This was a presentation I gave at Ciklum in Kiev, Ukraine and at ScrumTrek in Moscow, Russia. The presentation discuss the notion of Agile and agility and then talks about what people should do to have sustainable agile. They key to sustainable agile is education. By educated, and changing the mindset of everyone in the company, then you will have sustainable agility. However, if you just focus on strategy, structure, and processes, but don't change the mindset and culture and habits of people it will not be sustainable. The presentation introduces the learning roadmap developed by the International Consortium for Agile (ICAgile) as a path organizations should pursue to engage their people in a common educational journey about agile and agility not Scrum or any particular process. The International Consortium for Agile (ICAgile) accredits training organizations, corporations, academic institutes and government entities, thereby providing their members with over 20 knowledge-based and competency-based certifications to pursue, based on the ICAgile Learning Roadmap created by experts from around the world. ICAgile is the only certification and accreditation body to offer knowledge-based and competency-based certifications in every discipline needed to sustain agility in an organization. ICAgile has engaged over 40 International Agile gurus and experts to create the most comprehensive agile learning roadmap. ICAgile's Learning Roadmap is intentionally designed to focus on the education of agile not on any particular flavor or methodology of agile to ensure that every organization, can utilize the educational roadmap as it matures and customizes it agile processes and practices. ICAgile’s Learning Roadmap includes over 20 different certifications covering the disciplines of Agile Executive Leadership, Agile Coaching and Facilitation, Agile Enterprise Coaching, Agile Project Management and Governance, Agile Value Management and Business Analysis, Agile Software Design and Programming, and Agile Testing.

1. The Secret - yet obvious Ingredient to Sustainable Agility
International
Consortium for Agile
An Interactive Session by
Ahmed Sidky, Ph.D.

2. 15
Co-founded
Co-authored
years of experience in software
development, management and
delivery
YEARS
Ph.D. in Agile
Transformation and
Agility Assessment
on the PMI-ACP
Steering committee
Consulted, trained or coached with
people and teams from …
Program Chair

3. Being Agile

4. Stages of Learning
1. Shu – 2. Ha – 3. Ri
Ri
Be the Rule
Ha
Break the Rule
Shu
Follow the Rule

5. Stages of Learning
1. Shu (Following Precisely without Modification ) – 2. Ha – 3. Ri

6. Stages of Learning
1. Shu – 2. Ha (Shifting
Between Techniques) – 3. Ri

7. Stages of Learning
1. Shu – 2. Ha – 3. Ri (New
techniques, even unconsciously)

8. Stages of Learning
1. Shu – 2. Ha – 3. Ri
Ri
Be the Rule
Ha
Break the Rule
Shu
Follow the Rule

9. What problems are we trying to solve
by being Agile?

10. To
Build The
Product

11. Lets align … What is Agile ?
What is Agile?
No Documentation
Process ?
Chaos
Methodology ?
No Architecture
Fad?
Framework ?
Cult?
No Planning
Approach ?
No Discipline

12. Agile is a Mindset …
Your mindset is the
established set of
attitudes and habits
you have about how
to succeed at getting
work done.

13. How we Typically build “Stuff”
Idea
Design / Explore
the Output
Do Work (Execute / Implement)
to produce desired Output
Agree on Output
(what the customer actually needs)
Deliver Output
Plan / Procure
Get Reward

14. Not all work is the same …
Task Work
Knowledge Work

15. Exact outcome is
knowable in advance
Outcome based on tangible
& physical components
Defined Process
to realize outcome
Exact outcome is
not knowable in advance
Outcome based on intangible,
thoughts, and knowledge
Empirical Process
to realize outcome
Knowledge work Mentality
Assembly line mentality
Our Mentality Towards Work

16. Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset
Based on the work of Dr. Carol Dweck
I believe that my [Intelligence, Personality,
Character] is inherent and static. Lockeddown or fixed. My potential is determined
at birth. It doesn’t change.
I believe that my [Intelligence, Personality,
Character] can be continuously developed.
My true potential is unknown and
unknowable.
Fixed
Mindset
Growth
Mindset
Avoid failure
Desire to Look smart
Avoids challenges
Stick to what they know
Feedback and criticism is personal
They don’t change or improve
Desire continuous learning
Confront uncertainties.
Embracing challenges
Not afraid to fail
Put lots of effort to learn
Feedback is about current capabilities

17. What do you do ?
Exact outcome is
not knowable in advance
Outcome based on intangible,
thoughts, and knowledge
Empirical Process
to realize outcome
Fixed Mindset
approach to
managing
uncertainty
Reducing uncertainty by “nailing
things down.”
Looking to fix and confirm
things.
Agile Mindset
approach to
managing
uncertainty
Reducing uncertainty by
discovering and learning.
Looking to learn and discover in
the most efficient way possible.

