Post on 23-Aug-2014
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Beyond Agile PracticesWhere Did We Go Wrong?
Troy Tuttle, KCPPrincipal Consultant, OwnerKanFlow.comtroy@kanflow.com@troytuttle
Rate This Talk!http://spkr8.com/t/31661
Challenges to Agile Adoption or Transformation
Sad Clown Agile Quotes
https://flic.kr/p/8M3zKf
“Lack of executive commitment”
“Our culture doesn’t support Agile”
“Inconsistent or missing retrospectives”“Command and Control never left”
“Started with a tool instead of a mindset”
“Reverted to old habits when the coach left”
War Stories
“Cargo Cult Agile”
Many 1st generation Agile attempts simply installed recipes
Recipes lead to Cargo Cult Agile
The Practice and Theory Imbalance
Practice
Theory
Release Planning
Iterations
Retrospectives
Planning Poker
ContinuousIntegration
?
Introducing Systems Thinking
Russell Ackoff, Systems Thinkerhttp://youtu.be/OqEeIG8aPPk
What is a System?
A system is a set of parts where:
The behavior of each part has an effect on the behavior of the whole
The behavior of the parts are interdependent
Each part has an effect on the behavior of the whole and none has an independent effect on it
Systems Thinking
PO / Analysts Developers QA
Corporate Structure
M M M
AA A D D
D
DT T
Customer Value
Performance of the system is a product of theinteractions.
What about individual performance reviews?
Systems ThinkingIf we optimize the parts of
the system, we willsub-optimize the whole.
- W. Edwards Deming
A Particular System Condition
- Vanity Fair: “Microsoft’s Lost Decade” Aug. 2012
How many system conditions are misattributed to “team dysfunctions”?
(Google “Microsoft stack ranking”)
Bad Systems, Good People
“A bad system will defeat a good person every time.”
- W. Edwards Deming
Other Examples of System Conditions
-- Hermanni Hyytiala, Reaktor @hemppah
Complexity Theory: Cynefin Framework
ComplexProbeSenseRespond
Emergent Practice
ChaoticActSenseRespond
Novel Practice
ComplicatedSenseAnalyzeRespond
Good Practice
SimpleSenseCategorizeRespond
Best Practice
OrderedUn-Ordered
Nature of Knowledge Work
How does the work work?
Because we often work in the complex and complicated domains,
our work is non-deterministic in nature
Ignorance about how the work works is a systems condition
Culture Revisited
“Our culture doesn’t support Agile”
But we have other Lean-Agile experience reports from the field:
“We have experienced profound cultural changes”
But these companies weren’ttrying to change their culture.
They were just doing Lean-Agile and the culture changed.
How did that happen?
What is Culture?
Culture is a pattern of shared tacit assumptions that was learned by a group … that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel ...
--Schein, Edgar H. The Corporate Culture Survival Guide
Schein’s Three Levels of Culture
Visible structures, behavior, language
Espoused values, goals, philosophies
Underlying beliefs, tacit assumptions
Group’s understanding of their environment
To affect the visible aspects of culture,we must change that understanding
We have to unlearn first as an organization to affect our organizational culture.
Balance Practice and Theory
Practice Theory
Theory informs practice
Practice informs Theory
Do estimates really help us deliver predictably?Why are retrospectives valuable for our organization?
Systems thinking and complexity theory are examples of theory that inform our practices.
Agile’s Secret Sauce
Agile is not an “execution” strategy….
It’s a learning strategy
Balance your practices with a healthy dose of theory
Use that knowledge to affect your Agile adoption
Beyond Agile PracticesWhere Did We Go Wrong?
Troy Tuttle, KCPPrincipal Consultant, OwnerKanFlow.comtroy@kanflow.com@troytuttle
Rate This Talk!http://spkr8.com/t/31661