Comparing Apples to Apples - A technique to normalize software complexity and reach consensus on scope for Agile projects

Comparing Apples to ApplesGilson GaseorowskiFernando Ostanelli

CI&T

São Paulo, BrazilApr 2016

Look at that, Larry!! Is it that Agile stuff?

I dunno, Cliff! But it’s freaking beautiful!I want it now!

1995 2015

Agile

Lean IT

Enterprise Agile

RUP

CMM5

2 decades of learning

Business Value must be the north … always! … but predictability still matters… a lot!

Report: Build The Right Things Better And Faster With Modern Application Delivery MetricsAuthors: Diego Lo Giudice and Kurt BittnerDate released: July 28, 2015

“While I am very interested in knowing the business value my development teams generate, my board requires me to be predictable on how much we are spending and for what.” -- Dave West, chief product officer, Tasktop

No project has

unlimited resources

Have you ever been there?

“Cone of Uncertainty”

value(intrinsic)

quality(intrinsic)

Flexibility to adapt

The Agile Triangle

Constraints:

Scope, Time, Cost

Quality and value are non-negotiable!

We'll ask for estimates ...

… and then treat them as deadlines

I have altered the product scope

Pray I don't alterit in the future

Much disagreement...

I sense...

Without a common language, scope complexity is a matter of individual perspective.

Why does it always to end like this?

Because you keep adding

features!

and scope agreements

are a matter of

What I understood

VSWhat you

understood

oops… different scales?

oops… reference changed?

WTF! Where’s my old pal?!

We need a common language to normalize our perspectives!

2008 2012 2013 2015

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Normalized Complexity - our Timeline

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Business Complexity Normalization

Normalized Complexity vs Risk vs Effort vs Experience

How to isolate complexity (or size) from other estimates aspects?

● unique, objective and easy to apply

● universal business and software engineering language

● decoupled from technical aspects

● immutable over time and among different teams

● regardless of effort, risk and team experience

● common language among the whole team and with clients

A model to normalize and determinesoftware functional complexity

Business Com

plexity Poin

ts

Rule

Business Complexity analysis rationale

NOVEMBER FEBRUARYDECEMBER JANUARY

2015 2016

SPRINT 05 WDs

0 CP’S

SPRINT 110 WDs

85 / 92 141 / 129 174 / 156

SPRINT 210 WDs

SPRINT 310 WDs

133 / 148

SPRINT 410 WDs

39 / 0

R 27 WDs

15Partner

Type Bulk Upload

9Chrome Landing

Page

9Android Landing

Page

24Partner

Bulk Upload

22Find

Partner By Type

25Show

Partner

19Advanced

Find Partner

6Geo

ordering

83Admin Auth

27Partner

Password Recovery

21Partner

Auth

46Approve

New Partner

20Approve Partner Update

41Partner Update

19Highlight Premium Partner

18Contact

Us

59Multiple offices

46Create a Partner

51Update Partner

18Delete Partner

Continuous UAT - User Acceptance Test

Continuous Backlog Grooming - Scope Refinement

Environment SETUP

Team Set-up

Tech Components

R 13 WDs

38 / 0

OUT OF SCOPE

8

Make Address

Not Required

17Include Partner

Focus Area

Become a Partner

44

Security Issues

23Analytics28UAT

Improvements

23UAT

Improvements

15Admin Bulk

Upload

22Inform

Location Filter

23Resend

Approval E-mail

36Adjust

Approval Workflow

15

Approve New

Partner - Assign

19Contact Partner

Foundation and non-functional requirements

Functional requirements

Performed / Baseline

Uncovered by budget

Continuous MTP

20Adjust Footer

Be transparent, share decisions and continuously manage expectations

#noestimates

CI&T and Business Complexity Points

Report: Build The Right Things Better And Faster With Modern Application Delivery MetricsAuthors: Diego Lo Giudice and Kurt BittnerDate released: July 28, 2015

Excerpts featuring CI&T

Stakeholders want innovation but still value predictability. Pyrrhic victories are never popular.Business stakeholders want to win but with costs that provide profitable margins. Predictability is important, too. Modern applications are paired with changes in business processes that must be orchestrated with precision to be successful. Digital services firm CI&T, which contributed significantly to Coca-Cola’s Happiness Flag project for the 2014 World Cup, has defined its own methodology to calculate what it calls business complexity points to determine the cost of developing business features.

Licensing model

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

You are free to Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format

Under the following terms:

Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.

NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.

NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.

learning while having fun!

ciandt.com

BUSINESS COMPLEXITY

RULE

Thank you!References:

Build The Right Things Better And Faster With Modern Application Delivery Metrics (http://bit.ly/1QDhFnP)

Cone of Uncertainty (http://bit.ly/1SNmb7w)

Business Complexity Rule - pdf (http://bit.ly/1TAMcau)

Business Complexity Rule - Google Spreadsheet (http://bit.ly/1VEKd8D)

Fernando OstanelliHead of Operations

br.linkedin.com/in/ostanelli

[email protected]

Contact Info

Gílson GaseorowskiLean/Agile Transformation Coach

[email protected]

br.linkedin.com/in/gaseorowskigilson