Michael Lloyd’s Post

Are you aligned with Agile Principles? I’ve dissected the 3rd Agile Principle (Frequent Delivery) to identify what evidence would look like to prove you are living this principle. Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/ef7XzNGn #agilemindset #businessagility #mindset #principles

Are you aligned with Agile? I’ve dissected the 4th Agile Principle (Business and Development Work Together) to identify what evidence would look like to prove you are living this principle. Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/eT2ucjUM #agiletransformation #beingagile

Just Released! "What does the 3rd Agile Principle (Frequent Delivery) look like in Action?" Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/ef7XzNGn #agile #agileprinciples #action #businessagility #frequentdelivery #releaseengineer

I still meet people who claim that agile cannot work in their context because they are highly regulated or using suppliers. Last year, I changed how I convey the agile manifesto (https://lnkd.in/eqJurbz2) and have since then highlighted a bunch of ways to apply it. You can find an overview below: 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 • Communication: https://lnkd.in/d6Pd6m7t • Scrum Events as starting points: https://lnkd.in/eUEGdKU9 • Masterdata: https://lnkd.in/eMc2FV-S  • Tools: https://lnkd.in/eFxx2FCa 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 • Sprint Review: https://lnkd.in/eUKCcrmd  • User Story: https://lnkd.in/ds4V7nQd  • Compliance: https://lnkd.in/dChYnkzB • Documentation: https://lnkd.in/dgPPfcnm 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 • Have teams talk to users: https://lnkd.in/d5nUtq4K  • Working Agreement: https://lnkd.in/exMpWnS6  • Contracts: https://lnkd.in/ecZ4EYHg  • Requirements: https://lnkd.in/dKeJNYhd 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 • Work the Plan: https://lnkd.in/eYHYZ9J9 • Roadmap: https://lnkd.in/esQtQaA7 • Sunk Cost Fallacy: https://lnkd.in/ezgSPJRE  • Burndown: https://lnkd.in/dXTKTXh6 #agile #manifesto #agilemanifesto #agility

With agile methodologies, there has been a confusion on whether analysis should be done and by whom. I made a summary of different team setups I have seen in regards to analysis, and seen what to look out for in each case. https://lnkd.in/drUn4uRm

The first of the values in the Agile Manifesto states: "Individuals and interactions over processes and tools" This acknowledges that while processes and tools have their place, they should serve the needs and goals of the team rather than dictate how the team operates. This value encourages teams to prioritize human connections and effective communication as the driving forces behind successful software development. The people involved in the development process, including sponsors, business people, users, and developers, are the key drivers of success, being the development of working software which adds value as defined by everyone involved. Processes and tools are, of course, important to the the development of any successful software project, but they must serve as a means to an end. The end being that we recognise that software development is a dynamic and human-driven undertaking. By fostering open communication, collaboration, and adaptability, teams can deliver higher quality software that meets the intended outcomes and creates a positive working environment for everyone involved. That is, while there is value in processes and tool, we value individuals and interactions more.

No stakeholders are present at the end of sprint review... The sprint review meeting is the event of the sprint where the team shows what they realized during the past sprint. It is one of the inspect and adapt moments of Scrum, focusing on the delivered value related to the sprint goal. This is what the Scrum guide says about the review meeting: “The purpose of the Sprint Review is to inspect the outcome of the Sprint and determine future adaptations. The Scrum Team presents the results of their work to key stakeholders and progress toward the Product Goal is discussed. During the event, the Scrum Team and stakeholders review what was accomplished in the Sprint and what has changed in their environment.” As you can read in the excerpt of the Scrum guide, the presence of the stakeholders at the review meeting is crucial. Who else is going to determine the mentioned future adaptations? The team themselves? I don't think so… So, a review meeting without stakeholders and without feedback is nothing but an internal demo. That's fine if you choose so, but don't call it a review meeting then and know that you are ignoring the first principle of the Agile Manifesto: “Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.” Which customer are you satisfying if they are not involved in the review meeting, not able to give feedback? Here is your “Never have I ever” question for today: Never have I ever… “forgotten” to invite stakeholders to the review meeting. Reply with “Sip” in the comments if you did 😉. Care to say why? This is card number 52 of the Agile Bullshit card deck, a deck co-created by Noel Warnell, Michele D'Urzo and me. Care to know more about these cards? check the link in the comments. They are still for sale, by the way, either in English or in Dutch.

# My first Agile approach. How was it? (short essay) Our team was working on developing a Single Page Application (SPA) for an online store. The preparation for the start of the process took some time, during which we needed to discuss the technical requirements and the desired outcome from the clients. During the discussion and drafting of the technical specifications, we predominantly used the Waterfall approach. Once we completed one section, we moved on to the next. This helped to outline the upcoming work. After breaking down the technical specifications and requirements into blocks, we organized them in a table. It seemed a bit odd as these blocks were extensive and needed to be broken down into smaller tasks. These tasks, in turn, were further divided into subtasks. So, it could be said that we utilized the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). Here where the Agile approach has started. In the end, we arranged all the blocks with their tasks and subtasks in a row, creating something akin to a table. We initially knew the time by which the work needed to be completed, so we divided this table into equal parts - sprints, and we assigned the time and milestones for each sprint. Then, all of this was put into backlogs on the Scrum board in Jira. This resulted in a visual representation of the plan for the upcoming processes and work. In each sprint, we distributed the blocks among ourselves and agreed to have short daily meetings (about 15 minutes each) to discuss what was done and what lay ahead. This allowed us to ask questions, discuss, and report on the work done. If someone was struggling with their allocated block, others would dedicate time to assist. The resulting charts from each sprint displayed productivity and highlighted problems and risks, enabling us to make adjustments. This was my first project within a team utilizing these approaches.

New Article! Are you aligned with Agile? I’ve dissected the 2nd Agile Principle (Welcome Change to Requirements), to identify what evidence would look like to prove you are living this principle. Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/e64asdVA #agiletransformation #culture #agilemindset

In this comprehensive blog we delve into the world of Agile methodologies, offering valuable insights and practical tips for those want to deliver successful programmes of work in the new world. Read the blog here: https://hubs.li/Q02jl4bv0 #CrackingTheAgileCode