An Executive Scrum Team

An Executive Scrum Team

Alexandre Magno Figueiredo

segunda-feira, 7 de dezembro de 2009

Agenda

1. What led me to use Scrum with executives?

2. Some “pains” in the executive world

3. The Scrum Executive


Alexandre Magno, CST - novembro.2008


1. What led me to use Scrum with

executives?


Using Scrum practices to support executive teams

wasn’t planned at any moment


I noticed that some agile practices could help those teams, once I

noticed that - surprisingly - many problems from project world also repeated in the executive world


Planning Poker in the director’s board

The CIO of a certain bank called me in his room to ask about something he considered “curious”: he was just walking by the project’s floor when he saw many people playing cards during working hours!


Planning Poker in the director’s board

After explaining the whole Planning Poker process to the director and telling him that it stimulates communication and avoids influencing opinions, I was amazed by a “Ha...that’s what I need for our management meeting!”


“Coffee break” at IT floor

“I loved those boards”, the CIO told me after the meeting. “With them I have daily updates about the project without having to ask anyone”.


TaskBoard in the CIO’s room

With the visibility the team’s radiators gave him, it didn’t take long to elaborate a Board with the projects and actions under the CIO’s responsability.


TaskBoard in the CIO’s room

With the visibility the team’s radiators gave him, it didn’t take long to elaborate a Board with the projects and actions under the CIO’s responsability.

This model was showed in a management meeting and replicated to other fields.


Short term goals and planning aligned to the goals

Attending some Review Meetings, the CIO understood how interesting it was working with short term goals within a short time-box.


Short term goals and planning aligned to the goals

Attending some Review Meetings, the CIO understood how interesting it was working with short term goals within a short time-box.

It didn’t take long to be asked to help him - the CIO - on elaborating a way that he could work with his managers’ team on small “sprints” with short term goals.


For some time, I kept questioning myself if what I was starting was something of real value or if - because of my passion for the Agile way of working - I was involved with something fictitious and would suffer the consequences in a near future.



2. Some “pains” in the executive

world


In software projects we are used to hearing complaints about requirements change.


In software projects we are used to hearing complaints about requirements change.

However, this “pain” is not restricted to the software project teams - the business reality requires frequently changes in the company’s strategic plan, right after being created.


The problems with silos in software projects made us to consider using multi-disciplinary teams and the same thing is happening in the business world.


The problems with silos in software projects made us to consider using multi-disciplinary teams and the same thing is happening in the business world.

How to make an HR manager focus not only on his own goal but turn him into a team member, which in turn is compound of managers from different areas and make them focus on the company’s goal?


The “solutions” don’t deliver what they can, mostly because of the gap between who creates the strategic plan and who executes it.



In the most of the companies, executives are capable to plan competitive business strategies, but are not capable to implement them.



In the most of the companies, executives are capable to plan competitive business strategies, but are not capable to implement them.

In organizations focused on long term results, projects considered strategic are sponsored and in many cases managed by higher levels.


To Norton and Kaplan (2001), there is a misbelief that the right strategy is a mandatory condition to reach success. They estimate that in 70% of the cases, the real problem is not a bad strategy but its bad execution.


3. The Scrum Executive


After the isolated experiences I mentioned before, I decided to think on how to apply something really close to Scrum as proposed by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland in an executive team.


The flow


The Executive Team(First who...then what)

Company’s Vision(Strategical Planning)

Portfolio Backlog---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Executive SprintPlanning Meeting

30 days

1 day

Executive Review & Retro

Product Backlog

Product Backlog

Program Backlog

PO PO PgO

Product Backlog

Product Backlog

Actions

Who would help?

PO

PO

PO


The Executive Team



The Executive Team was formed by managers or directors of the unit (Sales, IT, Finance, Support, HR and Marketing).

THE EXECUTIVE TEAM


The need to have a facilitator for this became apparently right in the first meetings and because of this the team got an Executive ScrumMaster.

THE EXECUTIVE TEAM


The need to have a facilitator for this became apparently right in the first meetings and because of this the team got an Executive ScrumMaster.

The Executive ScrumMaster was an executive (PMO) for the company with knowledge in the process Scrum and in facilitation and leadership techniques.

THE EXECUTIVE TEAM


THE EXECUTIVE TEAM

The Portfolio Owner (or Executive Product Owner) was the Executive Director.


THE EXECUTIVE TEAM


An Executive Product Owner owns one or more portfolios.


THE EXECUTIVE TEAM



This role is responsible for prioritizing Executive Backlogs.


THE EXECUTIVE TEAM



This role is responsible for prioritizing Executive Backlogs.

The owner makes sure the vision and strategy of the organization mirror the portfolios.


