Discipline vs. Agility
Report by Jason Cradit
1
For Review
What are we talking about and who cares?
• What is discipline?
• What is agility?
• What are the misconceptions?
• Contrasts and home grounds
• Five critical factors
• Risk-based method
• Projects from my past
• Closing remarks
•
2
What Are We Talking About?
Agile? Discipline? Perplexity?
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Project management
Getting things done
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How
Good practices
Perplexity on:
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Each have multiple definitions
Distinguishing from use and misuse
Overgeneralization based on most visible
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Who Cares?
Barry Boehm
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B.A. Harvard 1957
M.S. UCLA 1961
Ph.D. UCLA 1964
Richard Turner
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B.A. Huntingdon 1975
M.S. U of Southwestern Louisiana 1977
D.Sc. George Washington University 2002
You – Future KU Graduates
4
For Review
What are we talking about and who cares?
• What is discipline?
• What is agility?
• What are the misconceptions?
• Contrasts and home grounds
• Five critical factors
• Risk-Based method
• Projects from my past
• Closing remarks
•
5
Where Did Discipline Come From?
Government
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DoD guidance documents
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MIL-STD-1521
DoD-STD-2167
MIL-STD-498
Large commercial companies
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Internal standards of use
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IBM
Hitachi
Siemens
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What is Disciplined?
Adjectives:
Predictive
• Process
• Plan-driven
• Documentation
• Systematic
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Methods:
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Software capability maturity mode
IEEE
Cleanroom
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What is Disciplined?
Plan-Driven Concepts:
Process improvement
• Process capability
Define
Process
• Organizational maturity
• Process group
• Risk management
• Verification
• Validation
• Software system architecture
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Improve
Process
Control
Process
Perform
Process
Measure
Process
Quality in Discipline
Specification and process compliance
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Requirements/design/build
Gage success of how we met the plan
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Estimated Cost
Estimated Time
Estimated Scope
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For Review
What are we talking about and who cares?
• What is discipline?
• What is agility?
• What are the misconceptions?
• Contrasts and home grounds
• Five critical factors
• Risk-based method
• Projects from my past
• Closing remarks
•
10
Where Did Agile Come From?
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Outgrowth of rapid prototyping
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Programming more of a craft than a process
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Problem:
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Dehumanization of plan-driven processes
After a long development cycle the product doesn’t meet
expectations
Chaordic = chaos + order
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What is Agile?
Read the Manifesto:
We have come to value
Individuals and interactions over process and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we
value the items on the left more.
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What is Agile?
Adjectives:
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Iterations
Test-driven
Customer collaboration
Methods:
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eXtreme Programming (XP)
Adaptive Software Development
Feature Driven Development
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Every 24
hours
What is Agile?
Agile Concepts:
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Embrace change
Fast cycle/frequent delivery
Simple design
Refactoring
Pair programming
Retrospective
Test-driven development
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Quality in Agile
Customer satisfaction
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Is the product fit for use?
Is the product fit for purpose?
Is the customer happy with the product?
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Sounds Great, Why Not Use It?
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Agile has trouble scaling
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Cost can go up with group size
Plan-driven has trouble trimming
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Size of project
Size of group
Heavy documentation
Late cycle delivery
No silver bullet
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What Are The Key Differences?
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Plan-Driven value process over people
Agile values people over process
Document, Document, Document – chants the
disciplined
Waterfall vs. Cups-of-water
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For Review
What are we talking about and who cares?
• What is discipline?
• What is agility?
• What are the misconceptions?
• Contrasts and home grounds
• Five critical factors
• Risk-based method
• Projects from my past
• Closing remarks
•
18
What are the misconceptions?
Plan-Driven Methods
Agile
Plan-driven methods are uniformly
bureaucratic
Agile methods don’t plan
Having documented plans guarantees
compliance with plans
Agile methods require uniformly talented
people
Plan-driven methods can succeed with a
lack of talented people
YAGNI is a universally safe assumption,
and won’t alienate your customers
• Silver bullet – that you have to pick one
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Do What Makes Sense!
