Scaling Agile@ LEGO & Spotify
EA-träff
Okt 2017

Consultant
www.crisp.se

Climate guy

Henrik Kniberg
henrik.kniberg@crisp.se@HenrikKniberg

Dad

Organizational coach& Change Instigator
AuthorNot too hard

Henrik Kniberg

A bit trickier

Henrik Kniberg

Hard!

Henrik Kniberg

How do we avoid THIS?

Henrik Kniberg

yrotsgnilacsy
M

00:49

6 years ago...

Henrik Kniberg

Rise of the“Spotify Model”

Henrik Kniberg

Then this happened:
Squads!

SPOTIFY
MODEL!!!!!

Chapters!

Spotify Model!
Guilds!

Tribes!
Spotify Model!

Autonomy!

Scrum!

Squads!

Spotify Model!

Henrik Kniberg

Image credit:
freevectors.com

3 years ago...

Agile @

”Captain Agile””Dr Agile”

3 years ago...

Agile @

”Captain Agile””Dr Agile”

What can we learn?

Henrik Kniberg

Finding the Minimum Viable Bureaucracy

Henrik Kniberg

eulaVrofgnizi
Optim

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Optimize for Valuenot Effort or Output

Effort (hours spent)

Output (items delivered)

Value

Henrik Kniberg

What you measure is what you get
Focusing on

EffortFocusing on

OutputHours

Time reports

Resource utilization

Backlog Developing

Released!

Focusing on

Value & Learning
Henrik Kniberg

$?

$$$

Henrik KnibergspoolkcFeedba

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Predictive process = cannon ballAssumptions:• The customers knows what they need
• The teams know how to deliver it• Nothing will change along the way

Henrik Kniberg

Adaptive process = homing missile

Assumptions:• The customer discovers what they need
• The teams discover how to deliver it• Many things change along the way

Henrik Kniberg

Henrik Kniberg

> 250 people involved> 4 years to first publicrelease
Shut down after 2years of operation

Henrik Kniberg

LegoUniverse

Lego Universe Spider Cave

Brian Tyler

Henrik Kniberg

Built by 1-2 people
6 days to first public release> 100 releases within first year
$80 million revenue withinfirst 15 months
Sold to MS for $2.5 Billion!

Henrik Kniberg

What is “Quality?”

Henrik Kniberg

Alignment

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How do we avoid THIS?

Henrik Kniberg

Suboptimization
WTF! You guys arebuilding a TUNNEL?
WTF! You guys arebuilding a BRIDGE?

Henrik Kniberg

Common reaction

Someone needs totake charge!

Henrik Kniberg

Roundabout

Traffic signals

Central control
systemTrust,transparency,
self-organization

Faster flow,
Fewer accidents

Henrik Kniberg

Source: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Safety/roundabouts/benefits.htm

Roundabout

Traffic signals

Central control
systemTrust,
transparency,
self-organization

Faster flow,
Fewer accidents

Henrik Kniberg

Source: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Safety/roundabouts/benefits.htm

100% control = 0% motion
If everything’s under control,
you’re going too slow!
- Mario Andretti

Henrik Kniberg

Leader’s job:
Explain what problem needs to be solved.
And Why.

Henrik Kniberg

Teams!

Small, self-organizing, cross-functional

Henrik Kniberg

Teams of teams

Henrik Kniberg

DEM

Pattern: Integration Cadence“Friday Demo”

Henrik Kniberg

OORDIE!

Assume the bestin people
and they will strive tolive up to it
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Productivity =Effort
x Competencex Environment
x Motivation

Henrik Kniberg

2

Don’t “motivate”
teams. Remove thedemotivators.

The importance of slack

Can’t you see?
I’m BUSY!

Henrik Kniberg

Dependencies

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Portfolio level – stable yearly process, budget frames, long term planning

Program level – lots of meetings, spreadsheets, stress, and confusion

ProductOwnerProjectmanager

Team level – Scrum teams doing sprints

Henrik Kniberg & Eik Thyrsted BrandsgårdProductdirectorBig-room planning

Team 1
Program backlog
1	  2	  3	  4	  5	  6	  7	  PU LL
PU L
LTeam 2

Team 3Henrik Kniberg

Teambacklog

Teambacklog

Teambacklog

Dependency board

Scrum of Scrums

Henrik Kniberg

Early detection of dependency problems

Henrik Kniberg

Decoupling to reduce theneed for team sync

Client App squad!#?

Feature squads

Henrik Knibergslooteraskrow
Frame00:49

Frameworkitis (noun)- Exaggerated belief that a framework will solve all problems- Tendency to keep adding new frameworks and enlarging the existing ones.

Henrik Kniberg

Agile ”umbrella” –a family of iterative, incremental frameworks

SAFe / LeSS / etc

XPSAFeScrumKanban
Henrik Kniberg

DevOpsContinuousDelivery

DesignSprints

Frameworks are toolboxes

Henrik Kniberg

Wrapup

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Lessons learned• Scaling hurts.
Avoid whenever possible.
• Frameworks are just tools.
Don’t fall in love with them.
• Team-of-teams + Integration Cadence =• Self-organization is magic.
But requires transparency, trust,and a fast feedback loop.

Henrik Kniberg

DEMOO

RDIE!