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This presentation is from a recent talk I did at an event in Houston called Agile Comes to You. It was co-sponsored by Rally, Accurev, Urbancode and Credera. The presentation discusses the tangible benefits and challenges of Agile development. This is definitely a practical application of Agile, from real experiences. Credera is a management and technology consulting firm. We help our clients with their toughest technology problems and utilize Agile and traditional project management tools and techniques to help them implement strategic initiatives.
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Agile Comes to YouJustin Bell presentsThe Benefits of Agile and How to Avoid Common Pitfalls
September 27th, 2011
Today we’ll talk about the benefits & common pitfalls companies face as they move through the phases of Agile Development adoption
Phases of Agile Adoption …
Just learning … Dipping toe … Trying (HARD) … Enjoying it …bashed on Flickr tallkev on Flickrbraveheart on Flickr
There are many benefits of Agile development – but it is often confused with just removing the planning and documentation from other methodologies.
Benefits of Agile …
We’ve all seen something like this before:The project appears right on track, with no indication of issue until …
Benefits of Agile … Improved Visibility & Tracking …
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4
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lickr
With Agile it’s easier to get a true status and avoid the late project surprise.
Benefits of Agile … Improved Visibility & Tracking …
In traditional development models the PM is often lost and stuck with few options other than “management-by-walking-around.”
Benefits of Agile … Task Management & Tracking …
Whatcha workin’
on?
Are you done yet?
What else
needs to be done?
Well-organized agile teams utilize a task board or online tool to managetask assignments, issues, and progress.
Benefits of Agile … Task Management & Tracking …
Project estimation & planning is one of the biggest failures in traditional software development. Agile can help.
Benefits of Agile … Estimation & Planning …
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Team estimation can be very time consuming and is often corrupted by “anchoring” when one team member heavily influences estimates.
Benefits of Agile … Estimation & Planning …
The Project Manager or Product Owner kicks off the Sprint Planning Session.
The team thinks about the backlog item being discussed.
Jon thinks he knows exactly what to do, so he says “3 days!”, making Bob and Mary doubt their initial estimates.
Sarah then asks for the remaining (and now skewed) estimates.2
3
4
Michelle
3 81?
Jon Sarah Bob Mary
3! !!?
Jon Sarah Bob Mary
3! 8 51 3? 3
Jon Sarah Bob Mary
How long?
Planning poker is an iterative approach to estimating items in the product backlog intended to reduce anchoring and wasted time.
Benefits of Agile … Estimation & Planning …
kraemer on Flickr
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Planning poker is an iterative approach to estimating items in the product backlog intended to reduce anchoring and wasted time.
Benefits of Agile … Estimation & Planning …
The Project Manager or Product Owner kicks off the Sprint Planning Session.
The team thinks about the backlog item being discussed.
Michelle then asks everyone to flip the card representing their estimate.
Now the team can have an unbiased discussion regarding the differences.2
3
4
Michelle
3 81?
Jon Sarah Bob Mary
3 81?
Jon Sarah Bob Mary
How long?
3 81?
Jon Sarah Bob Mary
Agile is great, but there are some very common pitfalls that many teams fall into as they adopt agile.
Common Pitfalls …
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Agile isn’t necessarily “faster” development, but it does make development more predictable and minimize wasted effort.
Common Pitfalls …
kraemer on Flickr
There are still many times that dates and scope are determined outside of an Agile process – and the team is left to deliver the project
Common Pitfalls …
kraemer on Flickr
Good communication is critical to good agile. Don’t let the product owner, QA, and the development team work in silos.
Common Pitfalls …
lu6fpj on Flickr
Be careful not to fool yourself
Common Pitfalls …
kraemer on Flickr
For agile teams to be effective, the product owner must be heavily involved in the day-to-day activities and be empowered to make decisions.
Common Pitfalls …
loop_oh on Flickr
Questions? Anyone?
Agile Development
