"deadlines" are killing agile
TRANSCRIPT
“Deadlines”are
Killing Agile
Neil Killick@neil_killick neilkillick.com
Deadlines vs “Deadlines”
Prioritisation vs Execution
Bliss, I’ve got 6 months til the deadline!
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Execs: We need to be more efficient! Get it all done!
“Deadlines” derived from schedule so that all “important” work
will get done
Managers push all scheduled work (and “Deadlines”) on their “agile” teams
Too much work in flight, leading to slow delivery and poor quality
Managers lock schedule to “increase efficiency” of teams with asynchronous dependencies
“Deadlines” missed, stakeholders pissed off, “Agile is chaos!” Cycle of
doom
Replace schedule tension with value tension
http://www.recycle2cloud.com/images/agile_02.png
“Why didn’t we deliver what we planned?”
“How could we have delivered more value?”
Use date as a prioritisation parameter
Not an execution one
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❏ Avoid big batch, “DEADLINES”-drivenCycle of doom!
❏ Short iterations (value tension) > “DEADLINES”
❏ Invest in infrastructure and culture to allow small, frequent releases - PROPER AGILE!
❏ Prioritise by value - If you have Deadlines, consider time criticality
Don’t let “DEADLINES” kill your Agile