Microsoft - Feature Crew Model in Managed Services

Feature Crew Model in Managed ServicesDavid Burg

Agenda

Click icon to add picture

• Principles• Approach• Timelines• Quality

• Deliverable-focused• it’s about the outcome, not the effort

• Positive incentives• Suppliers are paid based on the business impact• If quality is lacking, Suppliers are penalized

• Limited overhead to Microsoft• Feature crew is defined by its external interaction with Microsoft• Feature crew is not defined by its inner workings or composition• Supplier is fully responsible to manage its crew

Model principles

• Suppliers are competing• Bid on User Stories• Paid by the User Story Point delivered

• Agile coach, Legal, Finance as stakeholders• Challenging existing models• Sensitivity to hard requirements, e.g. budget planning

• Based on Modern Engineer rock-bed• CD/CI• Full test and deployment automation• Single common pre-prod environment with flighting

Approach for success

• Not a full outsourcing• Product Owner to prepare user stories per DoR• SwE in depth review of deliverables / not just a dashboard• Microsoft needs to maintain deep expertise

• Agile yet predictable• Accommodate changing priorities of Microsoft• Reasonable forecast for Supplier staffing

• Story points are subjective• Used as best proxy for cost and value

Challenges

Program timeline

Program start•SOW, budget allocated•Capacity as monthly User Story Points

•Supplier feature crew ramp-up•Backlog initiation

Quarterly planning•Supplier capacity is adjusted at Quarter boundaries

•Microsoft to maintain 2 sprints worth of user stories meeting DoR

•Schedule UAT or no UAT

Delivery by sprint•2 weeks sprints•Independent Feature Crew and Scrum

•Sync at Scrum of Scrums•CD/CI, shared code branch and pre-prod environment

Warranty period•Bugs fixed per SLA “or else” penalty system

•No extra charge to Microsoft for supplier poor job

User story lifecycle

Backlog grooming[Microsoft]• Maintains 2 sprints worth of user stories per Definition of Ready

• User story points draft

Review and bid[Supplier]• User story point bid

Execution and delivery[Supplier]• 40% paid when self-assess meet Definition of Done

• 2 weeks sprints

Review for acceptance[Microsoft]• 40% paid when accepted per Definition of Done requirements

• 5 work days time-bound after sprint

Warranty Period[Supplier]• Time-bound• 20% paid at UAT Exit• Penalty system for significant Prod issues

• Strict Definition of Ready, Definition of Done• Based on EP&S’

• Extensive Engineering Guidelines• EP&S Engineering Handbook extending Microsoft

“Framework Design Guidelines”• Checkpoints• Static analysis tools, gated build, deployment validation, full test

coverage• Review of code and artifacts prior to acceptance• design doc, operations or troubleshooting guide

• Reporting dashboard based on VSO

A high Quality bar

• FY16H2• ~250K• Single project• As augmentation to existing MSFT engineering• Existing CD/CI & Modern engineering

• Single managed services feature crew

Pilot program

• Once proven, use the model for fully outsourced projects• MSFT needs to maintain strong and in-depth understanding to meet

Definition of Ready in user stories and review deliverables per Definition of Done

• Multiple managed services feature crews for large projects

Opportunities

Thank you!

Click icon to add picture

© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.