The agile values and practices we all hold dear give us more than the ability to tackle problems associated with software development. They give us the ability to tackle Awesome Superproblems. These are problems that are bigger than what one person can solve alone and get worse through inaction. They require collaboration and foundation for action, even when the actions cannot be proven correct when they are enacted.
Despite their enormous challenge, when we make progress on solving Awesome Superproblems we find that new patterns that can be applied to solve classes of similar problems.
In this presentation, usually given as a conference keynote, I show the collaborative, social, and serious games that have their roots in the Agile Community have blossomed into multidimensional frameworks that are being used by agilists around the world to solve awesome superproblems. Without any special superpowers except a willingness to try.
20. Product Box
Remember
the Future
Spider Web
Start Your Day
Speed Boat
Discover
Unmet Needs
Identify
Impediments
Relationships
Patterns of Use
Goal-Driven
Planning
21. Buy a Feature
★ 12 to 20 items described in terms of benefits and costs
★ 5 to 8 players given limited budget and buy what they want
27. Participants were San José
residents, Neighborhood
Associations Leaders and the
Youth Commission, carefully
balanced across the tables.
Subject Matter Experts
answered questions.
Brett McCallon
29. San José
residents chose
2011 Proposals Funded: By Table
(Total 12 tables)
Pavement Maintenance
over Libraries
General Code Enforcement
Pavement Maintenance
Anti-graffiti
Safe Schools Campus Initiative (SSCI)
San Jose Best CBO
Strong Neighborhoods Initiative
Branch Libraries
Children's Health Initiative
Hub Community Centers
Streetlights
Park Restrooms
Citywide Traffic Safety Services
Park Rangers
MLK Library
Christmas in the Park
HNVF Community Based Orgs
Crossing Guards
Holiday Parade
10
10
9
8
8
8
7
7
7
7
6
5
5
3
2
2
1
1
Yes, that’s radical
30. 2011 Budget Games Impact
★ Reductions in Fire Department staffing
★ Reductions in Police Department staffing
★ Delays in libraries and elimination of services
★ Funding of key proposals
42. Davide: Interesting exercise. I've done it in person at city hall once
before. worked very similarly.
Jean: This is better than the in-person game.
Facilitator: What about it did you like more Jean?
Jean: Not noisy, could "hear" everyone. Real-time updates of the
balances. I could keep track of others values via their bids. No side
chatter. Better focus on task.
Davide: It came down to the facts. No body language, no
prejudices, just ideas and dealing.
72. Business Decisions #fail because…
1. We don’t create options
2. We don’t assess actions
3. We don’t consider drawbacks
4. We don’t deliberate (collaborate)
76. A process whereby citizens evaluate:
★ strategies for attacking a problem
★ actions that must be taken
★ drawbacks of each action
Deliberative Forums
88. What other kinds of
problems can we tackle?
opportunities create?
89. At regular intervals, the team
reflects on how to become more
effective, then tunes and adjusts
its behavior accordingly.
90.
91. Retrospective Outcomes / Impact
time
Impact/Benefit
Early
Adoption
Team
Maturation
Organizational
Limits
Why
Bother?
92. Retrospective Outcomes / Impact
time
Impact/Benefit
Early
Adoption
Team
Maturation
Organizational
Limits
Enterprise
Retros!
If you’re going to Scale
Agile then you need to
Scale Retrospectives!
105. Boss, I want to engage my team in a
goal-directed activity with clearly
defined rules of engagement.
Progress towards achievement of the
goal will be tracked through clearly
communicated status indicators.
“
”
106. Boss, I want to engage my team in a
goal-directed activity with clearly
defined rules of engagement.
Progress towards achievement of the
goal will be tracked through clearly
communicated status indicators.
strategic
“
”
107. Boss, I want to engage my team in a
goal-directed activity with clearly
defined rules of engagement.
Progress towards achievement of the
goal will be tracked through clearly
communicated status indicators.
strategic
“
”
exercise
108. Boss, I want to engage my team in a
goal-directed activity with clearly
defined rules of engagement.
Progress towards achievement of the
goal will be tracked through clearly
communicated status indicators.
information radiators.
strategic
“
”
exercise
112. 2 Games / Year
5 Participants / Game
10% Player Conversion Rate
-
50,000,000
100,000,000
150,000,000
200,000,000
250,000,000
2015201620172018201920202021202220232024202520262027202820292030203120322033203420352036203720382039
CCAs
Forums / Year
Participants / Year
113. #1 Take an economic view
#2 Apply systems thinking
#3 Assume variability; preserve options
#4 Build incrementally with fast, integrated learning cycles
#5 Base milestones on objective evaluation of working systems
#6 Visualize and limit WIP, reduce batch sizes, and manage queue lengths
#7 Apply cadence, synchronize with cross-domain planning
#8 Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers
#9 Decentralize decision-making
#10 Organize around value
What might
really happen?
We might create a
world congruent
with our values.
Dennis Britton Story – saving the games and the power of a common framework and training
Techniques that you use in business to prioritize features, backlogs and projects can be used to prioritize city budgets, etc.
Techniques that you use in business to prioritize features, backlogs and projects can be used to prioritize city budgets, etc.
I first learned about the super hero pose from Gray’s.
To address problems like school overcrowding citizens need to assess their options and the implications of these options BEFORE allocating money.
It failed because you can’t solve a wicked problem with a technical approach.
Wicked problems exist at all levels – from local issues, to state issues, to national issues, to international issues.
SXSW is the world’s largest independent film, music and interactive media festival.
You are
I’m not asking you to be superman or wonder woman
He was from kryptonite and she was an amazon
I am asking you to be Batman.
Here is your belt, clip and collaboration tools.
So that you can solve awesome superproblems.