This document discusses the author's journey with Agile and other software development methodologies. It describes how the author initially disliked Agile due to dogma but later found value in a more practical approach. The author advocates for focusing on individuals, working software, delighting customers, and continuous learning from change. Organizations should prioritize becoming the right people through a learning process rather than following specific methodologies or practices. The overall message is about continuously improving how organizations develop software, infrastructure, and themselves.

1. I build the future
Andrew Clay Shafer
Agile 2014

2. @littleidea

3. me

4. @littleidea

5. three stone cutters walk into a
Pareto Inefficient Nash Equilibrium

6. you have to be serious

7. do you have to be so serious?

8. buckle up

9. meanwhile…

10. software kept eating the world

11. in conclusion

12. you are either building a
software business...
or you will be losing
to someone who is...

13. obvious

14. you are either building a
learning organization...
or you will be losing
to someone who is...

16. everybody wants to
go to heaven
none of them
want to die

17. learn the past

18. my past

19. Agile
I absolutely hated it

20. I hated the dogma
I hated that it wasn’t working

21. Beware the Expert “the keeper of the Agile”

22. People say ‘Agile’, they really mean ‘Scrum’

23. the most tepid Scrum

24. the most tepid version of the most tepid Agile

25. Agile was broken

26. I didn’t realize what or why

27. and then I got lucky...

28. Salt Lake Agile Roundtable

29. I went there for ammunition.

30. what I got was more interesting I got lucky

31. I was never interested in ‘being’ Agile...

33. Context Matters

34. how meta is too meta?

35. obey, digress, separate

36. digression…

37. game theory
the study of mathematical models of conflict
and cooperation between intelligent rational
decisions makers

38. rational
choosing to maximize a utility function

39. information is bounded

40. rationality is local

41. Locally Rational Decision Making:
The Distracting Effect of Information on Managerial Performance
This paper describes a phenomenon called “locally rational” decision-
making, in which the mere presence of information may have
dysfunctional consequences even if decision makers do not process the
information incorrectly.
!
Using the results from an experiment conducted with a strategic market
simulation game, we find that the accessibility of information results in a
disposition to focus on those components of decision-making most
clearly addressed by the information.
!
If these are not the components most closely tied to success, overall
performance may in fact suffer. The decision-making process is thus
“locally rational” since it may be optimal with respect to specific
components of a larger plan, but globally suboptimal with regard to
ultimate outcomes and for the organization as a whole.
http://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/mnsc.38.2.212?journalCode=mnsc

42. more of my past

44. humble and grateful

45. somebody pinch me

47. even more past

48. 1945 to 1965: The Origins
1965 to 1985: The Software Crisis
1985 to 1989: No Silver Bullet
1990 to 1999: Prominence of the Internet
2000 to Present: Lightweight Methodologies
I know this is true, because Wikipedia

49. 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s future?
structured
programming
Cap Gemini SDM
structured systems analysis
and design methodology (ssadm)
Information Requirement Analysis
/Soft systems methodology (ssm)
Object-oriented programming (OOP)
Rapid application development (RAD)
Dynamic systems development method (DSDM)
Scrum
Team software process
Extreme programming (XP)
capability maturity model (CMM)
Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)
Information Technology
Infrastructure Library (ITIL) ITIL 2007
devops
???
kanban
lean software

50. CMMI, so amaze, wow

51. ITIL sounds great
• ITIL Service Strategy: understands organizational objectives and
customer needs.
• ITIL Service Design: turns the service strategy into a plan for
delivering the business objectives.
• ITIL Service Transition: develops and improves capabilities for
introducing new services into supported environments.
• ITIL Service Operation: manages services in supported
environments.
• ITIL Continual Service Improvement: achieves services incremental
and large-scale improvements.

