This document discusses principles and tools for adopting agile practices in an agency setting. It outlines key principles like embracing varied scope, using small batches to catch mistakes early, and empowering cross-functional teams. Challenges include getting clients and other organizational groups on board with new processes. Tools described that can help with outcomes like quality, innovation, and avoiding repeated mistakes include test-driven development, design thinking, large group retrospectives, story mapping, and impact mapping. The document advocates for a cultural shift toward agile principles like solving problems over predefined solutions and focusing on value over volume.

1. By
Roger Brown
Agile Crossing

2. Principles
 Scope has always varied. Embrace it to advantage.
 Small Batches are more efficient, catch mistakes
sooner
 Empowered, cross-functional, blended Teams are
more innovative than management decisions
 One project is not enough. Cultural shift required and
wider organizational processes need to change.
 Shift client-agency relationship from negative sum to
positive sum game.

3. Manifesto
http://lean.codecomputerlove.com/
SOLVE PROBLEMS over
Predefined Solutions
What is the real insight or goal?
Can we innovate?
EXPERIENCES over Designs Iterate the product with real
customers.
PRODUCT over Project Evolve the result, priority first.
VALUE over Volume 80/20 rule. We don’t need
everything.
INSIGHTS over Opinion Innovative team, not HIPPO or
JFDI decision making.
ITERATIVE over Big Bang MVP, Story Map
ADAPTABILITY over Constraints Build for a longer lifetime

4. Challenges
 Getting client to supply a true Product Owner
 Resistance to needed/inevitable flattening of hierarchy
in Lean/Agile organizations
 Getting rest of organization (BizDev, Finance, Execs)
on board AND changing to compatible lean processes
 Educating all to new contract types

5. Tools
Tool Use Outcomes
TDD/Automated
Testing/Refactoring
In-Sprint unit and feature testing High Quality,
Reduced Manual Testing Cost
Adaptability
Design Thinking Engage many minds in rapid
design experiments
Innovative Solutions
Hypotheses
Large Group Retrospectives plus
Knowledge Management
Find cross-project, cross-
temporal patterns
Avoid repeated mistakes
Improve process across
organization
Outcome-Based Contracts Increase buyer-seller
collaboration
Right product
Reduced risk
Story Mapping Visual display of features by
priority
Focus on high value work
Find holes in funcationality
Impact Mapping Discover value of a feature Avoid work on low value item
Loosely Coupled Architecture Quickly substitute
implementations
More adaptable product

6. Lean UX
Lean UX Goals
• Reduce validation time
• Avoid handoffs
• Cross-functional Team
• Retain what we have learned
about IA/UX
• Don’t be in the deliverables
business
• Provide agility foe inevitable
change

7. Design Thinking

8. Sources and Resources
 Is Agile Harder for Agencies?
 A Lean Model for Digital Agencies (scroll to Aug 5,
2014)
 Lean Studio Manifesto
 Flexible Contracts
 Agency Agile - Articles
 Three Reasons Agile Can Fail At Your Agency
 Scrum for Commercials 1
 Scrum for Commercials 2