18. Fixed Mindset approach to delivery (Assembly Line)
Must “nail down” the output in order to start delivery (Liner Thinking)
Growth Mindset approach to delivery (Knowledge Work)
Discover and learn through valuable output and welcoming change (Circular
Thinking – IKIWISI)

19. Value Based Discovery
The Agile Mindset towards Work
Deliver value with
every step so we
can focus on
learning
Focus on efficient,
effective and
continuous learning
Lower the cost
of change so we
can welcome the
learning

20. Different Types of Deliverables
Effectiveness of feedback
to help customers understand what they want
Working System or
Product
On-screen Interactive Prototypes
Screen Designs
Wireframes
Interactive Paper Prototypes
Discussions or Reviews
Documents
No Interactivity
Richness of Deliverable
ROI from deliverable
Experiencing the system
End-to-End
Working System
or Product

21. 1958: Project Mercury (IID, Iterations, TDD)
Gerald Weinberg
1970
Royce
Waterfall
1972-1975
Feedback-Driven, Large
Government Programs
1980 : Adaptive
Programming
Gerald Weinberg
“
1960
1976 : EVO
Tom Gilb
1980
Dr. Winston Royce We were doing incremental
Much of present-day software
1985 : Spiral Model
Barry Boehm
“
1986
No Silver Bullet
Advantages of IID
Fred Brooks
developmentprocedure 1957, in Los
acquisition as early as rests upon
I believe inAngeles, under the direction can
the assumption that one of Bernie
Dimsdale [at IBM’s Service Bureau
specify
system of
this concept, 1990: ScrumIterations a satisfactorycolleague in
but
Corporation]. He was a
Timeboxed
advance, get bids so perhaps he
Empirical process control
John von Neumann, for its
the
Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber
construction, have it built, and
System
learned it there,1994: DynamicMethod (DSDM) it as totally
or assumed
Development
implementationinstall it.dothinkRad Practitioner Herb Jacobs is
16 this
natural. I I rememberassumption
Formalization of RAD
(primarily, though we inall participated)
described above 1995:/RUP / Unifed process Used mostly Europe and that
fundamentally wrong,
UML Architecture Centric
Use Cases
developing a large simulation for
many software acquisition
isFredWeinberg Motorola, where the technique used
risky and
Jerry Brooks
that fallacy.
invites failure. problems spring fromindistinguishable
was, as far as I can tell,
1996: Extreme Programming
Technical / Engineering Practices
from XP.
Kent Beck, Ward Cunningham, Ron Jeffries
1986: The New New
Product Development Game
Hirotaka Takeuchi and
Ikujiro Nonaka
”
1990
””
1995
1997
Feature Driven Development
Value Driven
Jeff de Luca
1998: Crystal Family of Methodologies
Situational Specific Practices
Alistair Cockburn
20

22. Alistair Cockburn (Crystal)
Jeff Sutherland (Scrum)
Mike Beedle (Scrum)
Jim Highsmith (ASD)
James Grenning (XP)
Dave Thomas (PP)
Jon Kern (FDD)
Andrew Hunt (PP)
Brian Marick
Kent Beck (XP)
The Agile Manifesto
February 11th 2001
Snowbird, Utah
Steve Mellor
Ron Jeffries (XP)
Ken Schwaber (Scrum)
Martin Fowler (XP,+)
Arie van Bennekum (DSDM)
Ward Cunningham (XP, +)
Robert C. Martin (XP)
25

23. The Agile Manifesto
February 11th 2001
We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and
helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:
Individuals and interactions over processes 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.

24. How to manage Uncertainty using the Agile Mindset in the Software domain
Exact outcome is
not knowable in advance
Outcome based on intangible,
thoughts, and knowledge
Empirical Process
to realize outcome
THE AGILE MANIFESTO
We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it.
Through this work we have come to value:
Individuals and interactions over processes 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.

25. Agile is a mindset
[that in the software world is]
Established through 4 values
Grounded by 12 principles, &
Manifested through many
many different practices
A mindset is the established set of
attitudes held by someone
• Welcome Change
• Failing Early
• Build and Feedback loops
• Continuous Delivery
• Value-Driven Development
• Small value-add slices
• Learn through Discovery
• Continuous Improvement

26. Agile is a mindset
[that in the software world is]
Established through 4 values
Grounded by 12 principles, &
Manifested through many
many different practices
A Value is an established ideal that the
members of a given society regard as
desirable
Individuals and interactions over processes and
tools
Working software over comprehensive
documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan

27. Agile is a mindset
[that in the software world is]
Established through 4 values
Grounded by 12 principles, &
Manifested through many
many different practices
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.

