A surprising amount of companies is still using antiquated techniques like resource pools. Not only are they costly, but also hinder productivity and effectiveness. Business people wait for weeks and months to get a 20-minute job done? Not uncommon with resource pools. Feature teams, on the other hand, do have certain characteristics providing the organisation to get things done big time: supported by product owner and team facilitator, self-organised and cross-functional, stable, dedicated, and proactive. This session shows a path from resource pools to feature teams via self-selection of teams, including common fears and doubts during this culture-changing journey.

1. But I’m an Individual!
LASTConferenceMelbourne
How is This Still a Thing?
BerndSchiffer
01/07/2016
Resource Pools

2. Core Message
If you want to reach your business goals with Agile*, a
resource pool is the root-cause problem to a lot of your
Agile journey impediments. Instead, strive for stable teams.
* A mindset to deliver value to customers, to deliver regularly, and to become better at that over time.

3. Agile with
Stable Teams
Agile with
Resource Pool

4. Resource Pool Stable Teams

5. Resource Pool Stable Teams
1. someone creates strategic
goal
2. project manager creates
project plan(s)*
3. project manager selects
resources
4. project manager assigns
work
5. resources deliver output
milestone* after milestone
* fixed time, scope, and budget
How’s that working?
1. someone creates product
vision
2. team signs up for product
vision
3. team creates product
backlog
4. team delivers increment
iteration* after iteration
* fixed time and budget,
flexible scope

6. Resource Pool Stable Teams
Resources People
• no respect
• interchangeability
• respect
• individualisation

7. Individuals and Interactions
Source: https://xkcd.com/1562/

8. Resource Pool Stable Teams
team member (n %)
project team
1
*
team member (100 %)
team
1
1
component
1
*
product
1
*
We don’t do
projects!

9. Resource Pool Stable Teams
Work in Progress (WIP)
• WIP high
• transaction costs high
• utilisation
• WIP low
• flow high
• focus
This is all
my work.
I’m tired!
Please don’t
interrupt
me on this!

10. Resource Pool Stable Teams
People Shaped
for Work
Work Shaped
for People
I’m a
block and
I’m gonna
be shaped!
Blocks are our
work, which
we choose and
shape!
• push
• order
• Theory X
• pull
• development
• Theory Y

11. 5th Agile Principle
Source: http://agilemanifesto.org/principles.html
Build projects around motivated individuals.
Give them the environment and support they need,
and trust them to get the job done.
Can we say
“products”, please?
!!

12. Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development
Source: https://xkcd.com/1562/
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
By Bruce Tuckman in 1965
• going up: one step at a time
• going down: up to three steps at once
• from bottom to top: 3-9 months

13. Resource Pool Stable Teams
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
3-9 months
for that?
Sorry, mate,
I have no
time for that.
Okay, it’ll take
time, but it’s
worth it. Let’s
give it a try.
Rare Performance High Performance

14. members
hand-
shakes
1 02 1
3 3
4 6
5 10
6 15
7 21
8 28
9 36
10 45
11 55
12 66 0
17.5
35
52.5
70
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Handshakes in a Team
7±2

15. Resource Pool Stable Teams
Becoming a Team
• constant reconfiguration
• what are the odds to find a
good configuration?
• if you do, it won’t last for
long
• configure until win
• then stabilise
This becomes
better and better!
Everything
was better in
the old days.
No Idea Doable

16. Resource Pool Stable Teams
Short-term Long-term
• avoiding conflicts
• retrospectives are
boring
• no contact with
customer
• facing conflicts
• engage in
retrospectives
• rapport with
customer
Why invest
in future?
Future of
what?
Future
investments
pay off!

17. Resource Pool Stable Teams
Component Product
• efficiency/quantity
• responsible for part of
value stream
• part of technology stack
• part of product life cycle
• effectiveness/quality
• responsible for complete
value stream
• full technology stack
• whole product life cycle

18. Resource Pool Stable Teams
Feature Factory Working Software
I’m part of an
assembly line, a
cog in a wheel.
I’m a craftsman,
honing my skills.

19. Characteristics of a Team 1/5
has dev team, e.g.
Product Development
Team
has a team
coach, e.g.
ScrumMaster
has a business
representative, e.g.
Product Owner

20. owns one or
more products
team member (100 %)
team
1
1
product
1
*
! is dedicated (each
person 100 % in team)
Characteristics of a Team 2/5

21. 7±2 is small
is cross-functional
(gets the job done
end-to-end)
has rapport with
users and customers
Characteristics of a Team 3/5

22. is aligned with
organisation (understands
and influences the Why)
How
What
+
How
Why
has self-organised
dev team (owns
the How)
is self-managed
(owns the What
and How)
Characteristics of a Team 4/5

23. Already Part of Scrum
! 7±2
How
What
+
How
Why
It’s a good set to start with.

24. is proactive (grows
response-ability [sic])
is stable
(membership
12+ months)
is self-selected
(members choose
their team-mates)
Characteristics of a Team 5/5
This is beyond Scrum!

25. Core Message
If you want to reach your business goals with Agile*, a
resource pool is the root-cause problem to a lot of your
Agile journey impediments. Instead, strive for stable teams.
* A mindset to deliver value to customers, to deliver regularly, and to become better at that over time.

26. But I’m an Individual!
LASTConferenceMelbourne
How is This Still a Thing?
BerndSchiffer
01/07/2016
Resource Pools
Thank
you!
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