4. There are better ways …
wish we didn’t have to
deal with it.
http://www.cmsmyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/rfpgraphic2.png
4
5. What is the purpose and why?
• Early stage for procurement of services
• Specification on details of the intended procurement.
• Competitive - Selection mechanism prior to outsourcing or offshoring
• Used in re-evaluation as part of strategic sourcing.
http://ukhypnosis.com/2010/07/10/cbt-with-intolerance-of-uncertainty-and-chronic-worry/ 5
6. Uncertainty & Unknowns
• Quite a challenge at RFP stage…
• They are not all bad; it just means options… more so for agile projects.
• Options need to identified, understood and communicated.
http://militarytobusiness.blogspot.in/2010/08/dealing-with-uncertainty.html 6
7. Steps involved
• Notice of RFP
• Pre-Proposal Walkthrough
• Written Clarifications & Questions
• Response to Written Clarifications & Questions
• Receipt of Written RFP Deadline
• RFP Defence
• RFP Evaluation
• RFP Selection Announcements, Negotiations etc.
http://www.blog-bizedge.biz/2011/03/preproposal-positioning.html 7
8. Deal With Agile
We will do it collectively…
8
http://www.webpoppy.net/2011/06/how-to-write-a-website-rfp/
9. Let’s Self Organize !!!
( 5-6 member teams)
9
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-organization
10. 20 minute time boxes
• Iteration 1 – Walkthrough of RFP questions (15 min + 5 min)
• Iteration 2 – War room
• Iteration 3 – Defense
10
http://blog.agilebuddy.com/2009/01/significance-of-time-boxing.html
11. There is limited time …
• Solution strategy approach and NOT the
Focus !!!
solution itself.
• Highlighted questions are critical.
• Articulate the following
• How would you approach estimation and
release planning.
• Thoughts on contracting & pricing
•Testing and product quality (Independent
Testing Teams vs. Self Contained Testers in
Dev Teams)
•Onsite offshore execution ,team loading.
• Pick a moderator to have a handle on things
while the discussion goes on.
11
13. Vendor Discretion Advised
Agile Project AHEAD
• Customer business participation.
• Vendor involvement in the decision making process.
• Offshore teams leveraged for only tasks/activities.
13
15. Project Chartering
• High level system understanding
• User stories - walkthrough
• Define Acceptance Criteria
Story Mapping
• Identify Function Flow
• User stories grouping
• Release Plans
15
16. Estimates
• Collective planning and estimation
• Story points (Scale 1-10) by functional y grouped teams.
• Effort classification.
Release Plans
• Quarterly production releases synchronized with non-agile projects
• Logical grouping based on Functional flow and Criticality.
• Only for 6 months…
16
17. Execution Model
• Onsite heavy in the first few sprints.
• Frequent Onsite off shore team rotation.
17
18. Contracts & Pricing
• T & M Initially
• Switch to FPP after stability
• CR based pricing for changing requirements
• Frequent travels factored into pricing.
20. Agile Outsourcing - Dealing with Agile RFPs
No. General
1 Is the supplier ready to implement the Agile project?
The project is primarily implemented at the location of CUSTOMER at LOCATION. The supplier indicates how this is
2 realised. Proven experience with this mode of realisation under an Agile routine is of importance.
The supplier is in a position to independently convert the WHAT (the system must do) into HOW (this must be realised). The supplier
3 presents his vision on this subject.
As Agile is going to be worked in teams constituted of people with different (cultural) backgrounds, a comprehensive culture training /
team building at the start of the project is obvious. What plans does the supplier have for the purpose and what expenditure of time
4 and cost are involved in this connection?
5 Please describe how you would respond to a request to set up an Agile Project in partnership
Advantages of Agile Environment: What does your company see as the main advantage to an Agile development environment? What
6 are the key disadvantages?
Process & Tools
1 How does the supplier deal with changes in the requirements (content and priority) during the project?
2 Which Agile routine does the supplier choose for this project? The substantiation of this choice is of particular importance.
