Quick overview of the different phases for becoming Agile. This is from my own coaching experience.

1. Going Agile
Agile from the trenches
By Martin Lapointe

2. Martin Lapointe, Agile Coach @ YP
Owner of an Agile family
Mantra: CARPE DIEM
Passion: Running

3. Why should you take the Agile pills?

4. Why use Agile methods?
All experts are in agreement with:
 Deliver value to customers
 Develop team communication and interaction
 Improve quality with a Feature based testing
 Increase visibility and customer feedback
 Deliver frequently a working product

5. The path to Agility

6. Phase 1: Prepare
the ground

7. Focus for Phase 1
59%
30%
10%
1%
Colonne1
Stabilization
Training
Scrum
Agile

8. Phase 1: Prepare the ground
Symptoms I experienced with teams:
•Collaboration weak
•Product vision missing
•No references to users
•Long cycles
•Importance put on budget

9. Phase 1: Objectives
The objective of the first
phase is to bring structure
and consistency

10. Phase 1: Objectives –> How?
Develop the concept of small incremental
deliveries.
Process to be improved, but the team starts
to learn by experimenting.

11. Phase 1: Objectives –> How?
Develop a
clear
definition
of the roles

12. Phase 1: Objectives –> How?
Start the project with:
•rules of engagement
•Product Vision
•Definition of the user type and persona
•Preliminary backlog with Epics and stories for the
first two sprints

13. Phase 1: Objectives –> How?
Make dedicated and stable teams

14. Phase 1: Results
The work gets organized and visibility gets
better
The team starts to:
Get out of the command and control approach
Understand to role of the client in the team
Appreciate feedback and Product vision

15. Phase 2 :
Applying Scrum

16. Focus for Phase 2
10%
20%
60%
10%
Colonne1
Stabilization
Training
Scrum
Agile

17. Phase 2 : Applying Scrum 1/2
In this phase, discipline
• Timeboxed and allocated time is followed
• Sprints are well defined and not changing once started
• Roles are clear and applied

18. Phase 2 : Applying Scrum 2/2
In this phase, discipline
• An experience ScrumMaster is part of the team
• A Product Owner is trained and dedicated to the team
• The Sprint includes all Scrum rituals for proper execution

19. Phase 2: Results
• The Product Owner writes good User Stories
• Product Owner prioritizes the backlog
• The team has a Scrum Board to synchronize efforts
• Disruptions are minimized with the help of the Scrum Master

20. When implementing
Scrum, be careful
with the frAgile
behaviours
emerging

21. “Our project is too technical,
we don’t need a persona

22. “We don’t need a Product Owner

23. “ You are not
technical enough to
be a Scrum Master

25. You need to
increase your
velocity by 50
points…

26. Planning should
last until
everything is
covered

27. We're in a hurry,
so we'll do QA
after this Sprint

28. Retrospectives a about people
complaining, better to avoid them

29. Phase 3: Become
Agile

30. Focus for Phase 3
0%
5%
15%
80%
Colonne1
Stabilization
Training
Scrum
Agile

31. Phase 3: Become Agile
• Survival mode is gone
• The fear of making mistakes is gone
• Teams are self-organized and multidisciplinary
• Decisions are taken by the team
• Teams are designed to deploy functionalities (all layers)
• Guilds are organized to share knowledge in the organisation
• Budgeting is done in the Agile way
• Innovation is a day to day thing
• Clients are now partners

32. Phase 4: The Agile
Governance

33. Phase 4: The Agile Governance
1. Agile needs to be “sponsored” from the top.
A top heavy and inflexible management team,
and associated red tape, will not enable
successful Agile adoption.

34. Phase 4: The Agile Governance
2. Agile means “empowerment”. Good agile
teams take ownership of their work and ensure
objectives can be met. Trust and good
communications are key for this to succeed.

35. Phase 4: The Agile Governance
3. Agile needs some “traditional” controls.
A bad agile project is equivalent to a bad
waterfall project and there is understandable
concern that chaos will reign in a flexible-
empowered world.

36. Conclusion