Scrum bangalore 12 march 7 2015 - avinash rao - accelerating scaled agile using scrum ban - at prowareness

1. Accelerating Scaled Agile
Using Scrum-Ban
Avinash Rao
Scrum Bangalore – March 2015

2. Our Agenda
 The joys of Agile Offshore
 The problem statement
 Defining ‘our’ Scrum and Scrum-Ban
 Outcomes from both streams, & work profile
 Post-Script

3. Full disclosure
 I have strong opinions about how we structure
Agile teams offshore
 Mini-waterfall-ing
 Too many iterations are filled with big-rocks
 Background on Lean, and I look for data
everywhere …
 “How happy are you with your wife?”
3

4. Too many Offshore Scrum teams have
this effort profile under pressure
 Given offshore Pyramids and resource mix
 Given ‘constant improvement’ Productivity
targets
4
Iteration Timeline
All-nighters to deliver
Committed scope
We need to slog at the end,
Why start now?
Analysis, LLD

5. Problem Statement
 Effective in an imperfect world where clients
demand effectiveness but pay for efficiency
 Increase Throughput while preserving the
team’s long term effectiveness (time spent,
pressure)
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6. The Experiment – Set Up
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7. Scrum team set up
 Sized backlog items
 2 week iteration, with LLD, development,
integration, DoD readiness
 Team loaded with as much scope as we would
have done in 2 weeks in waterfall, but with
testing and readiness included
29 FPs for 2 weeks (16 hours / FP – planned
productivity)
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8. Scrum-Ban team setup
 Pick task from backlog, complete (complete!),
move to next item
 Initial scope of 25 FPs identified (1/person)
 Don’t define complete scope to be delivered a-
priori
 Planning, Standups, other ceremonies remain
the same, one additional update of the Scrum-
Ban board in the PM
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9. Tooling
 Used a e-PostIt tool
 For Scrum, the posts have a due date
 Scrum-Ban chits move at actuals, and when
complete, developer picks up the next task
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10. The Experiment – Results
1

11. Baseline Waterfall
 Estimates are based on (past) WF projects
 We picked 2 weeks worth of work equivalent
for each iteration
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12. Outcome from Scrum
1

13. Outcome from Scrum-Ban
1

14. Comparison
 Scrum-Ban completed 25 FPs in 7 days v/s 29
FPs for 10 days
 13.4 Hours per FP v/s 16 hours per FP
(+16%)
 Scrum-Ban team then picked up additional
work items (10 FPs) and completed in 2 weeks
 Some items were partially done, which credits
the next iteration when complete
1

15. Additional insight into the effort - Scrum
1
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
core
Incidental
NVA
Lost benefit of
Early completes!

16. Additional insight into the effort – Scrum-Ban
1
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
core
Incidental
NVA

17. Scrum-Ban - Effect of structure on
Team Dynamics
 Because the team did not size, there was less
discussion cross-group on items - developers
were focused on the task to be picked up
 Better levelling in the team (everyone’s a
developer no matter their job designation)
 Exposed weak people ruthlessly (twice a day
reviews to update the Board)
1

18. Picture Abhi Baaki Hai
Mere Dost …
1

19. Pair Programming under duress
 A third team lost access to remote dev servers
(credentials)
 Introduced to Pair-Programming – Virtue out
of a Necessity
 25 FP scope defined for the team
 Looser oversight, but Scrum-Ban board and
Stand-Ups used
Team wanted to meet EOD Day 3 …
1

20. Pair-Programming
 25 FPs completed in 3 days (5.7 Hours / FP)
 Over 13 days (yes, the team decided to
change some of the rules), team delivered 76
FPs production-ready (8.2 Hours / FP)
 Visible camaraderie, high-performing unit that
we have retained
2

21. Caveats
 We have not continued Pair-programming
 By week 2, team complained of overheads
 Meetings
 Status reports
 Company overheads – too many email, etc
 We found the Pair-programming Scrum-Ban
approach perfect for Tiger teams
2

22. Team Feedback – some observations
Note: Reliably recorded by someone closer to
the team’s median age
 Scrum teams reported being a closer unit than
Scrum-Ban teams
 Hierarchy got in the way to Scrum teams
more than scrum-Ban teams
 Pair-programming is fun! But please don’t
send me so many meeting requests and emails
…
 Module Leads set up their own Boards for
future iterations!
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23. Questions?
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