how to get an Agile project started this afternoon - follow up
A couple of months ago a colleague embarked on a new project, and solicited ideas on how to go Agile for the first time on a green pasture development. I blogged about several ideas that came up:
source control, continuous builds and integration, test infrastructure, test-driven development, quick customer feedback.
Well, the project did get started. The colleague read some books, and spent an afternoon working with an experienced Agile practitioner, who was not part of the team, and volunteered to help.
Unfortunately, the project is proceeding in the traditional waterfallish manner. The team is using source control, but no iterations, unit testing, or continuous integration. The colleague is still excited about trying Agile, but so far gave up trying to sell the idea to the management and the team. Maybe, next time.
- Jane Prusakova's blog
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I hope this doesn't sound
I hope this doesn't sound snitty, but why not start with CI? I have found many times that it is the easiest thing to start with, and can lead to people feeling more motivated to do the next thing (typically, that means starting to write more tests, perhaps even using Design By Example (aka Test Driven Design). Even if you set up CI on your own machine, it will help.
As a commenter on your previous post mentioned, not having someone experienced to coach you is a problem. One of the easiest things I would suggest is the Agile ATX lunches - they are an informal group lunch, held every other week. See http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/AgileATX/ for details.
I'd also be happy to answer questions at any time.
Resistance to change... even
Resistance to change... even positive change... is a constant in groups and organizations; at the personal level as well. The challenge isn't about the nuts and bolts of Agile, any other new model, methodology, or process. The challenge is change management.
Recently, in another forum, I said, "Meet resistance to positive change with planning and resolute purpose." The basis for the statement is sound. Planning is required, not only around the "nuts and bolts" -- in fact, regardless of the "nuts and bolts" details, planning is needed to meet, overcome, and turn that resistance to change into a positive, team driven, self directed wave of support and enthusiasm.
"Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have—and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving that up." — James Belasco and Ralph Stayer, Flight of the Buffalo (1994)
As mentioned at the start of this experiment, the constant presence of an Agile practitioner with multiple successful experiences in Agile "start-up" and change management is a known key factor for success. It is not simply understanding what Agile is (or is not) but the knowledge and experience of how to initiate, manage, and complete a change / transformation process.
"There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things." — Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince (1532)
The key in creating successful, positive change is to stop thinking like a mechanic and start thinking like a gardener.
William W. (Woody) Williams
Senior Project Manager
Software Development, PMO, IT Governance
My door64 Blog
enweave
>> Meet resistance to
>> Meet resistance to positive change with planning and resolute purpose.
That's very true.
But it seems like you need more than just planning - you need the [psychological] tools to overcome that resistance, and the passion to stay on course yourself, and to keep the others excited about the change, despite the challenges.
Jane Prusakova
Software Architect & Developer
My blog
Planning implies a process
Planning implies a process that helps identify strengths and weaknesses, tools needed, partners and avenues for collaboration. It's an "active" process -- involves and commits teams and stakeholders to further action and planning. Of course with further action invariable comes change (to the plan ;~)
The things needed (psychological and otherwise) to keep passion alive, keep others on board, resolve conflict, and realize the end game are items to be addressed in planning and action. That was the intent of my remark about becoming less a mechanic and more a gardener... the focus of both planning and action into the arena of change management and away from the nuts and bolts of Agile methodology.
William W. (Woody) Williams
Senior Project Manager
Software Development, PMO, IT Governance
My door64 Blog
enweave
Managing Resistance Here is
Managing Resistance
Here is where change management comes in. Managing change begins with the recognition that a project will affect the way people work, their relationships, security, authority, power, or any other tangible or intangible element they hold dear. With this recognition comes the likelihood of resistance.
The next element is planning. We include in the project plan a strategy for avoiding and moderating the impact of resistance. The strategy is translated into the activities required to inform people, at the right time and in the right way, of what is going on, how it may affect them, and what roles they are to play. It also includes the staffing for the support activities needed to have a smooth transition to the new process, including training, coaching, and general hand holding. Activities to manage the change and resistance to it are performed throughout project life, not just at the end.
If resistance is found at the decision maker levels, it requires a more subtle management. There is likely to be no project or the wrong project if executive and senior management resistance is not addressed during the origination of the project (the time when the project is a gleam in the eye of its champions) and during project initiation and high level planning (when the project’s strategic approach is being defined). Here, the project champion(s) must courageously and skillfully build a case that cuts through irrational resistance while realistically addressing the potential for failure.
From: The Zen of PM: Expect Resistance to Change and Manage It, AllPM.com, Sep 27, 2004
William W. (Woody) Williams
Senior Project Manager
Software Development, PMO, IT Governance
My door64 Blog
enweave