SCRUM IN REAL LIFE
Experiences of SCRUM at Brightside Group
Our scrum journey
Agile process evolution
Persistence of a species through change
The butterfly/moth analogy
The Isabella Tiger Moth
The Monarch
The same?
The Brightside Scrum Journey
In 2010 we decided to adopt Scrum. This is our story.
Our scrum journey
So I just fell out of the tree. It was a pretty long way down but I fell really fast. I think they call that MIGRATION.
MIGRATION huh? Well that sounds pretty frightening and a little painful. It’s not for me…but you carry on and see if it works better for you than the whole leaf chewing thing
LOOK AT ME!!..........I’M FLYING!!
Phase 1 - FragileStumbling with something someone once heard in a bar
TeamsRole Specific (developers and testers in different teams)Various SizesSignificant turnover of people (6% per quarter)
Development PracticesNo clear directionUs & Them relationships between developers, testers &
architectsPrioritisation and Estimating
Wander in and shoutNo forward planningWork changed daily
Our scrum journey
Have you heard of this thing called MIGRATION?.....Other species do it and I think we should too! But it may mean some flying.
Wait…I have WINGS! Let’s give it a try right now. It’s bound to be an improvement on our current existence
Are we MIGRATING yet? I don’t know, if I’m honest. I don’t feel any different. But let’s say we are, so we don’t look bad in front of the moths.
Phase 2 - TragileSome aspects of scrum being brought in, like sprints. Agile
coach employed
TeamsStill Role Specific, of random sizes and still losing good peopleTerrorists in our mistDevelopment PracticesDeveloper Bingo & Numbers WitchSprints that flexed and grew (14 week Sprint 37!)Architects reviewing all work (OVER 4000 items in their backlog)Prioritisation and Estimating“Upper Funnel” Process led to a massive, unstructured backlogWork estimated by managers and “experts” – usually under estimated
Our scrum journey
So dad told me about a thing called MIGRATION. I think we should do it…..to MEXICO!
I have no idea where this ‘MEXICO’ is or how to get there, but it sounds awesome. Let’s go…right now!
Let’s do this! Ready whenever you are
MEXICO is pretty wet this time of year
…and a tad cold
Phase 3 - ScrummerfallBased on a compromise, called “Scrum” but wasn’t
TeamsMulti-SkilledProject Manager per piece of workCertified Scrum Master and Product Owner training beginsTeam leaders sitting within the teamsDevelopment Practices“User Stories” that had multi-page specifications attachedMultiple “Development Streams” with painful merges after releaseAutomated testing begins in earnestPrioritisation and EstimatingUnstructured and very short term. Changed frequently.
Our scrum journey
Ok…MIGRATION….to MEXICO. We fly in that direction until we get there…
Wow, that’s a long way. Let’s break the journey down into stages and make meaningful estimates on how long each will take based on a conceptual ‘complexity’ scale
Good planning session everyone
We may need a mid-migration review somewhere around Texas
I can achieve the same result in less time by going to California. I’ll readjust my short term goal
Bienvenidos a México
Phase 4 – Scrum?Where we are currently
Teams7 +/- 2 per team, Scrum Master per team, no team
leadersProduct Owners follow the work but are from a different
departmentNo one left the department in Q1 2013
Development Practices“User Stories” of various sizes, but written mostly with
the teamsSingle “Development Stream” with auto build, test and
deploy“Future Architecture” project in progress, TDD,
Code ReviewsPrioritisation and Estimating
Formal but relatively ineffective prioritisation meetingTeams commit to work, it’s not dictated to them
Our scrum journey
In SummaryOur journey
TeamsFrom “role specific” to “multi-skilled”From “informally trained” to “certified”From “6%” quarterly turnover to “<1%”
Development PracticesFrom “us and them” to “cohesive team”From “complex multi dev stream” to “automated single
dev stream”From “get it out the door” to “leave it better than you
found it”
Prioritisation and EstimatingFrom “he who shouts loudest” to “realistic medium term
view”From “estimation by management” to “team driven,
trusted estimates”Our scrum journey
Next StepsInspect & Adapt!
TeamsMore teamsTraining, development and career growthDevelopment PracticesContinuous improvementExpanding communities of practice & improvement communitiesAllowing space and time for innovationBetter focus on non-functional requirements (constraints)Prioritisation and EstimatingA better understood, longer term backlog aligned to business strategyDevelopment involvement in future work earlier
Our scrum journey