How to Save Your Industry $1.9B Using Agile Methods

An Agile Approach to Optimising our Digital StrategyMia HorriganACS ConferenceMarch 2012

1Health Insurance Industry$6.8 billion IndustryGrudge purchaseHeavily regulated industryRisk adverseBaby Boomers and Ageing PopulationDifficulty attracting Gen Y members

Traditional Channels

3The Result

Return to Sender

Info Centric ApproachBrandingSEO, Usability and Findability = Zero

Get Users Engaged Previous mass media channels not:MeasurableResponsiveTargeted Customers embracing social mediaTake debate to consumers - digital strategy

Why Agile ?Needed to be up and running with three sites in three monthsMessage was complexRequirements not fully understoodNew to social media (low capability)Policy environment changing

Agility in healthcare is critical as it is one of few industries where lives are quite literally on the line

The Agile TriangleValue (releasable product)Source: Jim Highsmith Agile project management 2009Quality (reliable, adaptable product)Constraints (cost, schedule, scope)Adaptability vs. Conformance to plan

Achieving the vision

What We Did Engaged a Scrum Master/Coach Implemented Scrum Determined what was of value to stakeholdersAligned needs to prioritiesContinuously integrated provided something of value each Sprint

Approach - Scrum Product OwnerVision & BudgetProduct BacklogPrioritised by POSprint BacklogTasksStoriesTasksDetailed by teamScrum MasterProcess facilitationTeamDesign, Development and DeliverySprint2-4 weeksDayDaily Stand-up meetingsProduct incrementsProductSprint planning meetingsSprint Review meeting Sprint retrospectivemeeting

Themes/EpicsStories

Scrum2 weekly sprint cyclesContinuous integration to build upon skinny solution Responded to evolving needsCollaboration Build knowledge from retrospectives Definition of done important

User Centered Design Wanted to be responsive to usersEngage and produce what is of most value Based on ISO 13407 Human Centred Design

Specify context of useIdentify need for Human Centred designSpecify requirementsProduce design solutionEvaluate designSystem satisfies specified requirementsSprint Planning

Things to Produce Things to DoThings to Consider(patterns to apply, requirements)

Elements of User Experience

Product Backlog

Do nowDo laterStory Sizing - Complexity If the user story is too big (complex) then break it down User stories should shrink in size and grow in detail as they progress through the backlogEstimate by analogy Stephens story is like Annes story so lets estimate Stephens story to be the same size as Annes story

Planning Poker

Product Backlog

20% fine grain user stories3-4 days work20% medium-grain epicsweeks of work60% course-grain sagasweeks-months of work

Do nowDo later

Kanban Board

Visual tool to manage the backlog, focus team on the ranked priorities Process to manage workflow and remain flexibleTask Board

Develop User Stories from Agile Personas

Generation Profile and background What they value Value of Info providers Pain points As a [Role]..Gen X consumer thinking about starting a family, I want to [Task]..know how much the change to the rebate will affect me So that I [Goal].. can understand the extra costs

Card Conversation - Confirmation Start with the Agile frameworkAdd Behavioural ContextWhat do they want to achieve? What do they value? Why?Understand definition of done

Behaviour Driven Development Given I am a.. [Role] and.. I Value.. [+/- Context] When I ..[User interaction] Then I expect.. [This] To achieve ..[Result/Outcome]

Title: Rebate Calculator As a consumer on a tight budget I want to know how much the change to the rebate will affect me. So when I input info into calculator via drop down menus I will see how much extra $$$ I will pay via graph and text

Product delivered at end of Sprint Used prototype to communicate functionality Design part of the sprintDelivered prioritised stories of most value to UsersLaunched a skinny version within 4 weeks

Managing Multiple Projects InterdependenciesSimultaneous ExecutionShared resources (BAU)

If One Board is Great, Why Not Two?

Scrum of Scrums BoardViewed all 3 projects within the campaignMultidisciplinary teams across the projectsApplied learnings from one to the next

New Requirements

New micro site required IA of pilot site not suitable High Priority

What if You are Mid Sprint? Option 1 - Continue to deliver agreed tasks for current Sprint (Scrum Purists)Option 2 -Terminate Sprint and start planning new work (design spike)

Option 2 Terminated Sprint Uncompleted tasks to Product BacklogRe-Prioritised Assigned to next Sprint based on new priorityMicrosite up within 5 days

Constraints ($$$, Time, Opportunity)

Mobile App Requirement changed to Responsive Design ( CSS, HTML5)

Sprint RetrospectiveWhat worked well? What could be done better? How well did we estimate effort and complexity?What would we do differently?

Continuous Integration Continuous Integration of new featuresReuse of widgets across projects = reduced costsUtilised learning across projects3 sites in 12 weeksDeveloping social media capability

Social Media

From Info Centric to User Centric

What we learnedMultidisciplinary approach allowed us to remain flexible, inspect and adaptKanban Board great visual toolScrum process an effective way to continuously integrate features of valueScrum coach was crucial to success Design part of the Scrum team (not working ahead)

Partially achieved the vision

Well accepted by users and enhanced findability of content However Agile not implemented cross the enterprise so campaign not as successfulMy Favourite Board

Thank you@miahorri

www.zenexmachina.wordpress.comMia Horrigan

Mia Horriganhttp://www.slideshare.net/miahorri