do-It-Yourself Team Values (Jurgen Appelo)
(Jurgen Appelo)
Accuracy Creativity Honesty Persistence Simplicity
Assertiveness Curiosity Humour Pragmatism Skill
Aesthetics Decisiveness Industriousness Purposefulness Stewardship
Balance Determination Initiative Rationality Tactfulness
Caution Endurance Integrity Resilience Thoroughness
Cleanliness Enthusiasm Joyfulness reliability Tolerance
Commitment Excellence Knowledge Respect Trust
Confidence Flexibility Mindfulness Responsibility Trustworthiness
Cooperation Focus Openness Self-discipline Unity
Courage Helpfulness Orderliness Service Vision
Anything that changes your values changes your behavior
How to choose values?

46. 1) Give the list to the team (you can add any new values)
2) Together, they must select between three and seven, they consider most
important, according to project, situation, culture and their personality
3) Do the same thing with stakeholder (outside of the team)
4) Gather both groups, talk about the selections and the mutual expectations
until you reach consensus on a merged list of three to seven values
5) Once you have the values, make them clear to everyone
Do-It-Yourself Team Values

47. Otherwise, there will be only two candidates
Choose wisely your values…

48. Use every vehicle possible to communicate
the new vision, values, strategies and all things you do
Communication comes in both words and deeds, set example
Communicate to whom are hurt the most
Transparency
Use the same language of your listeners
Communication works for those who work at it.
Communicate everything

49. Responsible (The Doer)
Accountable (The Buck stops here)
Consult (In the loop)
Inform (Keep in the picture)
RACI / RASCI / RACI-VS / CARIO /
Responsibility assignment matrix

50. Galati, Tess (2001, Paractical Communication, inc.)
How well the Medium is suited to Hard copy Phone call Voice mail E-mail Meeting Web site
Assesing commintment 3 2 3 3 1 3
Building consensus 3 2 3 3 1 3
Mediating a conflit 3 2 3 3 1 3
Resolveing a misunderstanding 3 1 3 3 2 3
Addressing negative behavior 3 2 3 2 1 3
Expressing support/appreciation 1 2 2 1 2 3
Encourage creative thinking 2 3 3 1 3 3
Making an ironic statement 3 2 2 3 1 3
Conveying a reference document 1 3 3 3 3 2
Reinforcing one's authority 1 2 3 3 1 1
Providing a permanent record 1 3 3 1 3 3
Maintaining confidentiality 2 1 2 3 1 3
Converying simple information 3 1 1 1 2 3
Asking an information question 3 1 1 1 3 3
Make a simple request 3 1 1 1 3 3
Giving complex instruction 3 3 2 2 1 2
Addressing many people 2 3 2 2 3 1
Using the right tool for the right job
Media Choice Table

51. Media richness theory

52. Follow organization’s governance and procurement model
Never ask for exception, but you can explain why you aren’t do that
Choose visible problems
if the problem is too big, choose a smaller related problem
Define and engineer visible performance improvements
Encourage risk taking, and non traditional ideas, activities and action
Plan and Keep Re-planning, create maximum of small victories (In sprint)
Recognize and reward ones who contribute to the improvement
Plan to Re-plan, small victories

53. Big brother is always watching!
Governance

54. Agile is a philosophy, many many “reincarnations”
Use the practices that are suited to you
Be very honest
Respect the meaning of the practices
Choose carefully the practices,
because some practices must come-in pair
A, B, C ⊆ D, D ⊆ E → A, B, C ⊆ E
Clothes don't make the man

55. United we stand, divided we fall

56. Use increased credibility from early wins
to change systems, structure, and policies undermining the vision
Hire, promote and develop ones
who can implement the vision and values
Reinvigorate the change process with new project and change agents
Articulate connections between Agile and organization success
Create leadership development and succession plans consistent with the Agile
Consolidate, institutionalize
and produce more

57. C. Director
C. Coordination
Mille viae ducunt homines per saecula Romam
SCRUM

58. Credibility
Don’t be a prince, neither a priest; Be pragmatic and persuasive
If you want something done practice your patience
Restrains your desire for control and need for importance
Don’t copy and paste
Walk the Talk
Conductor of orchestra
Enemies within
One more thing…

59. I know one thing, that I know nothing
Comments, Questions, Objections?