the art of agile project initiation
TRANSCRIPT
Discuss Agile Conference DELHI 2016
The Art of Agile Project Initiation By Kshitij Agrawal
“Agile” Project Initiation
Inception builds shared understanding and alignmentthru lightweight collaborative sessions
Agenda
Solutionize and Prioritize
Roles and Process Mapping
Build business and project context
Expectations Management
Initial discussions & Preparation
High Level Planning
Summary
Case Study
Mr. X is a businessman & sports enthusiast. He is planning to climb on Mt Everest.
Has multiple stores in metro cities selling safety gears & other equipments for adventure sports (paragliding, scuba diving, hill-climbing, bungee jumping etc).
He wants to expand his business using digital channels and has called consultant from IT firm ABC Ltd for help.
If you are that consultant from ABC firm meeting with Mr. X first time. What will you discuss? What will you ask and tell?
Case Study .. contAsk
What do you want?
Why? What problem are you trying to solve?
Target Audience / customers / market segments
Competitors, USP / Differentiators
Why not X instead of Y
Cost & timelines constraints
What do you want from us?
Tell & Sell
Your company and its philosophy
Experience in similar problem domain
Feature Driven and Iterative Development
MVP & Value driven prioritization
Agile Benefits
Next Steps
Inception Workshop
Purpose
Approach
Deliverables
Participants
Logistics
Inception Process
Initial PrepCheck-in &
Expectations Management
Build Business Context
Build Project Context
Solutionize and Prioritize
High Level Planning
Showcase
Initial Preparation
Initial Prep – Assemble the Team
Project Manager
Business Analyst
Technical Arch / Lead
Test Lead
UX Designer
DevOps
Study & Research
Client Culture
Client Practices
Client IT Set-up
Business Domain
Problem Domain
Competitors
Technologies
Customers
Internal Experiences of similar projects
Logistics
Book stakeholders calendar
Travel Arrangement
Stationary
Book good Venue
Expectation Management
AgendaTimelines Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Morning Workshop 190 Mins (9:00 – 10:30)
Kick-Off Ice Breaker Know each other
As is Business Process
To be journey & Features
TechnicalArchitecture
Planning
Morning Workshop 290 Mins (10:45 –12:30)
Sponsor Presentation
Hopes & Fears
As is Business Process & Pain Points
Sketch & Prototype
Plan & Prioritize
Assembling the Plan
Lunch(45 Minutes)
Learning Lunch Learning Lunch
Afternoon Workshop 1 90 Mins (1:15 – 2:45)
Visioning Exercises User Journeys Non-FunctionalRequirements
Plan & Prioritize
Showcase
Consolidation 45 Mins (3:00 – 3:45)
Consolidation of findings & converting into electronic formatOpen Space for any other agenda
Standup / Retro15 Mins (3:45 – 4:00) Retrospective and Adapting plan for next day
Assess Expectations
Hopes
Executive Backing
Get some answers of our
problems
Get some new perspectives
Yet another time wasting meeting
Can we get lot done in short
time?
Fears
Discover & Explore Business & Project Context
Elevator Pitch
Product In a Box
<Product Name>
<Slogan>
<Benefit #1><Benefit #2><Benefit #3>
Fun Picture
What if your product was a boxWhat would it look like?
Create a slogan – something catchy
Draw your creation
Why would anyone buy – list the benefits
Envisioning / Cover StoryCover: Story of Big
Success
Headline: Substance of cover story
Sidebars: Interesting facts
Quotes: Customer Quotes
Brainstrom : Initial Ideas
Images : Supporting content with illustrations.
Pic taken from gamestorming.com
Lean Business Model Canvas
Author Ash Maurya. Taken from leanstack.com
Trade Off Slider
Time to Market
On Budget
Performance
Breadth of Features
Depth of Features
High quality, low defects
<Insert yours>
High Low
Solutionize & Prioritize
Scoping
Business Process
Roles & Goals
Personas ScenariosUser
JourneysPrototype
Stories
Business Process Modeling
Case Study 2 – User Roles
Cricket Mania Ltd is an organization, which sells Cricket books and other goods related to Cricket.
They are planning to launch a website to sell the goods online in India.
You are in inception workshop trying to come up with user roles. Try to come up with as many roles as possible.
