agile spaces

Designing Collaborative Spaces for Productivity

Deepak Srinivasan

Agenda

• All of the material is from experience• There are plenty of resources out there – so I

am not going to rehash theory• Well, maybe a little . I changed my mind

since I didn’t have enough slides.

Success Rate of IT Projects

Ref : http://www.ambysoft.com/surveys/success2013.html#Results

Quiz

• We have come to value the following 4 practices of the Agile manifesto. What are they?

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

• Working software over comprehensive documentation

• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation• Responding to change over following a plan

Quiz

• What are the 5 values of Scrum• Openness• Focus• Courage• Commitment• Respect

Getting Something Done

• Anecdote : A senior programmer who has been working in IT for 25 odd years. Sceptical about Agile - another management tool to (fill in your favorite management dilbertism here). Then says (in joy) - I wake up now and come to work looking forward to getting something done.

Focus

• Working software• Responding to change• But…this is not everything• We will cover a portion of the delta

5 Scrum Values

• Focus is on Commitment, Courage, Focus.• How about Openness and Respect?• This session addresses a portion of the delta

Collaboration

• Permit as much usable surface as possible to serve as writing surfaces – windows, walls

• There should never be a need to schedule meeting rooms

• Caves and Commons – Open rooms + Access to personal spaces as needed

Agile Space

Virtual Spaces

• Design virtual spaces similar to physical spaces• Group rooms and private chat spaces• Ensure there are water cooler, play rooms

available

People

• Large work areas – sufficient to accommodate 3 people sitting together

• Mobile work areas• People can be loud – personal spaces with

doors

Teams

• Work in the open – closed to the outside noise• Colocated – this includes product owner• Self contained – includes meeting rooms• Water cooler and Play areas• Room to express individual/team• Keep the pigs and chickens separate – even

outside the daily standup

Open but Closed

Discuss

• Form in groups of 5• Discuss amongst yourselves the single

discerning feature of an effective team you have seen or been part of

• Share with us

Effective Team

• The most effective team I had the pleasure of working with was isolated in their own room, free to chat as a team, hop up and use the whiteboard, play music in the afternoon, and generally bond as a team. They could do all this without disturbing any other team.

Layout

Enough of Theory

• Wait – that was theory • Wait until you see what comes next

An Agile Space Wishlist

• Team size 8, room occupancy 20• Every member has a private cubicle• Light, ventilation, plants, colors – Aesthetics• Small conference rooms – satellite• Polycom phones, white boards

Create your Wishlist

• Divide into groups of 5• Discuss your “most wanted” list• Share with the rest

Ending Quiz(Just to make it FUN)

• What tools or techniques do the following images represent?