View
264
Download
4
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
www.luxoft.com
Facilitation Techniques for
Agile Teams
www.luxoft.com
Introduction
Svetlana Mukhina
ICAgile ICP, ICP-ATF, ICP-BVA, PSM I
Agile and Career Coach at Luxoft Agile Practice
Experience: 12+ years in IT, Project and department management,
Computer Linguistics, Technical Writing, Quality Assurance
Interests: Project management, Agile transformation, Career and
performance coaching, Psychology
Hobbies: Horse riding, music, poker, travelling
www.luxoft.com
Warm-up
www.luxoft.com
Warm-ups How To
Purpose:
• Find out name, position, interesting facts
• Warm-up atmosphere
• Increase trust and collaboration level
Do
• Time-box it
• Make it comfortable
• Make it positive
• Involve all participants
• Start with it when awaiting for participants
• Explain purpose
Don’t
• Prevent critics
• Avoid kinesthetic exercises
• Don’t leave the group
• Decrease side conversations
Examples
• Tribes
• Say your name and adjective
• Constellation
• My Thing
• Journey Line
• My Word
Usage
• New team forming
• New Team member introduction
• Retrospective
• Town-Hall
• Project or Release planning session
• Stakeholders meeting with a team
www.luxoft.com
Team Facilitator?
- Know the right answer for all questions
- Judge opinion of others
- Evaluate group decisions
- Control the conversation
- Fight with bad opponents
- Take a side of good fellows
- Lead rescuing activities
www.luxoft.com
Team Facilitator?
- Invisible
- Professional
- Tactful
- Respectful
- Trustful
- Understandable
- Energizing
- Encouraging
- Open-minded
www.luxoft.com
Agile Team Facilitator Behaviors
Treasure Agile Values
Follow Agile Principles
Master Facilitation Techniques
www.luxoft.com
Agile Values
Individuals and interactions overprocesses and
tools
Working software over
comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over
contract negotiation
Responding to change over
following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.
www.luxoft.com
Agile Principles
1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive
advantage.
3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.
4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job
done.
6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face
conversation.
7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.
8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant
pace indefinitely.
9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
10. Simplicity – “the art of maximizing the amount of work not done” - is essential.
11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.
www.luxoft.com
Gathering Information
www.luxoft.com
BrainSwarming
www.luxoft.com
BrainSwarming on Practice
www.luxoft.com
BrainSwarming Game Rules
1. Moderator chooses an insight puzzle and initiates the Brainswarming graph on the board. Moderator writes the goal at the top and the known resources
at the bottom.
2. Moderator explains the insight puzzle to the group (e.g., Stuck Truck Problem).
3. Moderator explains (or reminds) the group how Brainswarming works. Here are the main points to cover.
- No talking is necessary among the group while Brainswarming is going on. Simply write your contribution on a Post-It note (or on the board) and draw a
line to what it should be connected to.
- There are three types of contributions you could make.
- First, you could break a resource into one of its parts. In this case, put your Post-It note just above the resource and draw a line to the resource.
- Second, you could make a goal more specific. For example, the top goal in Figure 2, free truck from underpass, is very general. Ask yourself,
“How could I achieve this goal?” One way is to lower the truck, so this sub-goal should go below the goal free truck from underpass. In general, ask
yourself the How question to make goals more specific and concrete.
