Being "AGILE" - the latest BUZZ word; but worth looking into

We've all heard it before in the office hallways, or sprinkled into a conversation... "We need to be more agile"! But I sometimes wonder if people are using agile as an adjective synonymous to being flexible or acting quickly. While the Agile Methodology incorporates flexibility and speed, some work is required to understand the Agile practice in order to reap its benefits. 

Last night I attended CommuniTech's Agile/Lean session on Agile Planning and Analysis, presented by Mary Gorman, Vice President of Quality & Delivery at EBG Consulting. It was a great topic to explore because of the common misunderstanding that Agile methods have no process - 'It's fast because you get to skip all the tedious planning and just dive into "the work" to get things done'. No? 

Mary took us through the Essential Partnerships, Seven Product Dimensions and Structured Conversations - as outlined in her book 'Discover to Deliver' (co-authored by Ellen Gottesdiener). 

Essential Partnerships
It seems obvious that a successful project requires a strong relationship between the Customer, Technology and Business - but often this is not the case. I especially liked Mary's point about the need for transparency on the different types of Value Considerations. Customers, Technology and Business representatives will all have different perspectives on benefits, risks, costs and dependencies. These differences ensure a favourable end-result.
LINK TO IMAGE

Seven Product Dimensions
Mary encouraged the group to analyse the desired product in the short-term (2 weeks), medium-term, and long-term (2 years). This type of planning should occur at the beginning of an agile project, but also during each Sprint Planning session. In the traditional Waterfall Methodology, the expectation would be for all this analysis to be completed at the beginning of a project. But Agile projects are iterative, so there is "just enough" initial planning and the details are worked out in the appropriate future Sprint. 
LINK TO THE 7 PRODUCT DIMENSIONS - Users, Interfaces, Actions, Data, Controls, Environment, Quality Attributes

Structured Conversations
Just like every effective meeting requires some upfront planning and organized objectives - agile work benefits from 'facilitated collaborative discovery' to elicit, analyse and learn from each other. Sprint Planning has a clear objective: to define the scope of the upcoming Sprint. The anticipated value from each User Story is evaluated to plan out the next Sprint Backlog. Remembering that Customers, Technology and Business representatives will all have different value considerations - the group will need to facilitate the conversation to avoid chaos. If the group maturity is not quite ready to self-facilitate, Mary suggested bringing in an external facilitator (someone who is not part of the Scrum Team) to help provide the necessary structure. 
LINK TO IMAGE

It was nice to hear from an Agile expert who is clearly passionate about teaching the methodology to others and clarifying common misunderstandings about what Agile is and isn't. Agile DOES have processes and best practices to ensure an appropriate level of planning and analysis for a successful end-product. 

What I learnt at the TEDxWaterloo Event (Mar2013)

For a much more interactive presentation of my key take-aways; check out THIS LINK Otherwise, read on for a summary of my presentation...

I had a great experience at my first TEDx - I would highly recommend this event! The speakers expanded my knowledge in a variety of topics and inspired me to think BIG with CREATIVITY and CURIOSITY. 

The day was planned around 3 themes: 

homeWITHIN 

• Bacteria of the Gut: Emma Allen-Vercoe, Microbial Ecologist 
• There 10x as many microbes in your body than human cells (500-1000 different types, with a unique "poop-print"). 
• Makers & Fixers: Mag Ruffman, Actor, Author & Contractor 
• Mag's vision is to get people working with their hands. "It's never too late to become the person you might have been"
• Chris Eliasmith, Theoretical Neuroscience 
• This topic was fascinating even though I am not an expert in this field by any means! I've been reading up on Neuromorphic Hardware/Engineering and the possibilities are incredible. 

homeTOGETHER 

• Should kids get to Vote? Miles Corak: 
• There is no upper boundary on the right to vote, why have a lower boundary? Some teens may be more capable of making an informed decision than some seniors.
• Deported to a Death Sentence? Sudz Sutherland, Writer & Director 
• "Systemic changes are needed to address the root cause of why some immigrant parents are not getting the Citizenship for their children". His movie is 'Home Again'
• Healing beyond a Cure; Mark Greenerg, Pediatric Oncologist 
• Do patients have the 'right' to make all decisions? Patients are not always able/rational to make the best decisions for long-lasting repercussions. 

homeBEYOND 

• Particles, the Universe & Curiosity; Alison Lister, Physicist 
• "We are losing our curiosity about the world - and that should worry you!" 
• Earth Cast; Wade Larson, Space Visionary 
• Plans to broadcast HD video from the International Space Station by end of 2013. www.urthecast.com  
• Mars Curiosity Project; Rob Manning, Engineer 
• Proof exists that Mars has energy within its core that could sustain life. 

