Agile Lifecycle, Tools,
Techniques
2013 IM Symposium
JUST DO AGILE…
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2013 IM Symposium
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
Agile Lifecycle:
•Release Planning
(creates Priority List)
•Iteration Planning
(creates Iteration
backlog)
•Daily Standup
•Fixed-length Iterations
•Iteration Review
(Review product
deliverables from
increment /sprint,
increasing visibility.)
Daily Stand-Up
Priority List
Iteration
Backlog
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2013 IM Symposium
APPLYING AGILE…
Agile Principles apply holistically to all
team members.
Agile Practices and Disciplines are
applied as appropriate to each area of
the team.




Planning
Analysis
Design/Dev
QA
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2013 IM Symposium
APPLYING AGILE…PLANNING
Release Planning (creates Priority List/Product Backlog)


Business Owners List their requirements in order
of priority.
Delivery of work for BA, Dev and QA teams is set.
Daily StandUp
Priority List
Iteration
Backlog
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2013 IM Symposium
APPLYING AGILE…ANALYSIS
Start work based on Priority List.
Review First Draft requirements document with
Dev and QA.




Ensures “right-sized” documenting - Simplicity
Fosters shared context
Facilitates Task Estimation at Iteration Planning
Prompts thoughts about Acceptance Testing
Daily StandUp
Priority List
Iteration
Backlog
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2013 IM Symposium
APPLYING AGILE…PLANNING
Iteration Planning (creates Iteration Backlog)




Requirements already reviewed by entire team.
Dev Team estimates tasks and hours - enough to fill
2-4 weeks of work.
QA team knows what to expect and prepares “just
enough” to test what is agreed upon
BA team works on next wave if Requirements based
on Priority List
Daily StandUp
Priority List
Iteration
Backlog
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2013 IM Symposium
APPLYING AGILE…DESIGN/DEV
Start work based on Priority List.




Write code and Check-In (Daily at a Minimum)
Generate Automated Unit Tests while coding
Review with BA early and often
Completed code incorporated into Daily Build –
fostering Continuous Integration
Daily StandUp
Priority List
Iteration
Backlog
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2013 IM Symposium
APPLYING AGILE…PLANNING
Iteration Planning (creates Iteration Backlog)




Dev team displays working code.
QA team knows exactly what is testable.
Entire Team Critiques the Prior Iteration – makes
suggestions for improvements.
Dev Team works on next wave of Requirements
based on Priority List.
Daily StandUp
Priority List
Iteration
Backlog
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2013 IM Symposium
APPLYING AGILE…QA
Test Delivered Code



QA team wrote scripts during development.
Submit Bugs/Defects.
Create Automated test scripts to serve as
regression suite.
Daily StandUp
Priority List
Iteration
Backlog
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2013 IM Symposium
ADOPTING TOOLS…
Lots of Tools available

Task specific packages
Planning
 Analysis
 Development
 QA





Holistic products – Does IT All
Open Source
Packaged products
SaaS products
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2013 IM Symposium
ADOPTING TOOLS…
Planning:
 Started
 SaaS
with:
– Subscription – Rally
Up and running instantly
 1 year contract – basic support

 Currently
Use:
 Microsoft
Visual Studio 2010 with Team
Foundation Server
Required separate Server
 Consultants hired to train

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2013 IM Symposium
ADOPTING TOOLS…
Analysis:
 Started
with:
 Microsoft
Word
 SharePoint – document management
 Currently
 No
Use:
change
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2013 IM Symposium
ADOPTING TOOLS…
Development:

Started with:
 IDE
– RAD
 Source Control – CVS
 Build Engine/Server – Cruise Control