- Third, you could add an interaction such as put oil from the truck engine on the top of the truck so the truck will slide more easily. On the
Brainswarming diagram, this interaction is indicated very simply by adding lines that connect oil, the truck top, and slide the truck. If the interaction is not
clear to people, the contributor can write it in more detail on a different part of the blackboard so as to not clutter up the Brainswarming diagram.
www.luxoft.com
BrainSwarming How To
Purpose:
• Generate lot’s of solutions in silent mode
• Improve collaboration
• Gamify information gathering process
• Encourage up-bottom and bottom-up thinking
• Team-building (aha-tasks)
Do
• Prepare environment (tables or walls with enough space near it)
• Prepare stationary (flipcharts, markers, stickers)
• Explain the purpose
• Explain the rules
• Clearly define problem
• Time-box
• Track the rules
• Contact the author (Tony McCaffrey) to discuss results and find out more details of the technique
Don’t
• Stop verbal communication during exercise
• Don’t insist on making this exercise, if the group can’t get its meaning, although you can suggest to try it and see the results
• Don’t encourage competition inside the team
Usage
• Meetings on complicated and long-lasting issues
• Problem solving session, where domain experts are not available
• A-Ha tasks, where it’s necessary to think out-of-the-box
www.luxoft.com
Mindmapping
www.luxoft.com
MainMapping How To
Purpose:
• Information visualization and structuring
• New way of thinking
• Unlock creativity
Do
• Start with center topic
• Use images/symbols
• Select key words
• The lines should be connected
• Use multiple colors and lines thickness
• Keep the mind map clear by using radial hierarchy
Don’t
• When you don’t want to focus on ideas/concepts connections
• It can’t incorporate large chunks of text
• It is not the fastest way to structure information
• In case of map personalization it can be difficult for others to understand what it is about
• If you are a linear thinker
• When you don’t have enough space for drawing
Usage
• Preparation for presentations, work-shops, trainings
• Group meetings for problem solving
• Retrospective event
• Project scope roadmap
• Project structure diagram (teams, projects, deliverables, stakeholders, milestones)
• Note taking
• Summarization
• Brainstorming and collaboration
• Collecting information
www.luxoft.com
Mindwriting/Brainwriting
www.luxoft.com
Mindwriting/Brainwriting How To
Purpose:
• Collect silently initial thoughts and ideas on a topic
• Eliminate disadvantages of speaking
Do
• Give yourself a time limit
• Keep your hand moving until the time is up
• Pay no attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation, style
• Can be used as a background for many other group facilitation techniques e.g. “6-3-5 brain writing”
Don’t
• Don’t use it, if you have already several good ideas to choose from
• It is can be boring
• Avoid if quality, but not quantity is required
• Individual, not group technique
• Writing takes time
Usage
• Ideas gathering from everybody on Retro
• During any event when you need input from each participant
• In large groups/teams discussions
www.luxoft.com
Exploring Information
www.luxoft.com
Home and Away (World Café)
www.luxoft.com
World Café Principles
www.luxoft.com
World Café How To
Purpose:
• Collaborative dialog
• Connection of diverse perspective
• Team-building
Do
• Clarify the Context
• Create Hospitable Space
• Focus on What Matters
• Listen to Understand
• Link and Connect Ideas
• Encourage Contribution
• Share Collective Discoveries
• Draw, doodle,
• Have Fun
Don’t
• Does not work well for small (10-15 people) groups
• Requires at least 3 groups of 5 people each
• Stop chaotic movement from table to table, the teams should act synchronously
Usage
• During multi-teams collaboration sessions (PBR, Planning, Retro)
• As a team-building activity, discussion of a book, event, movie
www.luxoft.com
Six Thinking Hats
www.luxoft.com
Six Thinking Hats How To
Purpose:
• Encourage full-spectrum thinking
• Help to switch thinking pattern
• Separate ego from performance.
• Brings emotions, innovations, optimism, scepticism, facts and order into discussion
• Reduce confrontation
• Examine hypothetical consequences
• Practice respect and loyalty to different opinions
Do
• Use on individual, participant and group level
• Mention that this is just a game, as some participants can have difficulties with changing communication and thinking style
• Identify the complicated and complex issue.
• Describe the characteristics of hats
• Be available for questions
• Summarize the results
• Use T-shirts, colored cards or badges, or pens.
