Agile works when it's not about agile

Agile funciona
cuando no se
trata de Agile neil_killickNeil Killick, 2017, All Rights Reserved
Agile works
when it’s not
about Agile
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battles.wikia.com/wiki/File:Paradox_pic.jpg

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https://www.pinterest.com.au/
pin/321092648408805451/

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http://medialiteracyproject.org/blog/where-
were-you-day-1993/

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before-Great-War/dp/0099575787

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/henry

Agile is 4 values
and 12 principles
You can start today!
But we tell people…

…to be agile, you must…

Invest in cloud, DevOps and test automation
training, tools and infrastructure…
Image credit: http://labs.sogeti.com/our-top-10-2014-the-things-
cloud-does-not-solve/

and… Reorganise developers, testers, analysts and
designers into co-located, cross-functional teams…
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functional-team/

and…
Stop using
projects
(and hiring
project
managers)
…
Image credit: https://crcpg.com.au/appoint-specialist-project-leader-
works-tenant/

and…
Change QAs’ job
description to
“Agile tester”
(and change the
way they
work)…
Image credit: https://www.testingexcellence.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/02/Agile_Tester.jpg

and… Turn Project Managers into
Scrum Masters or Product Owners
who let teams self-organise…
Image credit: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/five-simple-tips-
become-super-scrum-master-joanna-khoury/

and… Train developers and
testers in Scrum and Extreme
Programming techniques
(and hope they’re willing)…
neil_killickNeil Killick, 2017, All Rights Reserved Image credit: http://www.livingworks.com.au/training-and-trainers/

and…
Ensure all
business
requirements
are captured
as user
stories…
Image credit: https://www.excella.com/insights/lets-sharpen-
your-agile-ax-its-story-splitting-time

and… Get business stakeholders to
write acceptance criteria with the
development team…
Image credit:
https://www.leadingagile.com/2014/09/acceptance-criteria/

and… Make sure everyone puts all
their work on walls around the office
(and/or in an “agile tool”)…
Image credit: http://www.usabilitycounts.com/2013/10/11/why-i-
love-user-stories/

and… Make sure everyone has a
stand-up meeting every morning…
neil_killickNeil Killick, 2017, All Rights Reserved Image credit: http://blog.idonethis.com/daily-standups/

and…
Tell developers to
stop estimating in
time and start using
story points…
neil_killickNeil Killick, 2017, All Rights Reserved Image credit: https://mplaza.pm/what-is-scrum-story-points/

Image credit: https://medium.com/@joelstockstill/baby-
steps-or-giant-steps-c83055c9d8de

It’s not a bullet at all
Agile isn’t a
silver bullet
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man-Daniel-Browning-Smith.aspx
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https://thesalesscientist.wordpress.com/20
15/03/06/there-is-no-silver-bullet-in-sales/

for Agile’s
sake?
Are you using Agile
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most-Flexible-man-Daniel-Browning-Smith.aspx

Example – We want Agile because we want
to beat our competitors to market
OK – what currently stops you from beating
your competitors to market?

and/or
and/or
OK, what can we do to improve the situation?

Solution (experiment options):
• Identify MVP’s/MMF’s for Release 1
• Impact mapping

Solution (experiment options):
• Establish UAT environment on physical/virtual server
• Automate scripts
• Cross-skill team members (e.g. document deployment process, pairing)
• Open up permissions
• Deploy on a cadence, incrementally improving deploy time

Listen to what was NOT said
Image credit: https://www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/2015/05/18/shush-
the-deadly-sin-by-teachertoolkit/
We need to collaborate
better, so let’s restructure
the teams and have daily
stand-ups!!
Our estimates are always
wrong, so we should
change the way we do
them!
Our quality is bad – we
need more Agile testers!
We need everyone to put
their work on the walls!
We need to translate our
BRD’s into backlogs of
user stories!

Put everything in AWS
Neil Killick, 2017, All Rights Reserved
Deliver stories every 2 weeks
Have retrospectives
Re-organise into cross-functional teams
Implement DevOps
Turn PM’s into PO’s
Estimate in story points
Etc.
neil_killick

Which problem(s) should we
solve first?

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¡Muchas gracias!
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Agile works when it's not about agile

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