Mike Register presented on Salesforce's large-scale agile transformation journey over the past decade. In 2006, Salesforce introduced an agile methodology called ADM to scale agile practices as the company grew rapidly. While initial results were good, over time challenges emerged such as stale practices and a lack of coaching. To address this, Salesforce scaled up their coaching structure with an Enterprise Coaching Office and Business Unit coaches, and grew Scrum Masters into team coaches through new training and certification. They also emphasized agile principles over practices and cultivated communities to sustain their transformation. The results included increased trust, collaboration, and engagement along with sustainable agility.
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A Very Large Enterprise Agile Transformation: Lessons Learned at Salesforce
1. AW13
Agile Development Concurrent Session
11/12/2014 4:15 PM
"A Very Large Enterprise Agile
Transformation: Lessons
Learned at Salesforce"
Presented by:
Mike Register
Salesforce.com
Brought to you by:
340 Corporate Way, Suite 300, Orange Park, FL 32073
888-268-8770 ∙ 904-278-0524 ∙ sqeinfo@sqe.com ∙ www.sqe.com
2. As an agile coach and trainer at Salesforce.com, Mike
Register continues his twenty-five year journey to help organizations
deliver the highest quality software continuously to market in a
business environment that is constantly adapting. For more than ten
years, Mike has led and coached agile teams and organizations—
from the very small to the very large. Prior to joining Salesforce, he
launched and guided agile transformations at multiple companies in
the healthcare and finance industries. At Salesforce, Mike’s primary
role as an enterprise coach and trainer involves guiding, evolving,
and adapting a worldwide, very large agile implementation.
3. Sustaining a Very
Large Agile Enterprise
Transformation
Agile Development East Conference 2014
• Mike Register
• Agile Coach
• @MikeSRegister
8. We Introduced the Adaptive Delivery Methodology
(ADM)
ADM is Salesforce.com’sAgile Implementation:
• Comprised of Scrum project management framework
• Adopts Extreme Programming (XP) practices
• Based on Lean principles
9. Results of 2006 Transformation
• Increased feature throughput
• Predictable, regular release cadence
• Prioritized work
• Test automation
• Regular sprint reviews
• Team retrospectives
• Scrum of Scrums to support teamwork across teams
• Reduction in technical debt
12. What Continued to Work Well
Robust Initial Agile
Implementation
Agile Coaching Office
BUs = Value Streams Company Culture
Lean Principles
Scrum XP
13. Challenges Sustaining a Transformation
Principles forgotten; practices become stale
Coaches losing touch
with teams
Enterprise
Agility
Too much
WIP
Command & Control
seeping back in
One size does NOT
fit all teams
14. Why was this Happening?
• Cultural shifts resulting from:
– Rapid growth
– Team composition
– ScrumMaster role not well understood
– Acquisitions: SomeAgile; some not
• Gap in role-based training
• Coaches needed to reach up and across the org
• Principles behind practices not well understood
PULLED
IN TOO
MANY
DIRECTIONS
15. Solutions to Grow and Evolve Our Transformation
1. ScaleAgile Coaches through Enterprise Coaching Office, BU Coaches,
and ScrumMasters
2. Grow ScrumMasters into Team Coaches
3. Create Training that emphasizes principles and informs roles
4. Cultivate community and culture
17. Scaling Model
• 1 Enterprise Coaching Office
• 5 Enterprise Agile Coaches
• 20+ Business Units
• 200+ Scrum Teams
• 150+ ScrumMasters
Enterprise
Coaching
Office
BU
Coach
SM SM SM
BU
Coach
BU
Coach
SM
SM
SM
SM
SM
SM
SM
SM SM
SM
SM
SM
BU
Coach
BU
Coach
18. Enterprise Coaching Office
Partners with BU Coaches and oversees Enterprise’s health
• Services:
– Training
– Coaching
– Lead org transformation
– Facilitation
– Strategic Initiatives
• Engages Enterprise leadership
• EnterpriseAgility Initiatives