Don’t
• If you don’t have at least 6 participants in a group
• If there is no candidates for white and blue hats
• In case you can’t clearly explain the rules
• Better not to use without ice-breaker in a new team
• In unfamiliar culture (e.g., in China, "wearing a green hat" means that your spouse is cheating on you)
Usage
• Planning, discussion estimations
• Retrospective, discussion results
• Discussion over implementation approaches
• Training of a new thinking style
• Exploration of various perspectives
www.luxoft.com
Check-in
www.luxoft.com
Check-in How To
Purpose:
• Gather of information about participants feelings towards the meeting or situation in the given moment
• Focus on/off, reloading, switching, pause
Do
• Understand why you are going to use check-in, what is your purpose
• Prepare the necessary stationary beforehand
• Make is quick
Don’t
• No sense to use it if you don’t want to know the participants “status”
• Avoid its usage when you already know that morale is low, deal with the issue instead
Examples
• ESVP
• Happiness Radar (Mad Sad Glad)
• Dots (green, yellow, red)
• One word/image
Usage
• Standup
• At the mid of long meeting, e.g. Product Backlog Refinement
• Unclear situation
• Separator between two parts of a meeting (e.g. Scrum Planning)
• Wake-up after lunch or coffee break
www.luxoft.com
Evaluating Information
www.luxoft.com
Voting Techniques
Thumb Up
Five-to-fist
Voting with dots
www.luxoft.com
Voting Techniques How To
Purpose:
• Gives each participant a possibility to influence the decision
Do
• Define procedure to follow when voting is done
• Make sure all participants are fine with voting rules
• Make sure all make the voting even if they say that will follow any decision
Don’t
• If information is not well gathered and explored
• When a group needs for time for discussion
Usage
• Planning, to vote for Sprint Backlog candidates
• Retro, to vote for improvement backlog candidates
• Any meeting you need to come to a decision as a group
www.luxoft.com
Pro/Con List
www.luxoft.com
Pro/Con List How To
Purpose:
• Compare advantages and disadvantages of idea, approach, method
Do
• If you need to define and group facts into two categories
• Provide general/initial clarification of drawbacks andbenefits
• Filter information
Don’t
• With characteristics of significant difference and importance
• In case you need to avoid simplification
Usage
• Discussions over technological stack
• Choosing implementation approaches of a User Story, migration to a new platform, Data Base
www.luxoft.com
Affinity Line
www.luxoft.com
Affinity Line How To
Purpose:
• Provide initial estimation to a bulk of requirements, epic, features
Do
• Prepare list items (requirements, epics) understandable to participants
• Explain rules and answer questions
• Setup appropriate space, so everybody can take part
Don’t
• Avoid calling the results “Project Plan”, make sure the stakeholders understand that these is a high-level estimation and it can be changed when scope is better explored
Usage
• Relative estimation
• High-level estimation
• Scope dependencies identification
• Project Roadmap creation
www.luxoft.com
Prioritization Matrix
www.luxoft.com
KANO Model
www.luxoft.com
KANO and Prioritization Matrix How To
Purpose:
• Features Prioritization
• Scope grouping
• Visualize stokeholds satisfaction level
Do
• Prepare a list of requirements, User Stories,features
• Make sure BA or PO is available to answer questions regarding features
• Clearly decide what is going to be done with each group of items
Don’t
• If you can’t influence Iteration or Release scope
• In case you don’t know the project scope at all, you should do some grooming at first
Usage
• PBR
• Strategic planning
• Product Re-branding
• Startup
• Stakeholders expectation management
• Review session, to discuss project future scope for 2-3 sprint ahead
www.luxoft.com
Dealing with
Dysfunctional Behavior
www.luxoft.com
Group Dynamics
www.luxoft.com
Choosing the Level of Facilitation Intervention
FORMING
Unclear Goals
Low level of commitment
Vаgue communication flow
Responsibility is mostly avoided
Absence of prominent leaders
Build a common purpose
Identify expectations
Encourage for leadership and motivation
Inspire to take responsibility
