1. Lean-Agile Learning Organizations Workbook David D. Parker david.d.parker@gmail.com Twitter: @davidparker9 David D. Parker Prepared for AgileCamp 2014 Core Concept Learning Circle A model for effective learning Welcome to the Lean-Agile learning circle. A learning circle is a well-known method of education. Some may say it goes as far back as the discovery of fire. A group of motivated individuals come together on a regular basis to explore a topic of common interest. Generally, there is a more experienced person who acts as a facilitator, and the members of the learning circle are participants. However, a key principle of learning circles is that all participants are collaborators in a reciprocal process in which everyone learns and contributes. Effective learning usually requires more than simply taking a training class or reading the concepts in a book. One must put the concepts into action and then reflect on, and learn from, the results in order to improve. In the following sections, you will find a short explanation of a Lean-Agile concept followed by lines for capturing a plan of action, your reflections, and what you learned. This is meant to help your learning circle explore the concepts in a dynamic manner. The diagram above describes a model of systematic learning that well use throughout the workbook. It describes four steps and four interconnected capacities that pivot around guidance. Guidance is the act of assisting an individual, team, or organization to reach a destination by accompanying, giving directions, or supplying advice. For individuals, teams, and organizations, guidance is critical to be able to progress in the development of knowledge, skills and capacities. Guidance can be applied to all four steps and all four capacities.

2. David D. Parker Prepared for AgileCamp 2014 Guidance What are the 4 steps? 1. ____________________ 2. ____________________ 3. ____________________ 4. ____________________ Match the step with the meaning: Carrying out the plans we have created. Discovering something new such as insights, skills, relationships, structures, failures or changes in how we think about things. Choosing a course of action based on our insights and past experience. Pausing in our activities to gather data, impressions, history, stories, and any other observations about what we have done What are the 4 capacities? 1. ____________________ 2. ____________________ 3. ____________________ 4. ____________________ Match the capacity with the meaning: Having a desire and willingness to act even in the face of uncertainty Finding new solutions through good judgment, wisdom, and discernment Being objective and open to new ideas Having a sense of purpose, vision, and passion 3. David D. Parker Prepared for AgileCamp 2014 Action Plan How do you plan to apply this concept in the next week? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Action Data Record any data or observations as you take action: ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Reflect What happened? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Learn What did you learn? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ 4. David D. Parker Prepared for AgileCamp 2014 Agile Practice Daily Stand-up Guidance The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation. Principles behind the Agile Manifesto, #6 At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly. Principles behind the Agile Manifesto, #12 A daily stand-up is a simple practice to help team members coordinate their work and highlight any impediments that are keeping them from achieving their goals. Team members stand to keep the meeting short (15 minutes or less) and answer three questions: 1) What did I do yesterday? 2) What am I going to do today? 3) What is in my way? Anyone can listen to the teams daily stand-up, but to keep the team focused, only team members speak. Why do only team members speak? ________________________ What are the two purposes of this meeting? __________________ _____________________________________________________ When is the meeting held? _______________________________ 5. David D. Parker Prepared for AgileCamp 2014 Lean Tool Card Wall Make work visible Guidance Visualizing the workflow is a powerful practice for optimizing the flow of work. A simple approach is to display the workflow on a wall with sticky notes or cards for each work item. This is commonly referred to as a "card wall" or an "information radiator" because it radiates information. An information radiator is a display posted in a place where people can see it as they work or walk by. It shows readers information they care about without having to ask anyone a question. This means more communication with fewer interruptions. A good information radiator: Is large and easily visible to the casual, interested observer Is understood at a glance Changes periodically, so that it is worth visiting Is easily kept up to date Typically, it is on paper, posted in the team room or in the hallway. In a few exceptional circumstances, it is on a Web page that people refer to frequently. Unusual examples of information radiators include a (real!) traffic light, a colored orb, and a computer monitor hung outside a cubicles partition in the hallway. Allistair Cockburn, Crystal Clear, 2004 6. David D. Parker Prepared for AgileCamp 2014 Principle Prioritization Put first things first Guidance To live a more balanced existence, you have to recognize that not doing everything that comes along is okay. There's no need to overextend yourself. All it takes is realizing that it's all right to say no when necessary and then focus on your highest priorities. Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People 7. David D. Parker Prepared for AgileCamp 2014 Scrum teams work from a prioritized to-do list called a product backlog. The teams product owner is responsible for ordering the list based on delivering the most value to the business. Product Owners also take into account the levels of effort, risk, and satisfaction that the backlog items are meant to address. Where do your product backlog items reside on the matrix below? Which should be at the top of your product backlog? High Value, High Cost High Value, Low Cost Low Value, High Cost Low Value, Low Cost 8. David D. Parker Prepared for AgileCamp 2014 Principle Self-Organizing Team Guidance Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done. Principles behind the Agile Manifesto, #5 The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams. Principles behind the Agile Manifesto, #11 In a traditional work setting, there is a manager who oversees a group of people with specific role definitions. There is a one way reporting relationship. If you can imagine a pyramid-shaped org. chart, youve got the basics. Scrum teams operate on the principle of self-organization. In such a setting, the members of the team coordinate the tasks among themselves. They volunteer for tasks and hold each other accountable for completing the work. The manager, who is not necessarily on the team, is responsible for giving the team the support they need to do the work. The trust invested in the team has a huge payoff for the individual team members and the organization in terms of productivity and satisfaction.