Table of Contents -Introducing Agility
1 - Everything Is Agile
* What it means to be agile and why it's a game changer.
* The phenomenal spread of agile around the business world; why agile is taking the business world by storm.
* Markets develop and customers constantly want new things; agile tools and techniques embrace change;
* Agile can be applied to everything - way beyond the popular IT and tech applications.
* Agile won't mess things up - it's not a gamble.
* The focus on working smarter, not harder and getting results fast.
* Checks are built in so it's impossible to go wildly off track.
* Like traditional methods, agile can still fail but it fails fast and inexpensively.
* A word of warning; common misunderstanding and booby-traps with agile.
* Unsuccessful projects usually fail at the start and agile avoids the perennial problem of starting on false assumptions.
* Agile delivers results and free up time for more important stuff.
* Everyone is agile some of the time and some people are agile all the time.
* Agility is infectious.
* Agile organisations achieve more than agile project teams.
* Start small and go viral.
* There's minimal risk and immediate results - so what is there to lose?
2 - Focus On Results
* Producing results is the only thing that matters and business value is the main driver.
* It's essential to have a vision, to know what the end goal is and that's what business value is measured against.
* The vision, the end goal. provides a measure of success for all individual tasks and projects.
* Don't sweat the small stuff - individual tasks are only a means to an end.
* Measure success by results and against progress towards the end goals, not by how much graft you put in.
* A minimal investment is required to get going with agile and there's no time like the present.
* It's easy to start small if necessary, often that's the best approach.
* Agile handles anything from individual tasks and personal ventures to business projects can be handled.
The Golden Triangle: Prioritising, Time Boxing and Change Management.
3 - Prioritising
* Prioritising is much more than creating a to-do list.
* It's not an unnecessary overhead, it lays the foundation for doing the right things in the right order.
* The vision and end goals provide guiding lights.
* Define a backlog working towards the vision/end goals.
* Write up the deliverables not the activities e.g. new backlog board not go to B&Q.
* Work out the size of tasks using story pointing or t-shirt sizes.
* Get it all down but keep an eye on the minimum needed to succeed - what must be done?
* Be wary of too many bells and whistles, the nice-to-haves.
* Prioritise the backlog based on business value
Constantly review the backlog, a healthy backlog changes regularly.
* Be driven by priorities not external pressure.
* Make all outputs specific, tangible and measurable.
* Remember that saying 'No' is always an option.
4 - Time Boxing
* Time boxing is easy to understand and even easier to use.
* Time boxing puts an end to overspending; both time and hard cash.
* Open ended tasks are a recipe for disaster.
* Be mindful of the Law of Diminishing Returns and the 80/20 Rule.
* Time box everything! No excuses.
* Plan on the basis of regular deliveries to the business. Every two weeks is a popular option.
* Allocate tight but achievable time boxes to get the best results.
* Control distractions and other time stealers.
* Stick to your guns and never tolerate overruns.
5 - Change Management
* Change is essential for survival, standing still is not a viable option.
* Change is important, not something to be curbed or penalised.
* Agile embraces change with open arms.
* Incremental deliveries are vital.
* Inspect and adapt is the agile mantra.
* A changing backlog is a healthy backlog.
* Learns from mistakes but waste time searching for scapregoats.
* Have a strategy but think now and avoid 5 year plans.
* Plan in a maximum of 12 month chunks - only worry about where you want to be next year; elements of the organisations may not always get agile but even they like annual planning.
6 - Agile Tools & Techniques
* The best of tools available featuring Scrum and Kanban.
* Overview of the tools available for managing backlogs and workflows.
* Simple agile frameworks for a light touch approach.
* Upscaling to more complex ventures and projects.
* Ways to implement meaningful and useful metrics.
* The importance of avoiding an obsession with technology and processes.
7 - Resource Management
* Agile techniques focus on effective resource management.
* People are a pivotal resource.
* Being Lean - the characteristics of agile thinking.
* What is takes to be agile, how to think act and behave.
* Getting the best out of people and teams.
* Training vs. coaching and mentoring.
* Be wary of evangelists and false prophets.
* Managing an agile transformation - remember there might well be pain!
* Getting leopards to change their spots.
* Applying agile principles at a personal level.
* Reaping the benefits of delegating and outsourcing.
* The importance of positive working relationships.
* A healthy body and mind helps promotes agility and productivity.
8 - Learning Fast
* The importance of building an open, honest learning culture.
* Mistakes are inevitable, just don't repeat them
* Reduce waste by learning from mistakes and mitigating against disasters.
* Reap the benefits of repeating what do you do well.
* Build in continuous improvement to maximize productivity.
* A practical guide to looking back and learning, formats for retrospectives and lessons learned sessions.
* Common mistakes and traps to avoid.