28. Agile is a mindset
[that in the software world is]
Established through 4 values
Grounded by 12 principles, &
Manifested through many
many different practices
Product visioning
Project chartering
Affinity (relative) estimation
Size-based (point) estimation
Planning poker
Group estimation
Value-based documentation
Prioritized product backlog
User stories
Progressive elaboration
Personas
Story maps / MMF
Story slicing
Acceptance tests as requirements
Short iterations
WIP Limits
Early and frequent releases
Roadmapping
Velocity-based planning and commitment
Iteration planning / Iteration backlog
Release planning / Release backlog
Time boxed iterations
Adaptive (multi-level) planning
Risk backlog
Team structure of VT / DT
Pull-based systems
Slack
Sustainable pace
Frequent face-to-face
Team chartering
Cross-silo collaborative teams
Self-organizing teams
Cross-functional teams
Servant leadership
Task volunteering
Generalizing specialist
Tracking progress via velocity
Burn-up/burn-down charts
Refactoring
Automated unit tests
Coding standards
Incremental/evolutionary design
Automated builds
Ten-minute build
Monitoring technical debt
Version control
Configuration management
Test driven development
Pair programming
Spike solutions
Continuous integration
Incremental deployment
Simple design
End-of-iteration hands-on UAT
Automated functional tests
Automated developer tests (unit tests)
Exploratory testing
Software metrics

29. Scrum
eXtreme Programming
Your own Agile process
Agile is a mindset
[that in the software world is]
Established through 4 values
Grounded by 12 principles, &
Manifested through many
many different practices

30. Scrum
eXtreme Programming
Your own Agile process
Agile is a mindset
[that in the software world is]
Established through 4 values
Grounded by 12 principles, &
Manifested through many
many different practices

31. Agile as a Process and Practices
Doing Agile
Learning the practices and applying
them without know the mindset and
principles to know when to tailor and
how to select the appropriate practices
Being Agile
Internalizing the Mindset, values, and
principles then applying the right
practices and tailoring them to
different situations as they arise
Agile as a Mindset and Culture

32. Coaching and
Facilitation
Learning
Objectives
Learning
Objectives
Learning
Objectives
The Agile Mindset to Disciplines
inside Software Development

33. Education verses Training
A view of the Doing of Agile vs the Being of Agile
9-10
10-11
11-12
12-1
1-2
2-3
3-4
4-5
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Other
Iteration Planning
Stand-up
Demo
Retrospective
Release Planning

34. 22%
Of people’s time is consumed by “doing agile
practices” – what about the rest?
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80

35. ICAgile’s Roadmap
The Agile Mindset to Disciplines
inside Software Development

36. Meet Jack
Company: Future Corp
Size: 10,000 people
Profession: CIO
Size of IT: 3000 People
Goal: Transform organization to Agile - ASAP
Plan: Something like this
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Start training across IT – probably on Scrum
Picked a star, Stacy, in the IT organization and
put her in charge of the transformation – in
addition to her day job.
Two pilot projects were launched successfully
(doing Scrum) !
Memo from the CIO that says we’re moving to
an agile/scrum process for all IT projects by
the end of the year.
The plan is to launch five pilots/teams every
quarter.
The CIO is meeting monthly with Stacy to
track the number of projects who are
adopting the agile process.
Stacy is procuring an agile tool to help teams
be consistent in their agile process.

37. Enterprise Agility
Culture
Why
Ecosystem
How
Habits
What
Enterprise Agile is a culture
based on the values and
principles of Agile, supported
by the organizational
ecosystem and manifested
through personal and
organizational habits (how
work really gets done around
here).
An Organizational Ecosystem consists of its:
Leadership, Strategy, Structure, Processes and People

38. The Organizational Ecosystem
Leadership
Strategy
(Goals, Measures of Success, Rewards)
Structure
re
l tu
Cu
Cu
ltu
re
(Style, Values, Habits)
(Roles and Responsibili es, Decisions, Organiza on)
Process
(Value Chain, Policies, Opera ons, Business Processes)
People
(Values, Beliefs, A tudes, Norms, Habits)
Culture

