Bobbie Shrivastav, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, CSP
Sr. Project Manager - Classroom Technologies – Center for Creative Leadership
VP of Communication and Marketing – NC Piedmont Triad Chapter of PMI

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Personal Agile Journey
What is Agile? Why is it Important?
Examples of Agile Implementations in
Local Organizations
Best Practices – Implementation of
Agile
Learning Exercise
Q/A

“Light weight software development approach as a reaction against Waterfall oriented methods which were criticized for being heavily regimented and overly documented” via @AssistKD
Source: http://www.agilemanifesto.org/

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Cheaper/Faster – Deliver Business Value Early and Frequently.
Less “Pork”.
Flexible in Responding to Business Needs – Allow Change in
Priorities and Requirements based on Market/Customer Needs
Transparency and Visibility into Project Progress - Ongoing
Feedback from Stakeholders
Higher Quality – Business Collaboration and Communication
Success Variables
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Team Capabilities – Willingness to apply the engineering and
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 project management disciplines
Management Support – Willingness to trust the team and allow for self-organization
Organization buy-in - Willingness to support by providing a
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“Product Owner”
Stakeholder Involvement – Willingness to provide consultation and feedback throughout the project life-cycle

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Top 3 Reasons for Agile Implementation
◦ Clarity and Transparency into Project Status
◦ Less “Late Churn” on Requirements
◦ Strengthen Team Performance
Agile Journey
◦ Hired a Process Improvement Consultant – Consultant Sold Agile to Senior
Management
◦ Developed a Steering Committee with Cross Team Members
◦ Senior Management Decided to Fund a Pilot Project
◦ Hired an Agile Coach and Formed the Team
◦ Trained the Team and Co-Location
◦ Sprint 0 – Working Team Agreements, Wire-Framing, Stakeholder Engagement,
Backlog Creation, Prioritization (Business Value), Estimation, Initial Release Plan
◦ Started Sprint 1 (Sprints were 2 weeks long; Budget was for 10 sprints)
◦ Wean the Team from Agile Coach around Sprint 4
Lessons Learned
◦ Hire the Right Coach
◦ Middle Management needed to be included as part of the “Selling”
◦ Team Empowerment was Contagious and Stakeholders Enjoyed the Process
◦ May have to Adapt or Change to Organization’s Governance Model

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Top 3 Reasons for Agile Implementation
◦ Adding the Right Business Value
◦ Forming and Strengthening Business Relationships
◦ Strengthen Team Performance
Journey
◦ Observations – Each Team had a Different Approach
◦ Initially, used Light-Weight Framework Due to Team Size – Kanban
◦ Trained Product Owner and Development on Agile, Scrum, and Kanban
◦ Used Sticky Notes to Document Backlog and Kanban Board
◦ Gathered Backlog Items and Prioritized with Product Owner
◦ Started Implementing Scrum Rituals
◦ As Team Matured, Moved to TFS and Reviewed Metrics (Burn-down) on a Regular
Basis
◦ Moved to Scrum
Lessons Learned
◦ Integration Issues with Other Teams – Waterfall/Agile
◦ Velocity Increased – Team Engagement High
◦ Stakeholders Look Forward to Demos
◦ Requests for More Projects than Capacity
◦ Educate All Necessary Parties Involved early – Sprint 0

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Martin Messick’s Journey in his Organization

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Top 5 Ways to Help Implement/Scale Agile in Organization
◦ Executive Sponsorship
◦ Training Program/Workshops
◦ Implementation of a common tool
◦ Internal Agile Support Group
◦ Full Time Agile Coach
Top 5 Ways that Eases Agile Adoption
◦ Buy-in from Technology and Business
◦ Grassroots Commitment
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◦ Consistent Understanding of “What Agile Is” and its Processes
◦ Pilot Groups and Knowledge Sharing
Build One Successful Team and Divide Experience
Stats from – VersionOne– 8 th
Annual State of Agile Survey
Top 5 Reasons for Failed Agile Projects
◦ None of Projects Failed
◦ Company Philosophy not Aligned with Agile Core Values
◦ External Pressures to Follow Waterfall
◦ Broader Organizational or Communications Problem
◦ Lack of Experience with Agile Methods

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Start a Backlog of Questions/Discussion
Points – Each Person will Write a Minimum of
1 Question on a Sticky Note
Develop a Backlog
Prioritize Backlog – Each Person has 2 Dot
Votes Based on the Current Backlog
Start the Discussion with Highest Dot Votes
Discussion will Last Up to 5 Minutes
As a Group, We will Vote to Continue
Discussion or Move to Next