1. Succeeding with Agile in the
Federal Government:
A Coach’s Perspective
Ed Seidewitz
07 November 2013
Copyright © 2013 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

2. The Agile Manifesto
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
While there is value in the items on
the right, we value the items on the left more.
http://www.agilemanifesto.org

3. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Yay, no one is telling
us to use their stupid
process anymore!
So what is our
process now?
Developer
OK, let’s talk about
practices instead of
process
Coach
Developer

4. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
DO
Understand the impact on your current process standards.
Think about what are the most important agile practices to adopt.
Give the team the flexibility to learn.
Can we get QA
involved right up
Give the team the tools they need.
front?
Use a coach to help.
DON’T
Just try to make your current process a “little more agile”.
Confuse tooling with practice.
Let’s get Jenkins
installed!

5. Working software over comprehensive documentation
What is your
minimum viable
product?
Yeah, we really
can deliver in a
month…
Coach
So, when will the
design doc get
signed off so you
can start coding?
Project Manager
Developer

6. Working software over comprehensive documentation
DO
Deliver incremental value on every iteration.
“Go deep, not broad.”
Use documentation for communication.
Generate documentation from the software.
Let’s get all we can
while we can!
DON’T
Iterate without delivering value.
Demonstrate value via documentation.
Expect all documentation to go away.
What, we need a
Security Plan??

7. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
How can I be on
the team? I already
have a job.
How do I know the
contractor is
delivering?
Customer
I still have to meet
my contract…
Contractor
Contracting Officer

8. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
DO
As product owner, I can
make requirements
decisions.
Contract for collaboration.
Build agility on the client side.
Have a product owner – or a proxy, if necessary.
Take all stakeholders into account.
DON’T
Make it difficult to ask questions.
Just ask the contractor to be agile.
Once we are done all
the requirements, then
you can be agile.

9. Responding to change over following a plan
Everything keeps
changing, we can’t
keep up.
We need to stick
to the plan.
Developer
Change happens,
with or without a plan.
Coach
Project Manager

10. Responding to change over following a plan
DO
Embrace change – software is malleable!
Control risk through rapid feedback, not planning.
Plan for results.
Handling budgeting,
Have a project manager.
EVM, reporting, etc., is a
DON’T
Treat the coach as a project manager.
Plan tasks.
Believe the “planning myth.”
supporting function.
“One definition of insanity is
doing the same thing over
and over and expecting
different results.”

11. Learning by doing over listening to someone else
Thank You!