10 tips for leading
your agile teamby Jonathan Rasmusson

Friday, 8 June, 12Setting the stage...

Friday, 8 June, 12

My #1 tip for setting aproject up for success...

Friday, 8 June, 12Ask the tough#1 questions early

Friday, 8 June, 12

StartYour project

EndToo late!

Ask the tough questions here
Friday, 8 June, 12

Enter the inception deck
1. Ask why we are here.
2. Create an elevator pitch.
3. Design a product box.
4. Create a NOT list.
5. Meet your neighbours.
6. Show the solution.
7. What keeps us up at night.
8. Size it up.
9. What’s going to give.
10. What’s it going to take.
Friday, 8 June, 12

Why are we here?
Better roadaccess?

Logistics
tracking?

Regulatorycompliance?

Efficiency?

Safety #1
Friday, 8 June, 12

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Friday, 8 June, 12

Friday, 8 June, 12

The elevator pitch• For [individual construction teams]• who [need to track work done on theconstruction site]• the [CSWP]• is a [safety work permitting system]• that [tracks work permits for construction
sites].
• Unlike [the current paper based system]• our product [includes a more comprehensive
checklist and can be accessed online].
Friday, 8 June, 12

The Construction
Safety Permit System
Ideal for mine sites

Process permits faster!
Process permits safer!
Track people’s time better!
Where you need it. When you need it.
Friday, 8 June, 12

Sample NOT listIN          Create  new  permit          Update  permit          Basic  search          Basic  repor2ng  (x1)          Print          Delete  permit

OUT          Integra2on  with  legacy  system          Oﬄine  capability

UNRESOLVED          Integra2on  with  logis2cs  tracking  system  (LTS)          Security  swipe  card

Friday, 8 June, 12Project community
Safety officers

Production
support

Databaseadministrators

Friday, 8 June, 12Technical writers
Help desk

InfrastructureCore teamEveryone else!

Security

Show the solution
Browser

Services

Security
Validation

Webservices

Domain logic

DB2
Mainframe

To be decided
Technologies:-­‐  <language>-­‐  <libraries>-­‐  <tools>-­‐  <technology>

Unresolved

Out of scope
SAP HR

Friday, 8 June, 12Third-party cardswipe system

Tibco?

Beware!

ETLBatch

SQL Server

SQL Server
ClusteredNo testenvironment

Risks worth tackling

Slow computers
Customer availability
Team not sitting together

Economy cratering
Company getting acquired
Customer getting a promotion

Those that aren’t
Friday, 8 June, 12Sizing it up

1Friday, 8 June, 123or 6 months

1. How much?
2. When?

Friday, 8 June, 12

Trade-off sliders
The  classic  four
ONOFFFeature  completeness  (scope)

ONOFF

Stay  within  budget  (budget)

ONOFF

Deliver  project  on  2me  (2me)

ONOFFHigh  quality,  low  defects  (quality)* They can’t all be ‘ON’
* No two can occupy the same level

Is this enough?
Friday, 8 June, 12

Be clear on your team
#Role

Skill  set

2Developers

C#,  Ajax,  HTML/CSS,  TDD,  Analysis  skills

1

TesterAutomated  test  experience  (Selenium)

1

Project  manager Part  2me  -­‐  not  billable  to  project1

Customer

Source  of  truth.  Can  answer  ques2ons.  Available  to  team.

1

Stakeholder

Oversees  project.  Ul2mately  accountable.

Put anyone you feel is necessary for thesuccess of the project on this list.
Friday, 8 June, 12

What this project is going to take
Construction

UATTraining~3 months

1 wk

1 wk

Ship it!

3 people, 3 ½ months, $250K

Friday, 8 June, 12

Phew!
That was a big one“The Agile Samurai”
Friday, 8 June, 12

Best way I know toreduce schedule risk...

Friday, 8 June, 12

#2 Go Spartan

Friday, 8 June, 12Effortremaining

Start with a stripped down
bare-bones version ...

Actualv

elocitIterations

Friday, 8 June, 12ythen see how
realistic thisdate is looking

TimeFavourite techniquefor making the deliveryof bad news a non-event.

Friday, 8 June, 12

#3Friday, 8 June, 12Make the truth
self-evident

The release wall
I1

I2

I3 Iteration 4Looks like weare almost ½ way there
Friday, 8 June, 12ToDo

The burn down - your best friend
Effortremaining

New features discovered

Iterations

Friday, 8 June, 12

The impact

TimeBest technique I know forbuilding goodwill and trust.