52. CMMI, make it stop
CMMI for Development model:
!
Maturity Level 2 - Managed
CM - Configuration Management
MA - Measurement and Analysis
PMC - Project Monitoring and Control
PP - Project Planning
PPQA - Process and Product Quality Assurance
REQM - Requirements Management
SAM - Supplier Agreement Management
!
Maturity Level 3 - Defined
DAR - Decision Analysis and Resolution
IPM - Integrated Project Management
OPD - Organizational Process Definition
OPF - Organizational Process Focus
OT - Organizational Training
PI - Product Integration
RD - Requirements Development
RSKM - Risk Management
TS - Technical Solution
VAL - Validation
VER - Verification
!
Maturity Level 4 - Quantitatively Managed
OPP - Organizational Process Performance
QPM - Quantitative Project Management
!
Maturity Level 5 - Optimizing
CAR - Causal Analysis and Resolution
OPM - Organizational Performance Management
Maturity levels in CMMI for services[edit]
There are five maturity levels. Maturity level ratings are awarded for levels 2 through 5.
Maturity levels in CMMI for services
!
Maturity Level 2 - Managed
CM - Configuration Management
MA - Measurement and Analysis
PPQA - Process and Product Quality Assurance
REQM - Requirements Management
SAM - Supplier Agreement Management
SD - Service Delivery
WMC - Work Monitoring and Control
WP - Work Planning
!
Maturity Level 3 - Defined
CAM - Capacity and Availability Management
DAR - Decision Analysis and Resolution
IRP - Incident Resolution and Prevention
IWM - Integrated Work Management
OPD - Organizational Process Definition
OPF - Organizational Process Focus
OT - Organizational Training
RSKM - Risk Management
SCON - Service Continuity
SSD - Service System Development
SST - Service System Transition
STSM - Strategic Service Management
!
Maturity Level 4 - Quantitatively Managed
OPP - Organizational Process Performance
QWM - Quantitative Work Management
!
Maturity Level 5 - Optimizing
CAR - Causal Analysis and Resolution
OPM - Organizational Performance Management
Maturity levels in CMMI for acquisition
!
Maturity Level 2 - Managed
AM - Agreement Management
ARD - Acquisition Requirements Development
CM - Configuration Management
MA - Measurement and Analysis
PMC - Project Monitoring and Control
PP - Project Planning
PPQA - Process and Product Quality Assurance
REQM - Requirements Management
SSAD - Solicitation and Supplier Agreement Development
!
Maturity Level 3 - Defined
ATM - Acquisition Technical Management
AVAL - Acquisition Validation
AVER - Acquisition Verification
DAR - Decision Analysis and Resolution
IPM - Integrated Project Management
OPD - Organizational Process Definition
OPF - Organizational Process Focus
OT - Organizational Training
RSKM - Risk Management
!
Maturity Level 4 - Quantitatively Managed
OPP - Organizational Process Performance
QPM - Quantitative Project Management
!
Maturity Level 5 - Optimizing
CAR - Causal Analysis and Resolution
OPM - Organizational Performance Management

53. ITIL

54. ask me about scrum

55. all practice, no theory
no practice, all theory

56. Theory Practice

57. Theory Practice
CMMI
ITIL
Scrum
XP
Crystal kanban

58. software has been developed

59. for every ‘must have’
practice, there exists a
successful counter example

61. success doesn’t result
from a list of practices

62. success doesn’t result
from secret techniques

63. success results from
choice and circumstance

65. www.techdarkside.com

66. break the cycle

67. innovations in
infrastructure
guiding ideas skills and
capabilities
awareness
and
sensibilities
theory,
methods and
tools
domain of action
attitudes
and
beliefs
domain of
enduring change
(organizational
architecture)
(deep learning cycle)

68. improve the work > do the work

69. do be do be do

71. @littleidea’s practical guide to organizational transformation

72. @littleidea’s practical guide to organizational transformation

73. @littleidea’s practical guide to organizational transformation

74. panacea peddlers as far as the eye can see

75. buy MY secret to scale agile

76. we know how to draw the owl

77. why do we stop drawing?

78. nothing may be more difficult than getting a person
to understand something, when her salary
depends upon not understanding it

80. We are uncovering better ways of
developing software by doing it and
helping others do it...

81. We are uncovering better ways of
developing infrastructure by doing it and
helping others do it...

82. We are uncovering better ways of
developing organizations by doing it and
helping others do it...

83. Through this work we have come to value:
• individuals interacting with awesome processes and tools
• working software... period, and documentation is nice too
• delighting customers
• learning from change and changing from learning

84. this is not over

86. keep uncovering

87. you won’t succeed by
finding devops

88. you won’t succeed by hiring
the next buzzword consultant

89. The learning organization is one that has
the capacity to integrate people and
structures in order to move toward
continuous learning and change.

90. success is about
being the right people

91. success is about
becoming the right people

92. don’t be afraid

93. never stop becoming

94. don’t limit yourself

95. don’t limit us

96. BECOME AWESOME

97. come at me
@littleidea