CMM for Software like the dictionary
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Use the words that make the desired point
Don’t use all the words
Tool box
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An organization should have the repository of “plugcompatible” process assets
Philippe Kruchten from Rational
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For Review
What are we talking about and who cares?
• What is discipline?
• What is agility?
• What are the misconceptions?
• Contrasts and home grounds
• Five critical factors
• Risk-based method
• Projects from my past
• Closing remarks
•
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Contrasts and Home Grounds
Home grounds depend on characteristics
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Application characteristics
Management characteristics
Technical characteristics
Personnel characteristics
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Application Characteristics
Contrasts and Home Grounds
Primary goals
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Rapid value and responsiveness to change
Plan-driven goals are predictability, stability, and high
assurance
Size
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Agile works best on smaller projects
Plan-driven is a necessity on large complex projects
Environment
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Agile approaches are comfortable in high-change environments
with some risks
Plan-driven methods need stability
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Management Characteristics
Contrasts and Home Grounds
Customer relations
Agile encourages a dedicated collocated customer
• Plan-driven methods depend on contracts and specifications
• Agile methods use working software to build trust
• Plan-driven methods use established process maturity
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Planning and control
Agilists see planning as a means to an end
• Plan-driven methods use plans to communicate and coordinate
• Agile is “planning driven,” rather than “plan-driven”
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Project communication
Agile methods depend on tacit knowledge
• Plan-driven approaches use explicit, documented knowledge
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Technical Characteristics
Contrasts and Home Grounds
Requirements
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Agile uses informal, user-prioritized stories as requirements
Plan-driven methods prefer specific, formalized requirements
Development
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Agile advocates simple design
Plan-driven methods advocate architecture to anticipate
changes
Testing
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Agile methods develop tests before code, and test
incrementally
Plan-driven methods test to specifications
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Personnel Characteristics
Contrasts and Home Grounds
Customers
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Both methods need CRACK performers – Collaborative,
Representative, Authorized, Committed, and Knowledgeable
Plan-driven does not require them full-time
Developers
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Agile developers need more than technical skills
Plan-driven methods need fewer highly talented people than
agile
Culture
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Agilists like many degrees of freedom
Plan-driven people need clear process and roles
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For Review
What are we talking about and who cares?
• What is discipline?
• What is agility?
• What are the misconceptions?
• Contrasts and home grounds
• Five critical factors
• Risk-based method
• Projects from my past
• Closing remarks
•
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Five Critical Factors
Factors to measure:
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Personnel
Size
Dynamism
Criticality
Culture
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Five Critical Factors
Personnel – Based on Cockburn scale
• Agile
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Requires continuous presence of critical mass of scarce Cockburn Level 2
or 3 experts. Risky to use non-agile Level 1B people.
• Plan-Driven
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Needs a critical mass of scarce Cockburn level 2 and level 3 experts during
project definition, but can work with fewer later in the project – unless
the environment is highly dynamic. Can usually accommodate some Level
1B people.
- Range: (% level 1B / % level 2-3, Agile to Plan-driven)
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0%1B / 35% Level 2 and 3
10%1B / 30% Level 2 and 3
20%1B / 25% Level 2 and 3
30%1B / 20% Level 2 and 3
40%1B / 15% Level 2 and 3
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Cockburn Scale
Levels of Software Method Understanding and Use
Level
Characteristics
3
Able to revise in unprecedented situation
2
Able to tailor a method to fit new situation
1A
With training can perform discretionary steps,
can train to level 2
1B
With training can perform basic procedural steps
-1
May have technical skills but unable or unwilling
to collaborate
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Five Critical Factors
Size
• Agile
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Well matched to small products and teams
• Plan-Driven
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Methods evolved to handle large products and teams – hard to
tailor down
- Range: (Number of personnel)
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3
10
30
100
300
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Five Critical Factors
Dynamism
• Agile
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Simple design and continuous refactoring are excellent for highly dynamic
environments, but a source of potentially expensive rework for highly
stable environments.