Friday, 8 June, 12

Deliverfiercely#4Friday, 8 June, 12

Friday, 8 June, 12

Friday, 8 June, 12

Show them your intent!!!
Smash bugs!
Iteration

Iteration

Deliver
Make promises
Follow throughHit targets
Friday, 8 June, 12

Ship  it!

My favourite techniquefor fostering a culture of excellence.

Friday, 8 June, 12

#5

Friday, 8 June, 12

Set the bar high(and keep it there)

How are we going towork together?
Software engineering expectations
Unit testing
Refactoring

Test-Driven Design
Continuous Integration

Pair programming
No broken windows
Production readinessFriday, 8 June, 12

Build etiquette
Quality

Best way I know formaking a teamaccountable...

Friday, 8 June, 12

Have teams demo
#6 their software

Friday, 8 June, 12

Friday, 8 June, 12

Friday, 8 June, 12

The hardest tip
on this list to apply...

Friday, 8 June, 12Givepurpose#7

Friday, 8 June, 12

Why am I here?
Why does this project matter?
Why do they keep asking for the impossible?

Why

What difference does this it make?
Why should I work on this project?
Why should I care?
Friday, 8 June, 12

Friday, 8 June, 12

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Friday, 8 June, 12

How?
Friday, 8 June, 12

Develop a senseof gratitude.

Friday, 8 June, 12

Public recognition• Email from boss
• Callout standup• Sincere thanks

Friday, 8 June, 12

Or what if you said
something like this...

Friday, 8 June, 12

There’s work...

Friday, 8 June, 12And then there’s yourlife’s work...

Friday, 8 June, 12

The kind you’d nevercompromise on.

Friday, 8 June, 12

The kind you’d give up
a weekend for.

Friday, 8 June, 12

People don’t come here
to play it safe.

Friday, 8 June, 12They come here toswim in the deep end.

Friday, 8 June, 12They want their work
to add up to something.

Friday, 8 June, 12Something big.
Something that couldn’t
happen anywhere else.

Friday, 8 June, 12

Friday, 8 June, 12

Friday, 8 June, 12

Next, easiest to say hardest to do.

Friday, 8 June, 12

Giveupcontrol#8

Friday, 8 June, 12

You saysomething about
the schedule?

Friday, 8 June, 12

You are not in control.

Friday, 8 June, 12

You may officially be‘the leader’.

Friday, 8 June, 12

The people who work for
you are volunteers.

Friday, 8 June, 12

Good people crave
three things• Autonomy• Mastery• Purpose
Friday, 8 June, 12

Agile teams crave autonomy

x Micro-management
Empowered & Accountable
Friday, 8 June, 12Self-organizing
Roles
Process

This doesn’t mean you
don’t lead.

Friday, 8 June, 12More a willingness tolet them try things out,take initiative, andmake their own mistakes.

Friday, 8 June, 12

The best way I know,
to have job security for life...

Friday, 8 June, 12

Make yourself#9 obsolete.

Friday, 8 June, 12

Why would I want to do that ?

Job security!

vendor lock-in!

increased pay!
Friday, 8 June, 12

Good leaders• Share information• Give away their best secrets• Teach others everything they know
• Make those around them better• Aren’t afraid of become obsolete...

because they never are!
Friday, 8 June, 12

The best way I know todeal with the dramaand dysfunction thatcome from managing
software projects...
Friday, 8 June, 12Threesimple#10truths

Friday, 8 June, 12Three  simple  truths
1. It is impossible to gather all therequirements at the beginning of a project.
2. Whatever requirements you do gather are
guaranteed to change.
3. There will always be more to do than timeand money allow.

Friday, 8 June, 12

Bonus tip!
Friday, 8 June, 12Haveheroes!

Friday, 8 June, 12Just don’tworship

Friday, 8 June, 12

There is no one way.
You gotta be you.

Friday, 8 June, 12

Best advice I can give...

Friday, 8 June, 12

Follow you gut...

Friday, 8 June, 12

serve your team...

Friday, 8 June, 12and be prepared toget out of the way.

Friday, 8 June, 12Thank you

Friday, 8 June, 12

Learn more• Blog– agilewarrior.wordpress.com• Twitter– @jrasmusson• Email– jr@agilewarrior.com

Friday, 8 June, 12