3 In what way can the management and maintenance of the deliverable software be organised?
4 How does the supplier ensure the guarantee for the maintainability and quality of the deliverable software?
5 How does the supplier ensure that the preferred suppliers of CUSTOMER can maintain the system?
Supplier has experience with tooling in an Agile process.
What tools has the supplier used for the purpose in the earlier projects?
For each tool, indicate the purpose for which it was employed within the Agile process.
6
How do you typically ensure on Agile projects that senior management in your company and the customer company have
7 appropriate visibility to make decisions and coordinate other activity?
Testing
What vision does the supplier have on tests during an Agile process?
1 Make a distinction according to system and acceptance tests.
2 How your organization views testing as part of a scrum team?
How your organization would develop testing requirements for a sprint. Include test techniques / methods that would be used and how
3 they would be used?
4 What testing should be performed as part of a scrum team?
5 What approach do you take for agile testing?
6 How do you achieve collaborative working relationships on agile initiatives in order to ensure quality delivery?
How your organization view testing as part of a independent team and what will be the best strategy to work with
7 independent testing teams.
Contracting & Estimation
Supplier gives a detailed estimate of the time required for the formulation of all product requirements. The substantiation
of this estimate is of particular importance.
Assume the following while you think of a solution for this question
Simple Requirements: 100 >> Medium Requirements: 150 >>Complex Requirements: 100
1
Bidders are requested to indicate their own pricing policy (initial and recurring costs) applicable to the products and services called for.
Specify the prices and rates for the products and services called for. You should be fully prepared here and need to at least include the
2 deliverable products and services specified by you.
For each sprint, present a detailed summary of the costs of the proposed team effort during the turnaround time of project estimated
on the basis of the total list of the product requirements. In addition, the rate employed for each team member of the proposed team
3 classification must be indicated.
21. Contracting & Estimation contd…
What is the contract model that the vendor would like to propose? Fixed Price will be of primary interest for the customer
but is willing to consider other contractual models as well. Vendor must justify the different contractual models and
4 justify the most appropriate for the project and clearly articulate the risks and downside of Fixed Price model
Supplier indicates the project organisation roles, rates, quantities, composition, phasing, sprint duration, tooling etc..
The substantiation of this organisation and estimates are of particular importance.
How does the supplier guarantee that the cited capacity and knowledge are indeed available in the same and stable (team) composition
during the entire project? Consider here also the possible visa problem.
5
Release
Supplier indicates in detail which part of the product requirements referred can be realised within 6 months after the start
of the project implementation. The substantiation of these assessments is of particular importance. The deadline of 6
months is an arbitrarily chosen reference time. The starting point here is the project organisation as described and the
1 assessment of the product requirements
The supplier needs to work together with other CUSTOMER units that do not work according to Agile.
How does the supplier plan to deal with the units from the CUSTOMER organisation that do not work according to Agile?
2
How does the supplier guarantee that he will deliver a working software (zero defect delivery) that is deployed in the acceptance/live
environment made available by CUSTOMER for the purpose after every sprint?
How does the supplier envisage to be able to contribute towards as high a delivery reliability as possible?
3
On-Going Application Support & Maintenance: Describe your methodology for providing on-going application support and maintenance
services, including the following:
• Application Updates • User Management • Change Management • Problem management and communication procedures •
Documentation management• Communication and integration with the customer and its processes
• Problem diagnosis and root-cause analysis of production defects • Review and approval of problem-fix approach and risks • Design
4 Review, Code Inspection, Testing and other quality assurance processes supporting Application Maintenance
We have limited time and hence I suggest the following…
- Think about approach to arrive at solution or strategy and NOT the solution itself.
- The questions that are in bold are critical; focus discussions to overcome the challenges. Specifically the following must be articulated
> Approach to estimation and release planning.
> Contracting & Pricing
> Testing and product quality (Independent Testing Teams vs. Self Contained Testers in Dev Teams)
> Onsite offshore execution model with emphasis on team loading.
- Pick a moderator to have a handle on things while the discussion goes on.