• Attends to Enterprise health
19. Business Unit / Program Coaches
• Recognized Leader: strong influencer and change agent
• Collaborates with Chief Product Owner
• Measures and tracks team health
• Continually improves quality and delivery practices
• Regularly conducts program level retrospectives
• Collaborates with other BU / program coaches
• Collaborates with Enterprise Coaching Office on enterprise-wide initiatives
Coaches ScrumMasters and oversees the BU’s or program’s health
20. ScrumMasters
• Recognized leader
• Deep knowledge of Scrum, Lean principles
• Desire and ability to coachAgile principles and practices
• Optimizes team throughput
• Great facilitator
• Measures and tracks team health
• Continually improves quality and delivery practices
• Protects the team
Team coaches that oversee the team’s health
22. Growing ScrumMasters into Team Coaches
3 Step Program
• Revamped SM training
• Internal Certification of Scrum Masters
• ScrumMaster Qualifications
23. Revamped ScrumMaster Training
• The ScrumMaster role and competencies
• Lean Principles: Focus on the WHY
• Tips and best practices for Scrum
• Facilitation role play
• Team Coaching:
– How
– When
– Practice
Training emphasizes coaching and facilitation
25. ScrumMaster Certification Key Learnings
• This is a large effort!
• Track results
• ScrumMaster engagement
• What is going on withALL the teams
• Themes start to emerge
• Set expectations; understand context
• Evaluated vs. coached
26. ScrumMaster Qualifications
• Qualities: Leadership,Agile interest, intellectual curiosity, desire to coach
• Experience: Quantitative and qualitative
• Training: 3 days internal training
• Certification: Pass the program
28. Training Strategy
• Focus on Lean principles
• Flexibility in practice
• Role-based training:
– New HireAgile Training:
TRAIN EVERYONE
– Product Owner
– Leadership
– ScrumMaster
29. Focus on Lean Principles
• Emphasize the WHY: Lean
• Give options on the practices
(HOW)
• Allow context and principles to
drive practice selection
30. Flexibility in Practice
Keep the practices evolving and adapting
• Introduce new frameworks, practices
– Example: Kanban
• Introduce new options on existing
frameworks and ceremonies
– Example: Retrospectives
32. Communities of Practice (CoP)
• ScrumMaster CoPs:
– Participants:All ScrumMasters in the BU
– Led by the BU / Program Coach
• Enterprise-wideAgile CoP:
– Participants:All Program Coaches across the Enterprise
– Led by a Coach from the Enterprise Coaching Office
• Functional / Engineering CoPs:
– Participants: Technical leaders in a functional discipline
– Led by well known leader in the functional area
33. Culture: Tending the Agile Garden
• Strategies:
– EmphasizeAgile mindset and values
– Recruit forAgile mindset
– Cultivate Executive support
– Leadership training
– DevOps initiative
34. Additional work we’ve done…
• Retrospective workshops
– Focus on teaching ScrumMasters how to facilitate effective retros
– Includes remote / distributed retrospectives
• Renewed emphasis on sprint reviews
– Educating ScrumMasters about “real” sprint reviews
• Renewed emphasis on getting to done every sprint
– Revised Enterprise-level Definition of Done (DoD)
• Kanban
– Targeted primarily at Operations teams
– Applied in a global, “follow the sun” support model
36. The Fruits of our Labor
Increased Trust, Collaboration
Larger Practices Toolkit
Predictable Delivery
Sustainable Culture
ScrumMasters more engaged and valued
Deeper connection with Agile principles
Role Clarity
Communities for ongoing support
38. What Ideas Can You Apply?
Coaching Grow
ScrumMasters
Training Culture
Enterprise
Coaching Office
SM Training:
Facilitation and
Coaching
Train
everyone
Focus on
Principles and
Mindset
Business Unit
Coaching
Internal
Certification
Leadership
training
Recruit for Agile
Mindset
Grow SMs into
Team Coaches
SM Qualifications Emphasize
Principles
Executive
Support
Flexible and
evolving
Practices
