3 real life stories and a conclusion as presented in Agile Development Practices Potsdam/Berlin

1. Confessions of a Coach:
Agile Adoption War Stories
Marko Taipale
twitter: @markotaipale
Potsdam, Berlin 2013

2. Why?
Sharing is Caring!
You guys are smart - do not
repeat my mistakes :)

3. 3Stories

4. Livin’ on a Prayer

5. Background: Subcontractor, 3 teams, customer
already “agile”
Assignment: “Help us to deliver in Agile way!”
“We need expertise to deliver this on time”

6. I had to figure out
where they are

7. 600 use cases

8. 600 use cases
6 cases / month

9. 600 use cases
6 cases / month
100 months of work

10. 600 use cases
6 cases / month
100 months of work
400% improvement, 600 / 24 = 25 months

11. 600 use cases
6 cases / month
100 months of work
400% improvement, 600 / 24 = 25 months
They got 6 months

12. What is the purpose of
this system?
What would you do?

13. Customer went crazy...
and then Subcontractor
went to denial
“We just need stronger management
to push this trough”

14. I got repositioned

15. Result: Subcontractor told that they are not
going to renegotiate the deal
Lesson: Make them to study the situation and
have no agenda

16. The Goal

17. Background: 500+ employee software
company, some Scrum teams
Assignment: Improve our time-to-market
“We are way too slow!”

18. Value Stream

19. Resource Dev &
Order Prioritise
allocation Test

20. Resource Dev &
Order Prioritise
allocation Test
1w 1d 2m 1d 1w 6m
8 months

21. Active Waiting
orders for resources Released
420 160 5
Resource Dev &
Order Prioritise
allocation Test
1w 1d 2m 1d 1w 6m
8 months

22. I took a look at how
they feed the system

23. Portfolio
DevDir
Goal: profit, cost-
effective, fast

24. I. Regulations
II. Biz dev
III. Customer reqs
Portfolio
DevDir
What is the priority?
PO PO PO
Goal: profit, cost-
effective, fast

25. I. Regulations
II. Biz dev Bonus!
III. Customer reqs
Portfolio
Sales Dir
DevDir
How do I get bonus?!
What is the priority?
PO PO PO
Goal: profit, cost-
Goal: Growth!
effective, fast

26. I. Regulations
II. Biz dev Bonus!
III. Customer reqs
Portfolio
Sales Dir
DevDir
How do I get bonus?!
What is the priority? Contract
Sanction
PO PO PO
clause
Goal: profit, cost-
Goal: Growth!
effective, fast

27. I. Regulations
II. Biz dev Bonus!
III. Customer reqs
Portfolio
Sales Dir
DevDir
How do I get bonus?!
What is the priority? Contract
Sanction
HIGH RISK!
PO PO PO
clause
Goal: profit, cost-
Goal: Growth!
effective, fast

28. What is the purpose of
this system?
What would you do?

29. Connect Development
and Sales Directors
“We shall take care of this!”

30. Result: a new way to control resource
allocation (?!)
Lesson: Misaligned goals with incentives destroy
the system performance.
There are no “evil” people rather systems that
reward counter-productive behavior.

31. The Whole

32. Background: International gaming company, TO
100 Meur, 400+ people
Assignment: “Scale up our product
development to serve the needs of the business.”
“Our product development is the bottleneck”

33. After 2 years
10+ Scrum teams,
6 week company wide sprints
We’re done, right?

34. Business Development:
“I do not know what have you done, but we have not
improved a bit...”

35. Development
2m (6m)

36. Development Deployment
2m (6m) 3w

37. Internal Customer
Idea Resourcing
approval approval
2h 2h 1d
Design Development Deployment
1m 2m (6m) 3w

38. 35
Internal Customer
Idea Resourcing
approval approval
2d 1m 6m
2h 2h 1d
1w
6m 6m
Design Development Deployment
1m 15 2m (6m) 12 3w
3m
24m

39. 35
Internal Customer
Idea Resourcing
approval approval
2d 1m 6m
2h 2h 1d
1w
Scrum!
6m 6m
Design Development Deployment
1m 15 2m (6m) 12 3w
3m
24m

40. 35
Internal Customer
Idea Resourcing
approval approval
2d 1m 6m
2h 2h 1d
1w
Scrum!
6m 6m
Design Development Deployment
1m 15 2m (6m) 12 3w
3m
24m

41. Thanks to Henrik Kniberg taking the shot! :)

42. What is the purpose of
this system?
What would you do?

43. Development Director
“You shall not show this to anyone...”
Why?

44. After some drastic changes...
0-3kk
Ideas.. Development
3-6 3m

45. Result: Time-to-Market 24 months to 3 months
Lesson:
• Beware suboptimization -> Optimize the whole
• Showing it does not mean fixing it
• Find a way to get commitment

46. What can we learn
from this?

47. Thinking
System
Performance

48. Thinking
Analysis System Change
Performance

49. Purpose
Metrics
Permission
Context
Change

50. Clarify the purpose of the company (from
Purpose customer point of view)
Metrics Measure how the system fulfills it’s purpose
Get the permission (and commitment) for
Permission change
Context Understand the boundaries and SWOT
Change the system, only implement changes
Change that are relevant to the purpose

51. Purpose
Metrics
Permission
Coach the management to do this
Context
Change

52. Purpose
Metrics
Permission
PDCA cycles
Context
Change

53. It is not about agile or lean...
... nor transformation

54. It is not about agile or lean...
... nor transformation
It is about the system...
... and fulfilling the purpose of the system

55. It is not about agile or lean...
... nor transformation
It is about the system...
... and fulfilling the purpose of the system
You are not going to change a thing...
... but you can initiate the change

56. Marko Taipale
• Principal consultant with agile/lean mindset, CTO, Advisor
• 15+ years of software development
• Capabilities to deliver products from concept to cash
• Tens of public speaking appearances
International online gaming company (TO 100+ Meur) improved time-to-market from 24
months to 3 months
Energy company purchased process control system and got the delivery 4 times faster than
expected.The system secured the business for next 2 years.
Software company validated new business model for new product in 2 months.
Software product company saved 1,3 Meur / year in management and administration.

57. Please
evaluate
my
presenta/on
by
using
the
evalua/on
booklets
which
you
can
find
in
your
conference
bag.
Thank
you!