1. Beyond Functional Silos
With Communities of
Practice
Brian Bozzuto
&
Dennis Stevens

2. Our Journey

3. What We’re Going to Talk
About…
! What is a Community of Practice?
! Why Would You Use A Community of Practice?
! How Would you Go About Starting a Community of
Practice?

4. Two Early Examples
Chrysler Xerox
! 1988, Chrysler re- ! Initially started as
organized from a informal gatherings
functional hierarchy to among field technicians
one structured around
product lines ! Eventually grew to an
online database and
! “Tech clubs” were forum of experiences,
originally informal groups knowledge, and problem
of engineers around a resolutions
given domain (i.e. brakes)

5. Definition of a Community of Practice
Domain Practice Community
• A common purpose • People actively working • A social network of
and experience in the domain looking people
to share and get
support

6. Comparing Organizational
Structures
Functional Center of Community
Silo Excellence of Practice
Structured Informal Peer
Formal Hierarchy
Department Groups
People working in Abstract knowledge People working in
Domain on topic Domain
Goal is Business Goal is technical Goal is knowledge
Outcomes mastery acquisition
People join based People join based
Members self-select
on title / position on a job or expertise

7. Differing Levels of Participation
Coordinator
Core Group
Active
Peripheral

8. Community Infrastructure
Virtual Face to Face
! Discussion boards & Email ! Brown bag lunches
! Wikis & Activity Feeds ! Off site meetings
! Regularly scheduled forums
! Webinars
! Community Vision and
! Coordination Meetings Planning
You most likely want a blend of different mediums to
compliment the diversity of people in your community

9. Formality of Communities
! Unrecognized – tacit community, members not even
aware
! Bootlegged – small community operating
unbeknownst to most in the organization
! Legitimized – officially recognized by the organization
! Supported – supported materially by the organization
! Institutionalized – built into the processes of the
organization

10. The Uses of Communities of
Practice
Some Case Studies

11. Project Management Institute
“Deliver Value Now”
Domain: Helping project
managers thrive using agile
techniques
Community: 16,000 PMI
members who have joined the
community world wide
Practice:
• Experience reports
• Internal agile projects
• Online content
• Presence at conferences

12. Various Organizations Implementing Agile
“Establish a Shared Vision & Make Meaning”
Domain: Helping Scrum Masters
figure out their role and how to
be effective
Community: ScrumMasters and
other interested members of
Agile teams
Practice:
• Joint problem solving
• Research projects
• Experience sharing
• Peer coaching
• Traveling facilitation

13. Transformation Teams
“Be Open to Evolution Over Time”
Domain: Management learning their
role as facilitators of change and
mentors
Community: Functional Managers,
Subject Matter Experts, and interested
members from teams
Practice:
• Assess impediments
• Provide coordinated
coaching and support
• Share change strategies,
success and failures
• Explore interdependencies
between functional silos

14. Starting a Community of
Practice
Some Case Studies

15. Path to Convening a Community
! Engage potential members
! Establish a shared vision
! Recruit a core group of active members and establish
the supporting infrastructure
! Find a fast path to deliver value
! Design the community to adapt to emerging needs

16. Community Canvas Example
Key Partnerships: Key Activities: Value Prop.: Relationships: Member
• What people or • How will the • WIFM? (May vary • How are people Segments:
groups are community by member) related? • PMI Members
external to the interact? • What can this • Formal / looking to learn
community but of • What will they offer, that other Informal? more about Agile
paramount value? do? avenues can’t? • Boss, Peer, Other?
Key Resources: Channels:
• What resources • How will people
are available to be interact?
brought to bear?
Cost Structure: Revenue (Value) Streams:
• What is the cost of this community both financial and • What value are people getting out of being part of this
non-financial? community?
• How much does a community member pay (in time, • What value does the organization get by supporting this
frustration, distraction, etc.) in order to be a part of this community?
community?

17. Community Canvas Example
Key Partnerships: Key Activities: Value Prop.: Relationships: Member
• What people or • How will the • WIFM? (May vary • How are people Segments:
groups are community by member) related? • PMI Members
external to the interact? • What can this • Formal / looking to learn
community but of • What will they offer, that other Informal? more about Agile
paramount value? do? avenues can’t? • Boss, Peer, Other?
Key Resources: Channels:
• What resources • How will people
are available to be interact?
brought to bear? Domain
Cost Structure: Revenue (Value) Streams:
• What is the cost of this community both financial and • What value are people getting out of being part of this
non-financial? community?
• How much does a community member pay (in time, • What value does the organization get by supporting this
frustration, distraction, etc.) in order to be a part of this community?
community?

18. Community Canvas Example
Key Partnerships: Key Activities: Value Prop.: Relationships: Member
• What people or • How will the • WIFM? (May vary • How are people Segments:
groups are community by member) related? • PMI Members
external to the interact? • What can this • Formal / looking to learn
community but of • What will they offer, that other Informal? more about Agile
paramount value? do? avenues can’t? • Boss, Peer, Other?
Key Resources: Channels:
• What resources • How will people
are available to be interact?
Practice
brought to bear?
Cost Structure: Revenue (Value) Streams:
• What is the cost of this community both financial and • What value are people getting out of being part of this
non-financial? community?
• How much does a community member pay (in time, • What value does the organization get by supporting this
frustration, distraction, etc.) in order to be a part of this community?
community?

19. Community Canvas Example
Key Partnerships: Key Activities: Value Prop.: Relationships: Member
• What people or • How will the • WIFM? (May vary • How are people Segments:
groups are community by member) related? • PMI Members
external to the interact? • What can this • Formal / looking to learn
community but of • What will they offer, that other Informal? more about Agile
paramount value? do? avenues can’t? • Boss, Peer, Other?
Key Resources: Channels:
• What resources • How will people
are available to be interact?
brought to bear? Community
Cost Structure: Revenue (Value) Streams:
• What is the cost of this community both financial and • What value are people getting out of being part of this
non-financial? community?
• How much does a community member pay (in time, • What value does the organization get by supporting this
frustration, distraction, etc.) in order to be a part of this community?
community?

20. Community Canvas Example - PMI
Key Partnerships: Key Activities: Value Prop.: Relationships: Member
• Agile Alliance • Regular webinars • Experts – • Group of Segments:
• Scrum Alliance • Manage PMI opportunity to committed Domain – PMI
• Sponsors relationship show their skills volunteers members looking to
• PMI-ACP Group • Volunteer teams & get business • Most members apply Agile practice in
pursuing new • Practitioners – don’t have their work
initiatives build network, get established • Experts
experience relationships • Practitioners
• New to Agile – get • New to Agile
Key Resources: support and Channels:
• New volunteers trusted • Webinars
(burn out) information • Online Site
• Web Platform • Emails
• Webinar Platform • Conferences
Cost Structure: Revenue (Value) Streams:
• Cost of web presence • Increased retention of PMI Members (difficult to
• Travel to conferences measure)
• Sponsorship revenue

21. Key Questions to Jumpstart
Your Community
! What makes this a clear community?
! How can the community deliver value now?
! Who can help you build and sustain this?

22. Thank You!
Brian Bozzuto Dennis Stevens
bbozzuto@bigvisible.com dennis@leadingagile.com
BigVisible Leading Agile
Additional Resources
! http://www.ewenger.com
! http://wenger-trayner.com