Case Study 2 – User Roles… Customer Roles
Novice Player or New Player
Gift Buyer
Cricket Coach
Cricket Academy
Professional Player
Experienced Player
Report Viewer
Sales & Marketing Person
CxOs
Helpdesk Person
Administrator
Product Manager
User Goal Activities TasksRole /
Persona
Goal
Activity
Task / Feature
Admin Customer Fulfilment Manager
Manage Products
Product Set-up
Tracking Shipping Progress
Product Bulk Upload
Add Product
Delete Product
Product Inquiry
Edit Product
Basic Search
Track Shipping
Reconciliation
Buy Product
Search & Select
Add to Cart & Payment
Submit to Delivery Vendor
Sr. Manager
Manage Fulfilment Increased Revenue
Optimized Operation
s
Analyze Reports
Inventory Mgmt
Advance Search
See List
Sorting & Filters
Detailed Info
Add To Cart
Edit Cart
Checkout from Cart
Provide Shipping Info
Pay by Card
Pay by Internet Banking
Generate List of Orders
Pass goods to Delivery
Vendor
Update Order Status
Notify Customer
Manage Exceptions
Generate Reports ....
.... ....
....
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-->-->
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Wireframes and Mockups
Non-Functional Requirements
Capacity
Resilience
Performance
UsabilitySupportable
Testable
Security
Portability
Globalization
Compliance
Reliability
Technical
Technical<technology platform><language><libraries><tools><database><CI/CD tools><Test Automation Tools>
Environment<Development Environment><Test Environment><UAT environment><NFT environment>
Infra<Software><Hardware><Network>
High Level Planning & Showcase
Planning Process
Relative Prioritization
Find MVPCreate High level Plan
Make Priority Adjustments
Complete Staffing
Estimate Costs
Make Adjustment for Risks & Constraints
Assemble Final Plan
Story Map
Epics / Features
Stories
Product Set-up
Order Tracking
Product Bulk Upload
Add Product
Delete Product
Product Inquiry
Edit Product
Basic Search
Search & Filter
Shopping Cart
Reporting
Advance Search
Filter on xxx
Sorting on column xxx
Detailed Info popup
Add To Cart
Remove From Cart
Checkout from Cart
Enter Shipping Info
Pay by Credit Card
Pay by Internet Banking
....
.... ....
....
Logical Usage Sequence
PRIORIY
Product Info
Filter on yyy
Filter on zzz
Basic Info List
Payment
Change Quantity
Product Compare
Show Invoice & Delivery Charges
High Level Plan
2 week incremental delivery
4 Dev, 2 QA
Total:- 6 Iterations
Apr’16 – June’16 – 3 Months
1. Hit the ground running with environment and team set-up
2. Product Set-up via bulk upload
3. Basic Customer Journey.
4. Alpha release with cash on delivery option.
2 week incremental delivery
2 teams each with 4 Dev, 2 QA
Total:- 6-7 Iterations
July’16 – Sept’16 – 3 Months Oct’16 – Dec’16 – 3 Months
Capacity – 40 to 50 Points Capacity – 90 to 110 Points
1. Finish Admin product setup UI
2. Payment Gateway Integration
3. Customer Journey enhancements
4. Feedback from alpha release
5. Beta release with MVP
1. UI enhancements, notifications, triggers
2. Reports
3. Feedback from beta release
4. Any non-MVP features that capacity allows
5. Full launch
2 week incremental delivery
2 teams each with 4 Dev, 2 QA
Total:- 6 Iterations
Capacity – 80 to 100 Points
Notes:• Initial approach that allows early feedback and early removal of uncertainties.• The plan is broken into logical milestones, which needs to be revisited at frequent
intervals to reflect actual velocity.
The NOT List
IN OUT
Core logic for customer product buy & search
Inventory Management
Admin product set-up Mobile App
Payments Gateway Integration
UNRESOLVED
Integration with analytics module
Reusing core web security or creating new security module
Engines & Anchors
Data Driven Decision Making
Legacy Technology Constraints
Building Consensus among business groups
Competitors launching ahead
Customer Impact During Change
Clear Product Roadmap
Agile Training
Challenges
Success Factors
Infrastructure Support
RAID
RISKSWhat keeps you awake at night?
Known Unknown
Unknown Unknown
ISSUESWhat are the known problems we have?
ASSUMPTIONSFrequently validate
Common source of risks & issues
DEPENDENCIESInternal
External
Showcase
Parting Thoughts Focus on conversation, collaboration and shared understanding
Adapt agenda and exercises
Don’t hesitate in challenging client’s ideas and having difficult conversations
Opportunity for client connect
Opportunity for team bonding and building relations
Questions ?
Thank You