Agile transformation Archives

Recently, I was training an entire division of a client in OH area. To begin their Agile Transformation journey, we wanted to stand up several Scrum teams. The first logical step was to take them into a formal training on Agile concepts. We also wanted to come out of the workshop so that teams can start their first sprint the very next week.

Gamify to help Scrum Teams

The challenge was to introduce them to agile concepts quickly while involving as well as challenging them. We also wanted them to ‘discover’ and validate the concepts through a series of activities. To achieve these objectives, we used several worksheets, templates, and tools to help them. We wanted to make these activities fun and interesting.

Keeping game theory in mind, we came up with an ‘Agile Bingo‘ – a set of activities that each team has to do, and the first one to finish the sheet wins the ‘Bingo’.

We also came up with Event Canvas to make bring everyone on the same page, regarding their understanding of various events in Scrum, and do this while keeping it fun, interesting, and engaging. As we say, in an Agile team, everyone should be rowing in the same direction. In other words, everyone should be driving towards the common goals. This simple worksheet helped eliminate the myths and bring everyone’s understanding on the same page!

Another wildly popular ideas was that of Scrum Calendar; to help them get to a consensus on a calendar with events, time, and location. This is especially useful when you have geographically dispersed teams involving multiple time zones.

Complete this bingo to jump start your Agile Journey

The toolbox for the workshop

As a trainer and facilitator, I also used several of my ‘home grown’ worksheets and templates; such as:

Agile Timeline
Yellow Card; and other ways to use Post It notes
Scrum Calendar
Event Canvas (to understand various dimensions of different events)
Agile Bingo
Two book ends of User Stories
Dependency Wheel
Start with Y (to understand various dimensions of different roles)
Companion Cards providing visual representation of different concepts

These workshops were a huge success! Everyone loved these activities and felt they got a lot of useful information out of these activities. Here are some pictures from these workshops.

Your team will thank you!

Help your Scrum Team help you! Check out Improve Your Scrum Ceremonies as a first step towards uncovering these hidden gems. Your Scrum Team will thank you for finding these gems!

Scrum Teams – Tool box for improving your scrum ceremonies

We got a Bingo! Shouted one Team http://bit.ly/agileBingo Click To Tweet

In my previous post, I announced my intention of writing a series of posts talking about my recent experience with data warehouse build out in an agile transformation of EDS for a Fortune 100 company. Let’s continue our discussion on this interesting topic.

So, what exactly it is? What do I mean by agile data warehouse build out?

First of all, let’s talk about Data Warehouse in general. A data warehouse initiative typically involves building out data structures in the enterprise data model, pulling data from multiple sources, doing some (data) transformation, and then ‘parking’ them into the target data structure. Sounds about right?

At a high level, at least, this is the work flow for a data warehouse build out. To get to next level of details, your data warehouse builds out includes:

Identifying the data elements and sources for that data
Coming up with logical data model that will support the business’s analytical needs
Often, getting this logical model; or as technical teams would say LDM (Logical data model) approved through some governance body in the organization
Getting the physical data structures, PDM (Physical data model) created
Extracting and transforming data from various sources to load into the physical data structures

To summarize, a typical data warehouse build out contains following workflow (of events):

Typical workflow for a Data Warehouse build out
[Please note that we will be modifying this as we discuss the topic further]

Now, let’s talk about Agile data warehouse (ADW). By ADW, I mean:

We build the data warehouse in increments
Delivering Potential shippable increment (PSI) of the data warehouse at a regular frequency [and not have customers waiting to get the data warehouse as one big-bang delivery]
Involving customers through the build process
Understanding customers, and their needs – what are the business reasons for them to request this data warehouse
Focus on creating customer value incrementally, and not the technologies or the implementation of it. Shift your focus from technology (and data elements, data structures, primary key, foreign key, etc.) to customers needs.

Often times data folks are so focused on their tables and primary keys that they start driving the build out from that vantage point only 🙁

Let the customers’ need be your guiding beacon!

[Next post: Know thy customer!]