39. When Agile is Just a Process
Unsustainable Agility
Leadership
Cu
ltu
re
(Style, Values, Habits)
Cu
Strategy
(Goals, Measures of Success, Rewards)
ltu
re
Structure
(Roles and Responsibili es, Decisions, Organiza on)
Change
Process
(Value Chain, Policies, Opera ons, Business Processes)
People
(Values, Beliefs, A tudes, Norms, Habits)
Culture

40. Culture needs to be Aligned
Collins & Porras studied:
• 18 “visionary” vs.
comparisons
Stock Market Performance of Visionary
vs. Comparison Companies ($100
invested)
700,000
600,000
Key distinguishing factor:
• presence of a
Strong, Integrated and
Consistent Culture
500,000
400,000
Visionary
Most critical differentiating
factor:
• Alignment – where all
elements of the organization
work in concert
Comparison
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
- Jim Collins & Jerry Porras, Built to Last
1926
1990

41. 2012 Survey – Barriers to Agile Adoption
Ability to change the culture is the
#1 barrier to further agile adoption
4 out of the past 6 years
Source: 7th Annual VersionOne State of Agile Development Survey

42. Process Adoption vs
Culture Transformation
Process Change / Incremental Change
Organizational and Culture Transformation
Focus on Process and Technology
Focus on People
Cascading Decisions
Shared Vision
Training
Educating
Communication
Buy-in
Compliance
Commitment

43. Scaling Agile Spectrum
Single Team Agile
Individual Mindsets and
Team (Sub) Cultures need to
be aligned with Agile
Multiple Team Agile
Chasm between Transformation and Adoption
Organizational
Culture needs to be
Aligned with Agile
Enterprise Agile

44. Culture: The Organizational Ecosystem
Leadership
Strategy
(Goals, Measures of Success, Rewards)
Structure
re
l tu
Cu
Cu
ltu
re
(Style, Values, Habits)
(Roles and Responsibili es, Decisions, Organiza on)
Process
(Value Chain, Policies, Opera ons, Business Processes)
People
(Values, Beliefs, A tudes, Norms, Habits)
Culture

45. Basic Elements of the Sustainable Agility
Human Elements
Non-Human Elements
Measurements

46. Basic Elements of the Sustainable Agility
The Human Elements:
•
A common education journey (not training) to change how people
work and illustrate how to live the Agile Mindset in their job
Leadership Coaching (how to inspire performance not mandate it)
Mentoring and Coaching on an individual and team level.
•
•
Non-Human Elements:
•
Designing and Implementing a multi-stage roadmap to agility that
changes all three of these element in synergy and harmony
A combination of consulting, mentoring, organizational
coaching, business process re-engineering and organizational change
management to roll-out the changes across the organization
•
Measurements:
•
•
•
Establishing a measurement system that is consistently monitoring the
alignment of the culture
Primary measure of progress is the mindset shift and the
transformation of personal and organizational work habits
Reporting progress, as a function of culture change not process
change, nor structure change.

47. Coaching and
Facilitation
Learning
Objectives
Learning
Objectives
Learning
Objectives
Create a Common
Educational Journey
Based on Agile and Agility
(not Scrum and Process)

48. ICAgile’s Roadmap
The Agile Mindset to Disciplines
inside Software Development

49. International
Consortium for Agile
Promote sustainable agility by providing a
complete educational roadmap designed to
introduce everyone in an organization to a
different way of approaching their work that
is appropriate for the non-linear nature of
knowledge work..
53

50. International
Consortium for Agile
1. Defines what to learn by engaging agile experts
to create learning objectives for each discipline
1. Ensure quality education by accrediting courses
for training organizations, corporations, academic
institutes and governments.
2. Recognizing the education and motivating
people to deepen their knowledge and
competency through 3 levels of certifications
(Professional, Expert, Master)
54

51. Defines what to learn by
engaging agile experts to
create learning objectives
for each discipline
Ahmed Sidky
Alex Kell
Alistair Cockburn
Ben Butler
Bob Galen
Brian Corrales
Chris Turner
Christian Hargraves
Cindy Shelton
Claire Moss
Curt Hibbs
Dan Mezick
Dennis Stevens
Derek Huether
Elisabeth Hendrickson
Eric Jacobson
Erin Beierwaltes
Gerard Meszaros
Jeff "Cheezy” Morgan
Jeff Nielsen
Jeffery Payne
Jennifer Stone
Jon Stahl
Kevin Steffensen
Larry Cooper
Laurie Reuben
Lyssa Adkins
Marsha Acker
Michael "Doc" Norton
Michael Spayd
Michi Tyson
Mike Burrows
Mike Griffiths
Olav Maassen
Paul Mahoney
Pete Behrens
Randy Rice
Richard Turner
Sally Elatta
Shane Hastie
Sharon Robson
Venkat Subramanian
and many more …

52. The Learning Objectives

53. Learning Objectives for Every Track
> 60
> 70
> 65
> 60
> 60
> 25
> 30
> 25
Over 400 Learning Objectives
How Many do you have ?