Support contribution and collaboration
www.luxoft.com
Choosing the Level of Facilitation Intervention
STORMING
High level of independence
Communication gaps
Misunderstanding
Uncertainty
Dysfunctional behavior
Differences and struggles
Reduce toxic communication
Invite different opinions and approaches
Recognize tolerance and loyalty
Define ground rules
Develop common goal
Involve everyone in discussion
www.luxoft.com
Choosing the Level of Facilitation Intervention
NORMING
Confidence and clarity
Relevance
Defined communication flow, goals, rules, roles
Built relations
Understanding of interdependence
Develop process of information sharing
Build feedback loops
Use sharing format frequently to track progress
Discuss discipline distribution
Support negotiation and consensus
www.luxoft.com
Choosing the Level of Facilitation Intervention
PERFORMING
Responsibility over tasks and relations
Stable progress and results
High level of proactivity
Self-organization and self-facilitation
Collaboration
Retrospect and seek for improvements
Celebrate success
Test and question habitual patterns
Evaluate results against purpose
Remember about rules, processes and focus
www.luxoft.com
Choosing the Level of Facilitation Intervention
ADJOURNING(postpone, suspend, transform)
Lack of interest
Irrelevant goals
High level of predictability and competence
Satisfaction
Stability
Increase complexity and unpredictability
Restructure the process
Discuss team dissolving/rotation
Transform to network/community
Remember success and results
www.luxoft.com
Functional Behavior Patterns
Involvement during meetings
Giving constructive feedback
Asking powerful questions
Providing specific examples
Active listening
Sharing information
Respecting the speaker
Confirming understanding
Being loyal to different opinions
Encouraging collaboration
www.luxoft.com
Dysfunctional Behavior Patterns
Providing unrelated details
Expressing strong negative reaction
Ignoring other’s opinion
Using lot’s of unknown terms
Distracting participants
Playing blaming game
Excusing for all the time
Criticizing without recommendations
Complaining on everything
Whispering with neighbors
Making generalizations
Talking loudly
Sitting silently during all discussion
Withholding information
Expressing strong emotions
Stealing ideas of participants
Repeating same ideas
Trolling participants
www.luxoft.com
Stages of Dysfunctional Behavior
From: The Secrets of Facilitation by Michael Wilkinson
Physical attacking someone
Leaving the room in disgust
Verbal attack directed at participants
Negative comments directed at participant
Audible sights of displeasure
Negative physical reaction to discussing
Doing other work on session
Side conversations
Folding arms, facing door or window
Silence, lack of participation
Arriving late, leaving early
Se
ve
rity
of D
isru
ptio
n
Degree Of Dysfunction
As the degree of dysfunction increases,
the severity of disruption caused by the
dysfunction increases as well
www.luxoft.com
Game on Dysfunctional Behavior Identification
www.luxoft.com
The Diagnosis-Intervention Cycle
Describe behavior and test for different views
Share interference and test for
different views
Help group to decide whether and
how to change behavior and test for different views
Observe Behavior
Infer Meaning
Decide whether, how and why to
intervene
Dia
gn
os
is S
tep
sIn
terv
en
tion
Ste
ps
www.luxoft.com
Intervention Strategies
Situation Intervention
The group don’t understand what
is expected from them
Repeat the purpose once again Explain the purpose in other
words and provide examples
Domination of a participant Stop the person Encourage others to speak up
Side conversations Ask to focus on the topic Ask to link it to the topic
Use of mobiles, laptops Ignore
Ask to stop using
Before the meeting together with
the group create ground rules
Late arrival of meeting
participants
Delay a meeting start to 5-10-15
min
Start on time
Start only when all members
arrive
Person repeating him/herself Tell him/her they you got it Use paraphrasing technique
Most of the group lost focus Ask them to be more attentive Make a brake
Participant discovered a new topic Ask him to come on track Ask him to link a new topic to the
main track
www.luxoft.com