Agile learning journey_in_public_sector_140122

Karoliina Luoto, Codento · UK Parliament · 22 January 2015

Agile Learning Journey

Agile In Public Sector

Karoliina Luoto + Codento

Consultant for

Agile coaching and co-work

Digital services, collaborationBefore: product owner, collaboration

strategist, information society specialist

Specializes in client/supplier

methodology facilitationAnd works in actual software development

too

What defines

a good project?

Suggestions?

Photo: karla_k., FlickrPhoto: Karoliina Luoto

Some of mine:

1. Clear vision

2. Transparency

3. Predictability

4. Learning

Procedure changes

Can hugely enhance efficiency

Photo: Julius Reque, Flickr

Looking from Finland,

UK is a digital procedures

champion

Classic problemsIn public sector IT projects

1. Projects blow out of proportion

2. Functionality misses the target due to lack of vision and

absence of user contact

3. Missing transparency leads to poor quality and increasing

problems

Agile turns

Big goals into small steps

Photo: Karoliina Luoto

But what else

Does it bring in?

Photo: ronnykolau, Flickr

Culture of testingHelps optimizing value

1. Focus on solutions that fill 80 % of user need with 20 % effort

2. New processes are the hard part – why not practice with

minimum viable product or with no tools at all?

3. Micro piloting as proof-of-concept

Versatile expertise involvedIncreases quality

2. Make your project alluring for best of breed

3. Once you get them, empower them to make the daily decisions

Key success factors:

4. Open up protos and betas for user comments

5. Get stakeholders and outside experts to attend reviews

1. Even before starting the project, open the RFPs / plans for

comments

TransparencyMinimizes risks

1. Bad news always exists – make sure you hear it soon

2. So, lower the threshold for telling bad news

4. Get concrete hold of results at end of every sprint – code to

Github, documenting to wikis

Key success factors:

3. Make sure required information is available for everyone –

also budgetary

The mindset of trustHelps focusing on success

2. Move from preparing for disasters towards enabling success

3. People over-accomplish when trusted – so why not trust them

1. Trust helps people tell bad news

What does it take

From managers and leaders?

Photo: W10002, Flickr

Visionship”What is this service for?”

1. Willingness to prioritize requirements

2. Learning from feedback and yet keeping the unity of the

product

3. Balancing between stakeholders

Letting goThe old risk management mindset

1. Purchasing focuses on getting the best possible talent

2. Typically buying time allocation, not outcomes

3. Time and material contract model requires positive incentives

Bureaucracy + Agile = Mission Impossible?

Sugggestion: NO.

Predictability on project and release level can be combined

with agility.

Projecting and budgeting sets the

limits, and learning on the way helps

optimizing the value

Decision-makers can be brought in

to vision and release planning. What

are the main objectives? What

should the development focus on

next X months?

Daily plan

Sprintgoal

Productroadmap

Product strategy

Service strategy

Vision for initiative

Product vision, plan for 1-5 years

Release plan,plan for 1-12 months

Strategy, vision, backlog

Possible tool: Value

Burnup Chart

Requires:

• Steering group playing value poker

on epics/ features

• Product Owner monitoring

progress in relation to value points

Photo., FlickrKuva: Alan, FlickrPicture credits: James Shore

It takes 2-4 years to learn agileAgile Fluency Model

© 2012 James Shore and Diana Larsen, Agilefluency.com

Start: Building

code

1 Focuson businessvalue

cultureshift

Team2 DeliverbusinessvalueSkills shift

Team

3 Optimizebusinessvalue

4 Optimizefor systemsculture shift

Organization

0

How to gain from agile ideasNo matter the project model

Focus on vision and needs

Reduce vision risk by piloting and testing

Reduce project risks by chopping elephant projects into

smaller projects or product purchases

Whether you manage risk by contract optimization or

openness – don’t skip communication

Measure value and incentivize wanted results

Be open to hearing bad news – you’d rather hear it

Learn

However, success

Is not a methodology choice

Photo: massdistraction, Flickr

Thank you!

www.codento.com

[email protected] · @totoroki · +358 40 765 8504