Lessons Learned from Becoming Agile at Electronic

Arts:Using Scrum and Kanban to develop EA's

Physics Engine

Who is EA?

© 2011 Electronic Arts Inc

What do games use physics for?

ClothCollision

Rigid Bodies

RagdollsFracturing

Destruction

Debris

Articulated Systems

Vehicles

Joints

Fluids

Early Character Simulation

Deformable Bodies

Character Simulation

© 2011 Electronic Arts Inc

© 2011 Electronic Arts Inc

Global Context for EATech

© 2011 Electronic Arts Inc

The challenges : Making Agile Stick

• Shared SCRUM understanding• Product Owner• Self-organisation• Software vs Boards & Cards• Backlog management• Getting to ready• A group of strong individuals• Kanban vs Scrum

© 2011 Electronic Arts Inc

Shared SCRUM understanding

“Scrum and agile is something that is happening to people”

“Management is pushing this agile fad on us”

Take the whole team with you on the journey

© 2011 Electronic Arts Inc

Product owner role• Chief product owner

– 3 months + roadmap view

• Per scrum-team sub product owner

• Chief PO leads regular backlog grooming

• We rotate sub product owner

© 2011 Electronic Arts Inc

Chief Product Owner

Sub Product Owner

Sub Product Owner

Team Member Team Member

Sub-product owners critical to our success

Self OrganisationIf You Put Fences Around People, You Get Sheep

Create the environment to encourage accountability

© 2011 Electronic Arts Inc

Scrum Software vs Boards & Cards

Physical boards and cards a firm winner for us!

© 2011 Electronic Arts Inc

Product Backlog

• History of using Excel and Hansoft to manage backlog

• Now use boards as primary product backlog tool

• Electronic versions only created to share with customers

Single visible product backlog is key to good priority decisions

© 2011 Electronic Arts Inc

Getting to ready

• PO maintains Ready Zone• Pre-planning for the next

sprint/milestone– Pair pre-planning

• Story owners

© 2011 Electronic Arts Inc

The team must be ready for each planning session

Using Kanban to compliment Scrum

Scrum is not a silver bullet

© 2011 Electronic Arts Inc

Strong Individuals or a Team?

Balance individual contribution with multiplying effect on team

We still need TDs and story “leaders”

© 2011 Electronic Arts Inc

EATech UK resultsPlease rate these aspects of our development process today Jan-11

Feb-11

May-11

Sep-11

The whole team understanding the SCRUM framework 1.77 3.23 3.31 3.50

Clear ownership and execution of the Product Owner role 2.23 2.31 2.94 3.44

Clear ownership and execution of the Scrum Master role 1.92 2.62 3.13 3.31

Your personal job satisfaction as influenced by the process 2.38 2.69 2.81 3.00

How effective SCRUM is for the work you are normally doing 1.85 2.62 2.75 2.94The efficiency of our development process in delivering to customers 2.77 2.67 3.13 2.88

Clear and stable release vision 2.38 2.50 2.81 2.88Effectiveness of Scrum meetings (Grooming, Planning, Standup, Review, Retrospective) 2.08 2.69 2.75 2.75Effective customer/stakeholder feedback on plans and product increment 2.15 2.91 2.75 2.56

Overall feedback 2.17 2.69 2.93 3.03Very Good Thanks 4Mostly Fine 3Fairly Disappointed 2Very unsatisfied 1

© 2011 Electronic Arts Inc

ANY QUESTIONS?

© 2011 Electronic Arts Inc