Final thought... "Home is a place where you can be yourself". I hope you find your home. homeWITHIN (in reference to becoming a 'maker' if you love working with your hands)

Communicating with the Top Dogs

Communication just comes naturally to some people. Or was their polished performance actually meticulously planned?
Have you ever realized how much work is needed to communicate a concise message? It's much easier to ramble informally with peers than to assemble a clear proposal within a few minutes to an intimidating crowd.

 

Know Your Audience

When communicating with Senior Leaders, a different style must be used for Effective Communication. Consider these 'Principles of Effective Upward Communication¹':

1. Consider their perspective - Empathize, Speak their language and (I think most importantly) Anticipate their questions
2. Be respectful - Recognize the value of time, Prepare a tailored presentation and consider cultural perspectives of a Company Hierarchy
3. Be focused and concise - Use direct communication, Know your objective and Stay focused (make inquiries in advance to find out what audience really wants and preferred presentation style)
4. Be honest - If you don't know an answer; don't try to guess! Answer honestly ("I don't know" is ok, but commit to answer within a specific timeframe)

Keep It Simple

Presentations should follow these best practises:

1. 10 slides, 20 minute max, 30-point font min (Kawasaki's 10/20/30 rule)
2. 30 second rule: be prepared to summarize in literally 30 seconds
3. Start with the reason for the presentation
4. Present all options concisely
5. Give clear recommendations
6. Summarize and give next steps

I'm going to add one more presentation tip from a colleague:

• Use statements and keywords, not sentences. Use a max. of 8 words per line and 8 lines per slide (this is actually REALLY HARD to do - give it a try!).

For every communication opportunity, carefully consider your audience and choose the most appropriate style for Effective Communication. After much planning and prep work - you too could come off as that person who is "just good at communicating".

1Source: Techniques for Communicating Effectively with Senior Executives, Skillsoft

A Diamond in the Rough... strategic planning

Strategic Analysis... sounds like a huge task - where to even start?! So many factors, so many variables to consider.

I was recently exposed to the Diamond-E Framework which breaks down Strategic Planning into approachable buckets. The Framework is a tool that will help to identify potential gaps within an entire ecosystem before deciding to pursue an opportunity or address a threat.

The assumption is that you have a Strategy in place, but you are now assessing specific proposals to determine if they are worth pursuing. The Framework guides you to find deficiencies or gaps within specific components (see below); how those gaps relate to each other, and how they relate overall to the Strategy in place. Corrections can be made to fix the specific issues (i.e. missing capability) or it may be more appropriate to adjust the Strategy (i.e. against corporate culture).

ENVIRONMENT (external variable)

Consider factors outside the organization that will impact chances of success: Supply (technology, suppliers, resources), Demand )customer needs & preferences), Competition (market rivalry & attractiveness), Government (regulatory compliance, policies).

RESOURCES (internal variable)

What requirements are needed in these organizational areas? Marketing, Operations, Development, Human Resources, Finance

MANAGEMENT (internal variable)

What are the 'Observed Preferences' in Individual goals, values and attitudes and how do these differ from the 'Required Preferences'? "What's best for me and my team?" vs. "What's best for my company?"

ORGANIZATION (internal variable)

What are the required capabilities for success with relation to: Innovation, Productivity, Speed, Collaboration

There are many opportunities to apply the Diamond-E Framework. Strategic planning of complex/huge opportunities are an obvious match to apply the Framework (i.e. should we get into THIS type of business?) - but it can also be applied at a tactical level (i.e. project selection or deciding on feature enhancements to pursue). From what I've read, it will feel more 'natural' once it's been used a few times. Overall, the Diamond-E Framework is a tool that will help to identify potential gaps within an entire ecosystem before deciding to pursue an opportunity or address a threat.

Reference Material

Joseph N. Fry, J. Peter Killing - Strategic Analysis & Action