Business-driven It-wide Agile Scrum and Kanban Lean Implementation

by Pham, Andrew T.; Pham, David K.

• ISBN13: 9781466557482
• ISBN10: 1466557486
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-08-27
• Publisher: Productivity Pr

Summary

Written for business and IT executives, this practical book examines change, communication, a sense of urgency, clear and measurable goals, political realities and infrastructure needs-all critical ingredients for success. Through real world examples, the authors explain how IT-wide Agile (Scrum) and especially Kanban (Lean) process can be implemented. The authors point out that Agile and Lean-Kanban have something to contribute to the diverse teams that make up an IT department and how they must work closely with the business to best meet the business' needs.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xiii
Foreword	p. xv
Preface: What is This Book About?	p. xix
Acknowledgments	p. xxi
About the Authors	p. xxiii
Setting Up The Stage
Ineffectiveness of IT Software Project Management and Development: What Can We Do about It?	p. 3
Why Are Command-and-Control and Waterfall Life Cycle Approaches Harmful When Used Together?	p. 4
What Can We Do about It?	p. 6
Executive Summary of Agile (Scrum) and Kanban (Lean)	p. 7
So, What Is Agile?	p. 7
Agile Manifesto	p. 7
Example of a Known Agile Process: Scrum	p. 9
Agile Practices in a Nutshell	p. 11
So, What Is Lean and What Is Kanban?	p. 12
So, What Is Lean?	p. 12
So, What Is Kanban?	p. 14
Kanban Practices in a Nutshell	p. 22
Similarities between Agile/Scrum and Kanban	p. 22
Summary	p. 24
Endnotes	p. 24
Why Agile Alone May Not Be Enough or the Right Solution, and Why Implementing Agile or Kanban without Good Business Objectives Will Normally Fail	p. 27
Why Agile Alone May Not Be Enough (Preliminary Case Study #1)	p. 27
Initial Planning	p. 28
Pilot Project Team	p. 28
Initial Project Team Training	p. 28
On-Site Scrum Workshop	p. 29
Second Sprint: Another Hit for the Team!	p. 30
Third Sprint: Things Started to Rumble	p. 30
Fourth Sprint: Things Became Worse and Worse	p. 30
Fifth Sprint: Project Was Cancelled!	p. 30
Lessons Learned	p. 30
From Scrum to Kanban (Preliminary Case Study #2)	p. 32
Context	p. 32
Information Technology	p. 33
There Is Nothing They Do Not Have	p. 33
Feedback from the Trenches	p. 33
Finally the Truth Came Out	p. 33
Kanban Came to the Rescue	p. 34
Pitfalls of New Software Processes	p. 34
Release and Sprint Planning	p. 35
Scrum Ceremonies	p. 36
First Month	p. 36
Change in Product Owner	p. 36
Different Understanding of Agile and Scrum	p. 37
Building New Expectations	p. 37
Nice Surprise	p. 38
Agile Started to Rumble	p. 38
Back to Waterfall and Command and Control	p. 39
Business Goals-Driven IT-Wide Software Delivery Improvement Framework
Seven-Step Software Delivery Improvement Framework	p. 43
Description	p. 43
Identify the Business Sponsor and Her or His Needs and Goals	p. 43
Identify the Business Sponsor	p. 43
Identify Business Problems and Issues	p. 44
Identify Business and IT Goals	p. 45
Identify Measurements	p. 45
Perform Environment Boundary Identification and Assessment	p. 45
Identify the Boundary	p. 46
Environment Assessment	p. 46
Findings Summary	p. 46
Envision Scenarios and Risks	p. 46
Detail the Chosen Action Plan	p. 47
Implement the Chosen Action Plan	p. 47
Inspect the Implementation's Progress	p. 47
Adapt the Chosen Action Plan (as Needed)	p. 47
Summary	p. 48
Step 1: Identify the (Business) Sponsor and Her or His Needs and Goals	p. 49
Identify the (Business) Sponsor(s)	p. 49
Identify the Sponsor(s)' Needs and Goals	p. 50
Summary	p. 52