Currently Use:
 Microsoft
Server



Visual Studio 2010 with Team Foundation
IDE
Source Control
Build Engine/Server
 Kony
 AntHillPro
– Environment Deployments
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2013 IM Symposium
ADOPTING TOOLS…
QA:
 Started
with:
 Quality
 Currently
 No
Center
Use:
Change
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2013 IM Symposium
ADOPTING TOOLS…
How to Select the “right tools”…
 Ask
your team.
 Consider technologies.
 Assess your commitment to Agile Adoption.
 Evaluate start up and maintenance costs.
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2013 IM Symposium
ADAPTIVE ADOPTION…
Customer Web
Portal Kick-Off
Apr - 450 Tier 3
Customer Sites
Live
Customer Web
Portal– Go-Live
2008
Adopt Tools:
•Source Repository - CVS
•Build Server – Cruise Control
•Planning Tool – “Rally”
Hire Agilists
•Developers
•Build Manager
•SCRUM Master
Leverage Quality Center for
Performance Testing
Executive Dash
Board Live
6 Portal Releases / Yr
2009
Quality Center for
Automated QA
Regression
Target Unit Testing
Practices / Discipline
6 Portal Releases / Yr
Add 450
Tier 2
Customer
Sites Live
ISD Dash
Board
2010
Upgrade Tools:
•Source Repository - TFS
•Build Server – AntHillPro
•Planning Tool – TFS
ISD Dash Board
Phase 2
Marketing
Dash Board
Live
Delivery
SharePoint 2010 &
Silverlight 4.0
Prototyping
2011
Automated Build Engine
calls and executes Coded
UI
Coded UI Recordings
supplement Unit Testing
Automated Promotions across
Environments
Review Tool Sets to prepare for
next level of Adoption
Adoption
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2013 IM Symposium
ADAPTIVE ADOPTION…
Customer Web
Portal Kick-Off
Apr - 450 Tier
3 Customer
Sites Live
Customer Web
Portal– Go-Live
2008
Adopt Tools:
•Source Repository - CVS
•Build Server – Cruise Control
•Planning Tool – “Rally”
Hire Agilists
•Developers
•Build Manager
•SCRUM Master
Leverage Quality Center for
Performance Testing
Executive Dash
Board Live
6 Portal Releases / Yr
2009
Quality Center for
Automated QA
Regression
Target Unit Testing
Practices / Discipline
6 Portal Releases / Yr
Add 450
Tier 2
Customer
Sites Live
ISD Dash
Board
2010
Upgrade Tools:
•Source Repository - TFS
•Build Server – AntHillPro
•Planning Tool – TFS
ISD Dash Board
Phase 2
Marketing
Dash Board
Live
Delivery
SharePoint 2010 &
Silverlight 4.0
Prototyping
2011
Automated Build Engine
calls and executes Coded
UI
Coded UI Recordings
supplement Unit Testing
Automated Promotions across
Environments
Review Tool Sets to prepare for
next level of Adoption
Adoption
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2013 IM Symposium
PMO COLLABORATION…
Provide Increased Visibility
 PM’s
present in Daily Stand-Up
 Project Web Access
 PMO Dashboard
 Working Code demonstration every 2 weeks
Adherence IBC ITIL Processes
 Proposed
and delivered E-Signoff via SharePoint
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2013 IM Symposium
CHALLENGES…
Continuous Planning and Prioritization:

Some features get prioritized out of a release:
 Can
be perceived as failure to deliver “original” requirements
 Can be perceived as money never spent on low value features
Development Disciplines:
Source code repository only as accurate as the last
check in.
 Unit Testing a challenge if not part of culture/skill set.
 Tools can help “promote” disciplines, but are no
guarantee.
 Continuous Integration requires a lot of up front
coordination and commitment.

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2013 IM Symposium
CHALLENGES…
Getting TEAM Buy-In:

There are times to insist on a process and ensure it is adopted:





Prioritization
Estimations
Code Check-In
Continuous Integration
There are times to implement a process and let the team suggest
how to improve it:



Combining Release planning and Iteration Planning when all artifacts
are ready.
Do away with Stand-Ups for an Iteration and have only weekly meetings.
Make the deal that suggestions get a full Iteration to live and breathe
and then review if they “worked”
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2013 IM Symposium
CHALLENGES…
Transforming This…
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2013 IM Symposium
REWARDS…
Promoting This…
Accountability
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2013 IM Symposium
LESSONS LEARNED…
 Not
as easy as it seems
 Experienced Agile delivery leader Key
 Some will always oppose change
 Leverage Automation Tools for visibility
 Get tools when Self-Discipline wanes/fails
 Stakeholders buy in when they see results routinely
To have a disciplined practice, teams must practice
their disciplines and have the discipline to practice.
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2013 IM Symposium
KEY SUCCESS FACTORS…


Executive Sponsorship – Long Term
Populate team with experienced “Agilists”:




Team Empowerment from Exec. Sponsor





Changes are Expected
Team shares Impact of Changes
Continuous Code Integration – Automated on Code Check-In
Commitment & Consistency



No fear when making decisions.
Expected experiment, innovate, and LEARN from mistakes.
Continuous Business Prioritization Reviews


Technical Lead / Certified Scrum Master.
Developer(s) skilled in Unit Testing methods.
Source code and Build server Specialist.
Daily Stand-Ups
Iteration Reviews & Retrospectives
Continuous Improvement – as the team evolves
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2013 IM Symposium
CONTACT INFORMATION
Nelson Neill, CSM
Manager, Provider Assessments
Independence Blue Cross, Informatics
nelson.neill@ibx.com
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