• Plan-Driven
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Detailed plans and Big Design Up Front excellent for highly stable
environments, but a source of expensive rework for highly dynamic
environments.
- Range: (% Requirements-changing / month)
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50
30
10
5
1
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Five Critical Factors
Criticality
• Agile
Untested on safety-critical products
− Potential difficulties with simple design and lack of documentation
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• Plan-Driven
Methods evolved to handle highly critical products
− Hard to tailor down to low-criticality products
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- Range: (Loss due to impact of defects)
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Comfort
Discretionary Funds
Essential Funds
Single Life
Many Lives
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Five Critical Factors
Culture
• Agile
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Thrives in a culture where people feel comfortable and
empowered by having many degrees of freedom.
• Plan-Driven
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Thrives in a culture where people feel comfortable and
empowered by having their roles defined by clear policies and
procedures.
- Range: (% Thriving on chaos vs. order)
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90
70
50
30
10
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Walking the Line – When to Use What
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For Review
What are we talking about and who cares?
• What is discipline?
• What is agility?
• What are the misconceptions?
• Contrasts and home grounds
• Five critical factors
• Risk-based method
• Projects from my past
• Closing remarks
•
36
Risk-Based Method
Use to determine balance between methods
A Tailorable Method for Balancing Agile and Plan-Driven Methods
Step1:
Rate the projects environmental, agile and plan-driven risks. If uncertain
about ratings, buy information via prototyping, data collection, and
analysis.
Step 2a:
If agility risks dominate plan-driven risks, go risk-based plan-driven.
Step 2b:
If plan-driven risks dominate agility risks, go risk-based agile.
Step 3:
If parts of the application satisfy 2a and others 2b, architect the
application to encapsulate the agile parts. Go risk-based agile in the agile
parts and risk-based plan-driven elsewhere.
Step 4:
Establish an overall project strategy by integrating individual risk
mitigation plans.
Step 5:
Monitor progress and risks/opportunities, re-adjust balance and process as
appropriate.
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Risk-Based Method
Step1.
Risk Analysis
Rate risks
Uncertain about
rating
Step 2.
Risk
Comparison
Go risk-based
agile
Compare
risks
Go risk-based
plan-driven
Step 3.
Architecture
Analysis
Architect application to
encapsulate agile parts
Blend methods
Buy info
Step 5.
Execute and Monitor
Deliver according to
strategy
Monitor and readjust as
appropriate
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Tailor process
Step4.
Tailor Life Cycle
Risk-Based Method
Categories of risk
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Environmental
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Agile
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Risks that results from the project’s general environment
Risks that are specific to the use of agile methods
Plan-driven
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Risks that are specific to the use of plan-driven methods
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Risk-Based Method
Environmental risks:
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Risks that result from the projects general
environment
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E-Tech - Technology uncertainties
E-Coord - Many diverse stakeholders to coordinate
E-Cmplx – Complex system of systems
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Risk-Based Method
Agile risks
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Risks that are specific to the use of agile methods
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A-Scale – Scalability and criticality
A-YANGI – Use of simple design or YANGI
A-Churn – Personnel turnover or churn
A-Skill – Not enough people skilled in agile methods
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Risk-Based Method
Plan-driven risks
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Risks that are specific to the use of plan-driven
methods
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P-Change – Rapid change
P-Speed – Need for rapid results
P-Emerge – Emergent requirements
P-Skill – Not enough people skilled in plan-driven methods
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SupplyChain.com
Turnkey supply chain management systems for
manufactures
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Team size: 50
Team type: Distributed; often multi-organization
Failure risks: Major business losses
Clients: Multiple success-critical stakeholders
Requirements: Some parts relatively stable, others volatile,
emergent
Architecture: Mostly provided by small number of COTS
package
Refactoring: More expensive, with mix of people skills
Primary objective: Rapid value increase, dependability,
adaptability
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SupplyChain.com
Step 1 - Rate the project risks
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Environmental
E-Tech – Uncertainties with agent-based system
− E-Coord – Multiple suppliers and distributors
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Agile risks
A-Scale – 50 person development team
− A-YAGNI – Many stable components
− A-Churn – Stable workforce
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Plan-Driven risks
P-Change – Changing markets, technology and organizations
− P-Speed – High speed competition
− P-Emerge – Requirements due to change
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SupplyChain.com
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SupplyChain.com
Step 2 - Compare Agile and Plan-Driven Risks
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Agile methods less risky
Scalability – 50 person development team
– Criticality – Loss due to defects, medium
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Plan-driven risks not deal breakers
Rapid-change
– Emerging requirements
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Use a blended approach based in agile methods!