Company’s Vision - Strategical Planning -




COMPANY’S VISION

1. Build Mission Statement2. Define Business Values

3. Define Goals4. Develop growth strategies for Values and Goals

5. Negative propensites - risks, impediments

=> Create the Portfolio Backlog

Executive Product VisionIncrease 30% the incomings


The Portfolio Backlog, or The Executive Product Backlog





PORTFOLIO BACKLOG


Having the right vision to guide our executive team, we started the creation of an Executive Product Backlog (or Portfolio Backlog)

That Backlog was made of:

:: Executive Stories:: Executive Themes:: Executive Epics

PORTFOLIO BACKLOG


Having the right vision to guide our executive team, we started the creation of an Executive Product Backlog (or Portfolio Backlog)

That Backlog was made of:

:: Executive Stories:: Executive Themes:: Executive Epics

PORTFOLIO BACKLOG

Those Backlog Items were created by the Executive Product Owner with support of the Executive ScrumMaster and the team


Executive Epics

business case other business informations

strategic annual plan

increase incomings in 30%

Executive Product Backlog (Portfolio Backlog)Executive Product Backlog (Portfolio Backlog)Executive Product Backlog (Portfolio Backlog)Executive Product Backlog (Portfolio Backlog)

In order to gain more control over the sales process closure and follow up, the sales department needs a

CRM tool and methodology

Sponsor:Priority:Kick-off date:ROI estimates:

Metrics

In order to increase the participation on the Brazilian north and northeast region, the unit needs a

partnership plan to work with regional companies


Metrics

In order to increase our brand visibility the unit needs a marketing campaign that comprehends different

medias


Metrics

In order to reduce the default in 50% the financial department needs to elaborate an active collection

strategy


Metrics

In order to reduce the turnover and waste in the bonus model, the unit needs to restructure the HR

strategy.


Metrics

P

Pg

Executive Portfolio Owner

Executive Story

usually an executive action

Executive Theme

usually an executive project

usually an executive program

P

P

PORTFOLIO BACKLOG

P

Resource Portfolio Backlog Asset Portfolio Backlog


Besides the annual strategic plan, where the projects usually come from, there are other sources. Daily, problems and opportunities, such as market and clients demands, technological improvements, legal or environmental requirements, etc., are brought to discussion to be resolved.

PORTFOLIO BACKLOG


Executive Sprint Planning Meeting






PO POPgO

Who would help?

---------- ---------- ----------

EXECUTIVE SPRINT PLANNING MEETING


Our Sprints, which were 30 days long, started with a Sprint Planning Meeting



Our Sprints, which were 30 days long, started with a Sprint Planning Meeting

In this meeting the Executive Team met to planwhat they would work with in the following Sprint.



Executive Sprint Planning Meeting

Balance Portfolio

DefineVelocity

Sprint’s Goal

Who would help?

Identify tasks

Estimate it if needed

Estimate it if needed

Select what fit on the Sprint


The Executive Product Owner presented the goal and explained all the priority items.



The Executive Product Owner presented the goal and explained all the priority items.

The team clarified all doubts and discussed which roles would be involved in each item, in an activity called Who Would help?


ITIT

IT

ITsupport

support

HR

support


Executive BacklogExecutive BacklogExecutive BacklogExecutive Backlog

In order to reduce the turnover and waste in the bonus model, the unit needs to restructure the HR

strategy.

Sponsor:Priority:Kick-off date: P

Identifying premisses for the project

Identifying the team for the project

Gathering the history of all plans used up to now

Gathering financial data from the currently plan

Defining the budget for the project

During the Sprint Planning Meeting, the team started to identify what tasks would be needed to execute each item, anticipating any problems and risks.



Executive Sprint






30 days

Product Backlog

Product Backlog

Program Backlog

PO PO PgO

Product Backlog

Product Backlog

Actions

Who would help?

Those projects were executed inside the “departments” using Scrum and, in most of them, had the Executive Scrum team member as the (Chief) Product Owner or Program Owner.

THE EXECUTIVE SPRINT

PO

PO

PO


The Executive Daily Meeting






30 days

1 day

Product Backlog

Product Backlog

Program Backlog

PO PO PgO

Product Backlog

Product Backlog

Actions

Who would help?

THE EXECUTIVE DAILY MEETING

PO

PO

PO


Everyday, the team did a Daily Meeting. Believe me, it’s a hard task!

THE EXECUTIVE DAILY MEETING








30 days

1 day


Product Backlog

Product Backlog

Program Backlog

PO PO PgO

Product Backlog

Product Backlog

Actions

Who would help?

THE EXECUTIVE REVIEW & RETRO

PO

PO

PO


At the end of the Sprint the executives presents the results to the Executive Product Owner, just like a regular Sprint Review. Thru those results he evaluated if the Sprint Goal was met or not.



At the end of the Sprint the executives presents the results to the Executive Product Owner, just like a regular Sprint Review. Thru those results he evaluated if the Sprint Goal was met or not.

Finally, the team did an Executive Retrospective.



CONCLUSION


Despite being just the first step in reaching more adequate techniques for executive projects and programs, using Scrum in this scenario was a very good experience.



As a result:

:: a new behavior of their executives.



As a result:


:: execution and strategy were closer.



As a result:


:: execution and strategy were closer.

:: greater visibility of how executive actions were aligned to the business goals.


If you wish to know where your company is heading to, don't look at the static strategic

plans. Instead, look at your projects portfolio

Thank you!

[email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]