lessons learned implementing an enterprise system at suncorp using an agile development method
TRANSCRIPT
Implementing an enterprise system at
Suncorp using Agile developmentJames CouzensSolution Architect, [email protected]
15 April 2009
Background
• A word about my sponsor – Suncorp
• The Agile change programme at Suncorp
• Guidewire ClaimCenter
• How I fit into all of the above
2
… the [waterfall process] is risky and invites failure
Involve the customer – the involvement should be formal,
in-depth and continuing
Dr Winston W Royce, Managing the development of large software systems (originally published
August 1970, Proceedings IEEE WESCON), Otherwise known as the originator of the waterfall
process …
A tale of two projects
• Claims Business Model (CBMP)
• Focus on new business process
• Agile because of vendor preference
• Integrated with large number of systems
• JV Household and Imaging
• We’ll get to that in a moment
3
Retrospective
• What worked well
• Strong business engagement
• Wide stakeholder group
• What didn’t
• Co-ordinating with integration teams
• Managing the backlog
• Overly focused on the showcase
4
Learning
• Cross team stand-ups
• Integration stories need a high priority
What the experts say
• Face to face is best (Agile principle)
• Scrum and XP – highest value first (but
how to define value)
• The IT team needs to become better at
advocating value (Schwaber)
Retrospective
• What worked well
• Strong business engagement
• Wide stakeholder group
• What didn’t
• Co-ordinating with integration teams
• Managing the backlog
• Overly focused on the showcase
5
Learning
• The iron triangle rules supreme (cost/resource/time)
• Include business openly in backlog discussions
• Business need to better understand the Agile process
What the experts say
• Iterative process encourages requirements change,
keep focus on value (Poppendieck)
• Scrum/XP – backlog negotiated to remain achievable
Retrospective
• What worked well
• Strong business engagement
• Wide stakeholder group
• What didn’t
• Co-ordinating with integration teams
• Managing the backlog
• Overly focused on the showcase
6
Learning
• Definition of done required
• Estimation needs to consider
the complete lifecycle
What the experts say
• Increment of potentially
shippable product
functionality (Schwaber)
Retrospective
• What worked well
• Strong business engagement
• Wide stakeholder group
• What didn’t
• Co-ordinating with integration teams
• Managing the backlog
• Overly focused on the showcase
7
Well duh!
That’s
Agile 101
A far, far better thing …
• JV Household and Imaging
• Single code base
• Analysis started 5 months before CBMP live
• Waited until CBMP live & refactor before development
• Significant analysis and elaboration done
• Automated testing part of definition of done
• Integration elaborated early and dev co-ordinated to allow test alignment
8
Retrospective
• What worked well
• Considered an example of Agile success
• Automated testing
• Co-ordination of integration development
• What didn’t
• Getting too far ahead in analysis
• Stakeholder identification (we missed the equivalent of the project owner in CBMP)
• Interfacing with traditional project structure
9
Learning
• Reasoning gets lost
• Overhead in revisiting
What the experts say
• Individuals and interactions over
comprehensive documentation
• Unnecessary inventory (Lean)
Retrospective
• What worked well
• Considered an example of Agile success
• Automated testing
• Co-ordination of integration development
• What didn’t
• Getting too far ahead in analysis
• Stakeholder identification (we missed the equivalent of the project owner in CBMP)
• Interfacing with traditional project structure
10
Learning
• Stakeholder identification is
key
What the experts say
• Ambler (Agile Modeling) –
active stakeholders, broad
definition
Retrospective
• What worked well
• Considered an example of Agile success
• Automated testing
• Co-ordination of integration development
• What didn’t
• Getting too far ahead in analysis
• Stakeholder identification (we missed the equivalent of the project owner in CBMP)
• Interfacing with traditional project structure
11
Learning
• Approval velocity must
be >= dev velocity
• Decision maker must
be on project
What the experts say
• Agile value – customer
collaboration
• Agile principle –
working daily with
customer
Retrospective
• What worked well
• Considered an example of Agile success
• Automated testing
• Co-ordination of integration development
• What didn’t
• Getting too far ahead in analysis
• Stakeholder identification (we missed the equivalent of the project owner in CBMP)
• Interfacing with traditional project structure
12
Will they never
learn? I will make
them look at this
shirt until they get it
right!
Must … keep …
eyes … averted
Concluding remarks
• Experience typical of enterprise Agile
• Take the business on the journey
• Communicate, communicate, communicate
• Not formally measured but anecdotally indicating positive
outcomes
• Suncorp now well positioned
13
Questions
14
For more detail see the conference paper