No need for Step 3
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SupplyChain.com
Step 4a – Individual Risk Resolution Strategies
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Environmental
Technical risks
• Prototype and benchmark agent technologies
− Coordination risks
• Add CRACK representatives
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SupplyChain.com
Step 4a – Individual Risk Resolution Strategies
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Agile risks
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YANGI risks
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Encapsulation – hide-information technique
Churn risks
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A-Scale – break development teams into smaller teams
Pair-programming and successful completion bonus
Plan-driven risks
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Mitigated based on using more agile techniques
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SupplyChain.com
Step 4b – System development
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Three participant groups
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Operational stakeholders
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Representatives from each operation
» Manufacturing
» Supplier
» Distributor
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CRACK performers
Risk\opportunity management team
Project managers
– Senior members
– See something – do something about it
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Agile teams
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Developers doing the work
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SupplyChain.com
Step 4b - Three-phase development
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Inception
Build team
− Build vision
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Elaboration
Establish overall operational concept
− Establish key COTS
− Define first increment
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Implementation increments
Agile teams develop successive increments
− Develop\test
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For Review
What are we talking about and who cares?
• What is Discipline?
• What is Agility?
• What are the misconceptions?
• Contrasts and Home Grounds
• Five critical factors
• Risk-Based method
• Projects from my past
• Closing remarks
•
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Projects from my past
PM1 to PM2
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Access forms with Access DB to Web with SQL
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Forms for revenue – project status – CRM
ISO 9000 system
Mythical agility failed
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No documentation
Poor communication
No checks
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Projects from my past
MJHarden.com
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Build new web presence for MJ Harden
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Flash intro – new content – new navigation
No function, just market
Successful plan-driven project
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Document requirements
Froze requirements
Developed
Tested - functions and design(marketing)
Bug-fix
Change management
Deploy
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For Review
What are we talking about and who cares?
• What is Discipline?
• What is Agility?
• What are the misconceptions?
• Contrasts and Home Grounds
• Five critical factors
• Risk-Based method
• Projects from my past
• Conclusions
•
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Conclusions
No silver bullet
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Plan-driven has issues
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Late value recognition
Documentation heavy
Agility has issues
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Scaling up – ineffective in large projects
Requires skilled personnel
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Conclusions
Remember the home grounds
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Personnel – Skilled workers
Criticality – Loss due to defects
Size – Number of personnel
Culture - % Thriving on chaos vs. order
Dynamism - % Requirements - change/month
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Conclusions
Future projects will need both Agility and
Discipline
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Past shows no intermingling between home grounds
Future shows more combination of methods
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There will always be huge projects and small projects
Large projects will require large rate of change
Small projects are scaling up
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Conclusions
Balanced methods are emerging
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Risk based method only one way
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Crystal Orange
DSDM
FDD
Lean Development
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Conclusions
Build your Method up
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Start with minimal agile techniques
Build as required
Don’t tailor it down
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Starting with full plan-driven requires high
experienced personnel
Tailoring waists resources and time
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Conclusions
Focus less on methods
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More on people
Values
Communication
Expectations management
Good people and teams trump any other factors
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Conclusions
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Questions?
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Bibliography
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Boehm, Barry, and Richard Turner, and . Balancing Agility and Discipline: A Guide
for the Perplexed. Addison-Wesley Professional, 2003.
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