54. Ensure Quality Education by Accrediting Courses for
Training Organizations And Universities and Corporations
Over 25 Active Members of the Consortium of Internal or External Accredited Courses

55. The Accreditation Process
ICAgile Accredits courses for training
companies, corporations and universities

56. Status towards
Expert Level
Selected
Learning
Tracks
Learning
Objective
Completed
Certifications
Completed
Progress
within Tracks
Learning
Objective Not
Yet Completed

58. ICAgile’s Learning Roadmap

59. ICAgile’s Learning Roadmap
KEY
Professional Level Certification
Certification for Intent to learn Agile

60. ICAgile’s Learning Roadmap
KEY
Expert Level Certifications
Certification for demonstration of Competency
Professional Level Certification
Certification for Intent to learn Agile

61. ICAgile’s Learning Roadmap
KEY
Master Level Certification
Certification for demonstration of Proficiency
Expert Level Certifications
Certification for demonstration of Competency
Professional Level Certification
Certification for Intent to learn Agile

62. ICAgile’s Learning Roadmap
KEY
Master Level Certification
Certification for demonstration of Proficiency
Expert Level Certifications
Certification for demonstration of Competency
Professional Level: Continuing Learning Certifications
Certification for assessment of Knowledge Acquisition
Professional Level Certification
Certification for Intent to learn Agile

63. 3. Becoming an ICAgile Certified Expert
5
Apply for ICAgile
Certified Expert (ICE)
Certification
4
Apply and Practice
and Develop
Competency
Once you have completed all the learning needed
for a track and developed sufficient competency
contact ICAgile to apply for the ICAgile Certified
Expert certification.
The ICAgile Certified Expert (ICE) certification requires a
demonstration of competency. Make sure you have practiced
the things you have learned and have become competent in
those skills before applying for the ICE
✔
These learning objectives are covered by completing all the
Continuing Learning Certifications (CLCs) defined within the
track. There are typically 1-3 CLCs per track. Instructors will
assess students during the class before granting CLCs.
3
Obtain all Continuing
Learning
Certification (CLCs)
within a track
2
Select Discipline(s)
of Study
Each track of study (discipline) has a set of learning
objectives the professional must cover to apply for
the ICAgile Certified Expert certification.
1
Obtain
ICAgile Certified
Professional (ICP)
Certification
Attend an Accredited ICAgile Fundamentals
Course by any of our Member Organizations or
transfer equivalent certifications (PMI-ACP… etc.)
✔

64. ICAgile Certifications
Knowledge Based Certifications
1.
ICAgile Certified Professional
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
ICAgile Certified Professional in Agile Team Facilitation
ICAgile Certified Professional in Agile Coaching
ICAgile Certified Professional in Agile Project Management
ICAgile Certified Professional in Agile Program Management
ICAgile Certified Professional in Agile Programming
ICAgile Certified Professional in Agile Software Design
ICAgile Certified Professional in Agile Testing
ICAgile Certified Professional in Test Automation
ICAgile Certified Professional in Business Value Analysis
ICAgile Certified Professional in Business Portfolio Management
ICAgile Certified Professional in Agile Enterprise Coaching
ICAgile Certified Professional in Agile Executive Leadership
Fundamentals
1
2
3
4
5
Continuing
Learning
Certifications
7 Different
Specialty
Tracks
6
7
Competency Based
Certifications
Applying the Knowledge and Developing Experience and Competency
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
ICAgile Certified Expert in Agile Facilitation and Coaching
ICAgile Certified Expert in Agile Project Management
ICAgile Certified Expert in Software Design and Development
ICAgile Certified Expert in Agile Testing
ICAgile Certified Expert in Business Value Management
ICAgile Certified Expert in Enterprise Coaching
ICAgile Certified Expert in Agile Executive Leadership
8.
ICAgile Certified Master Agilist
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Track
Completion
Certification
Competency
Assessment
Proficiency

65. Is your agile learning
accredited by
… Why not ?

66. Thank you
Questions?
Ahmed Sidky, Ph.D.
Twitter: @asidky
asidky@icagile.com
www.icagile.com