Step 2: Perform Environment Boundary Identification and Assessment	p. 53
How to Identify the Environment Boundary	p. 53
Assess the Identified Business and IT Environment	p. 54
Findings Summary	p. 56
Summary	p. 56
Step 3: Envision Scenarios and Risks	p. 63
From Goals to Action Items (in Bypassing the Assessment)	p. 63
How to Identify Risks (for Different Scenarios)	p. 65
Scenario Consolidation	p. 68
Summary	p. 69
Step 4: Detail the Chosen Action Plan	p. 71
Anatomy of a Detailed Scenario (Chosen Action Plan)	p. 71
Seven Characteristics of a Good Action Plan	p. 74
Summary	p. 76
Step 5: Implement the Chosen Action Plan	p. 77
Set Up the Implementation Structure	p. 77
Seven Characteristics of an Effective Plan Execution	p. 78
Summary	p. 79
Step 6: Inspecting the Implementation's Progress	p. 81
Why Is Regular Progress Inspection Critical?	p. 81
What to Inspect	p. 81
At the Overall Plan Level	p. 82
At the Action Item Level	p. 82
Summary	p. 83
Step 7: Adapt the Chosen Action Plan (as Needed)	p. 87
Different Types of Change	p. 87
Strategic Change	p. 87
Operational Change	p. 87
Examples of Adaptations	p. 88
Strategic Impact	p. 88
Operational Impact	p. 88
Summary	p. 88
Retrospectives
Lessons Learned	p. 93
Case Studies
"Customized Agile Combined with Kanban"	p. 97
Identify Business Sponsor and Her or His Needs and Goals	p. 97
Perform ATP's Environment Boundary Identification and Assessment	p. 100
ATP Process Improvement Effort's Boundary	p. 100
Environment Assessment	p. 101
Findings Summary	p. 101
Envision ATP Scenarios	p. 111
Develop the Detailed Action Plan for ATP	p. 112
Execute the ATP Action Plan	p. 119
Inspect ATP Execution's Progress	p. 122
Identify and Mitigate Risks	p. 122
Organize Effective Retrospectives and Learn from Their Lessons	p. 125
Lessons	p. 125
Inspect the Actual Budget to Watch Out for Variance	p. 125
Watch Out for Positive (and Less than Positive) Changes Coming from the Different Dimensions	p. 126
Adapt the ATP Plan	p. 126
Change from the Action Items and the Environment Reaction to the Action Plan	p. 127
Change Due to Change in Business and/or IT Strategy	p. 128
Lessons Learned	p. 128
"(Customized) Agile and Kanban Coexistence"	p. 131
Identify WTR's Business Sponsor and Her Needs and Goals	p. 132
Mary Beckers's Organization	p. 132
First Preliminary Training	p. 132
Perform WTR Environment Boundary Identification and Assessment	p. 136
WTR Scenarios Envisioning	p. 138
Scenarios Risk Analysis	p. 138
Developing the Detailed Action Plan for WTR	p. 139
Execute the WTR Action Plan	p. 139
Inspect Progress of the WTR Action Plan	p. 141
Identify and Mitigate Risks	p. 142
Lessons from the Pilot Project's Retrospectives	p. 146
Inspect the Actual Budget to Watch Out for Variance	p. 146
Watch Out for Positive-and Less than Positive-Changes on the Different Dimensions	p. 146
Adapt the WTR Action Plan	p. 146
Changes Coming from the Action Items and the Environment Reaction to the Action Plan	p. 146
Organizational	p. 146
Process	p. 149
Change Due to Change in Business and/or IT Strategy	p. 150
Lessons Learned	p. 150
Appendices
From the Project Management Office to the Project Delivery Office	p. 155
Modify the Traditional Project Manager's Job Description	p. 156
Project Manager's Traditional Job Description	p. 156
Agile/Lean Project Manager's New Job Description	p. 156
Change the Way the PMO Calculates Its Project Estimate	p. 157
Change Management	p. 159
Two Most Important Tools of a Good Software Development Infrastructure	p. 161
Continuous Integration	p. 161
Automated Testing	p. 162
Glossary	p. 163
Bibliography	p. 167
Index	p. 169
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