Agile Roles vs. Traditional

1 4/17/2013 Agile Roles vs. Traditional Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. About Me Sally Elatta President Agile Transformation Inc | Leading Agile Transformation Coach, Trainer and Speaker Background: Java/.Net Software Architect Certified Scrum Professional, ScrumMaster, IBM, Microsoft Trained thousands and helped coach dozens of teams on Agile Agile Expert for Learning Community of Practice 2 2 1 I am simply a transformer. Someone who is really passionate about transforming individuals, teams and organizations to doing what they do better. I believe in Servant Leadership as the way to lead change and create a culture of empowered collaborative high performing teams.

2 4/17/2013 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. Brainstorming Workshop 3 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. The Traditional Way 4 4/17/2013 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. The Agile Way 5 orem ipsum dolor sit amet, co nse ctetur orem ipsum dolor sit amet, co nse ctetur orem ipsum dolor sit amet, co nse ctetur orem ipsum dolor sit amet, co nse ctetur orem ipsum dolor sit amet, co nse ctetur orem ipsum dolor sit amet, co nse ctetur Backlog Interested Committed Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. From Silos to Collaboration 6 4/17/2013 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. Characteristics of Agile Teams 7 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. The Leadership Triangle 8 Business Vision What?

3 Why? Process Facilitator Technical Vision Release Plan How 4/17/2013 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. Agile Roles Product Owner Product Owner: responsible for maximizing the business value delivered by the team. ONE person responsible for the backlog and story priority Accepts or rejects work Helps define Done Knowledgeable, empowered, engaged! Co-located with team as much as feasible Manages stakeholder and sponsor expectations Motivates team, celebrates success! 9 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. Traditional Project Manager Manages the project through developing detailed project plans upfront at the task level. Heavy use of project management tools.

4 Heavy upfront planning, may engage key SMEs and resource managers for estimates and contribute estimates themselves. Manages tasks, holds weekly status meetings and may visit team members at desk to find out task status. Takes care of addressing any major team issues. 10 4/17/2013 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. Traditional Project Manager .. Might manage several projects at a time. Accountable for project success and failure. May use Command and Control to direct the team on what to work on next and when to get it done by. May be involved in the daily decision making related to the requirements, architecture and other aspects of the project. More experience with Waterfall development as apposed to Iterative development.

5 11 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. Agile Roles ScrumMaster ScrumMaster: responsible for facilitating the Scrum process and ensuring the team is delivering value. Process Facilitator Helps builds self organizing teams Removes impediments, escalates when needed Helps team inspect and adapt process Empowers the team through Servant Leadership Helps create visible information radiators Protects the team from disturbances 12 4/17/2013 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. Agile Roles The Team The Team: responsible for turning the product backlog items into increments of value each sprint. Cross-Functional, 7 +-2 Self Organizing, Collaborative Committed Generalizing Specialists Deliver Value in Small Chunks Focused on Customer, Build in Quality 13 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc.

6 Information Radiators 14 4/17/2013 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. Information Radiators 15 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. Team Role Solution Lead Lead: responsible for translating the business vision into a technical vision then supporting the successful execution of the vision. Understands business needs, acts as a consultant and partner for the business. Collaborates with others to find simple solutions that meet tactical and strategic business needs. Communicates the technical vision and architecture. Supports the developers through execution by coaching and direct involvement. Plans ahead and removes technical impediments. 16 4/17/2013 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc.

7 Sample Architecture Designs 17 Copyright Scott Ambler Copyright Scott Ambler Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. Generalizing Specialist 18 A Jack of Many Trades a Master of a Few. NOT Generalists! Don t go from one extreme to the other. Willing to help with other tasks to achieve the team s goal. Maintains the quality standards of work. Example: Analyst who can help with testing. 4/17/2013 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. Traditional Business Analyst Acts as liaison between the business and IT. Will meet with various stakeholders at the beginning of a project to elicit requirements in detail. Requires business to sign off on requirements upfront on the detailed requirements.

8 Collaborates on the project heavily upfront then again during testing to validate requirements were met and possibly during development to clarify ambiguity. Success measured based on level of details and signoff from customer. 19 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. The Agile BA The glue between the PO and the Team A master of Agile Requirements Gathering (writing stories, breaking them down, ordering, writing acceptance criteria). Expert on Agile Modeling methods. Excellent group facilitation skills. Gathers the details one or two iterations ahead. Pairs often with team, co-located and dedicated as core member. Generalizing Specialist. 20 4/17/2013 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc.

9 Process Diagram: Alternative Paths 21 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. UI Flow - Sample 22 Scott Ambler 4/17/2013 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. Traditional Developer Engaged on the project after planning and requirements are completed. Designs the system in detail upfront. Reads requirements documentation and goes through BA for additional clarification from customer. Driven by documented requirements, not test cases as they don t exist yet. Mostly works independently to get assigned tasks completed. May or may not write automated unit tests. Success is usually measured based on getting coding completed. Testing is the concern of the testing team. Mostly works on Front end Business logic Data logic areas of specialty.

10 23 Copyright Agile Transformation Inc. The Agile Developer Engaged from the beginning of the project. Helps during planning, backlog creation, sizing, ordering and dependency identification. Uses Test Driven Development, focused on passing the acceptance tests for each story and getting it to DONE . Heavy focus on automated unit testing, continuous integration, automated builds, use of mock data and design patterns. Focused on getting a full slice of a story DONE not partial completion. Frequent code check-ins Pair often with other team members including customers. Eliminates technical debt, builds quality in. Core team member, dedicated, co-located. Generalizing Specialist.