Agile teams aim for autonomy to deliver end-to-end solutions quickly. However, most organizations rely on interdependent teams, creating delays and bottlenecks. In the latest article that I wrote for the Agile Connection I explore five types of dependencies: chain, stack, shared people, shared resources, and shared codebase.
Each dependency type comes with its own challenges that impact delivery speed and quality. I end the article by giving some tips on how you can include dependency-thinking in your e.g. refinement.
Ron Beurskens and I have been working on a new serious game to visualize what makes teams flourish in agile organisations.
Developing the game was interesting. Ron and I had long discussions and many trial runs. The two pilots we organised lead to drastic redesign of the game set-up. This week we ran the workshop successfully. Yes! We are still working on further adjustments, but the participants liked it, learned new stuff, and had fun. We can’t wait to host is again.
In the Teams Unfolded game we use simple construction assignments to make teams discover the importance of skills and expertise. Participants experience the impact they have on their flow, their output, and the solutions they implement. We’ll expose some antipatterns and discuss how we can eliminate them. Finally we recognize that local optimizations may hinder the value flow and we wonder if a fixed team structure is the only working solution.
The workshop is designed for people who are working in teams, challenge existing teams on their composition (For example: Scrum masters, Agile coaches, Project leaders, team managers) and those involved in skills and knowledge development (Chapter leads, Guild-leads, HR). If you are interested in unfolding your team, this game might be just for you!
In February Ron Beurskens and I gave the BIQ workshop for one of our clients. Two development teams, their Scrum Masters and Product Owners joined to learn how to build quality in. Originally, I designed a full day tutorial together with Jan Jaap Cannegieter. Many organizations are interested but prefer a shorter version. So, recently Peter Hinssen and I sat down to reduced it to a 3 hour workshop. It took pain to exclude some really good content, but it is great to see it still makes an impact.
Mark ter Voert, Scrum master and one of the participants, shared his experience in a LinkedIn post. :”We started with a discussion on the software development lifecycle. Continuing with how assessing your Feedback loops can increase the quality of your product. We also learned about the three waves of agile. We eneded with practices you can implement to ensure the quality of your product.”
I am really glad the workshop built-in Quality was received so well.
In this full day hands-on workshop we discussed the basic concepts of Built-in Quality (BIQ) and applied them directly. In small groups we assessed the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) and identified problems that came with it. Using the BIQ step plan analyzed where in the SDLC we could start our improvements. Special in this workshop is that included the agile maturity of the organization to determine what practices will or won’t work. The day was concluded with a pitch by the participant groups of their personal, tailor-made improvement plan that fits the goals and the problems of the organization. We had great fun and were inspired by the enthusiasm of the participants. Some reactions we got:
” This BiQ workshop definitely was a great start for the 4-day Agile Testing Days Conference.” ” Thanks for that awesome workshop. We got a lot of new ideas to bring back home to our organization.” ” Using the waves of agile was useful. It made me realise that we focus on the wrong improvements.”
When I worked as an Agile Coach for ING Bank, I was part of a team of Agile Coaches. Together we experimented with virtual coffees. These are short informal moments that improve the connection and collaboration in your team. We liked it so much that we teamed up to write the book ‘THE VIRTUAL COFFEE EXPERIENCE – 52 formats for meaningful connections in teams’. The book contains a nice collection of working formats that help you to organize your own virtual coffee sessions.
We proudly present the book during the Agile Consortium Annual Conference that will be held on 16 November. Until then the book will be shrouded by mystery, as it is not yet available yet.
But, If you want to know more about the book, you can also read: How virtual coffees help build strong online teams. This article, that I wrote for Bits&Chips, already provides a glimpse of the mystery. Read it on the Bits&Chips website and discover how you can use the working methods from the book to form close-knit teams.
Thanks go to Nieke Roos for the editing and Justin Lopez for creating the matching illustration where the squirrel already is reading the book
At ING I was part of a group of Agile Coaches. As a team we were starting to organize weekly virtual coffees – a team tradition that began in the spring of 2020. We held short informal session were we exchanged ideas, experiences and personal stories. Our experience with virtual coffees taught us that in today’s hybrid work environments, social cohesion is crucial. It is the key to smooth collaboration and deep commitment, both to the team and the company. Building cohesion is all about creating giving space for individuals and stimulating interaction.
Although most of us work at different locations, we still kept collaborating with the aim the to share our experiences and interaction formats. Over the last year we have been working to write a book, called the virtual coffee experience.
We are thrilled to announce that our book will be launched at the Agile Consortium Annual Conference 2023. Every author knows that writing a book is an almost infinite loop of continuously rewriting. Being ready in time for the Annual Conference 2023 has kept us on track as an author collective.
We invite you to join us at our booth in the drinks room after the launch. Here, you can explore and purchase the book. You can also meet the authors who have established a foundation to promote the concept of Virtual Coffee. We look forward to connecting with you.
Last Thursday, October 19, we had the Meeting of Minds. On the beautiful estate of Kasteel De Vanenburg, customers exchanged knowledge and experiences based on the case ‘The stage’.
‘The Stage’ proved to be a trigger for good conversation and discussions. Using the setting of a cinema that expands it business, the participants were challenged to define organizational structures. Using a case enables people from different back-grounds to collaborate. But, during the evening the outcomes of the exercises were often translated towards the participants own settings.
What a wonderful and inspiring group! Lots of ideas and tips were exchanged and there was room for laughter as well. This made it a successful evening.
Agile principles advocate for stable teams, but real-world challenges can necessitate team changes. Stable teams foster collaboration and efficiency, but obstacles can arise due to dependencies or local optimizations. To optimize value flow, organizations may need to restructure teams or form autonomous clusters. This reteaming can promote professional growth and knowledge sharing. It’s also possible to move entire teams to other department to high-priority projects or profit centers. However, these moves require careful evaluation to prevent disruptions. In summary, while Agile values stable teams, adapting team structures can be crucial for addressing challenges and enhancing collaboration, provided it aligns with organizational goals.
In his new article that I wrote for bits&chips, I explore when reteaming is something to consider. Read the full article on the Bits&Chips site: Move the people or the work?
Thanks Nieke Roos for the effective editing and of course Justin Lopez for creating the matching Squirrel illustration where the nuts and the players are exchanged between the two teams.
Last month I was approached by an Agile tester. He had a dispute with his team about how they should do their estimations. “Derk-Jan, Can you share your view”, he asked me, “so I can benchmark my ideas and address the issue with my team?” I accepted the challenge and selected the topic for my latest post on Bits&Chips. Thanks for popping the question and I hope the answer I give will help you in your discussion with the team.
Thanks Justin Lopez for creating the pokering Squirrel illustration.
De grote transities komen eraan. Zowel op het gebied van digitale dienstverlening als op het gebied van energie is er al van alles in beweging. Dat vraagt om een marketingteam dat agile en in verbinding kan werken met de hele organisatie, inclusief ketenpartners en stakeholders. Een agile transformatie van het marketingteam geeft vaardigheden, context en perspectief aan professionals die deze verandering gaan belichamen.
Leren hoe je dat aanpakt, zo’n transformatie? Dat kan natuurlijk bij NIMA, Nederlands Instituut voor Marketing, in de training Leading Agile Marketing Transformations op woensdag 14 en 21 juni.
Als Agile Marcoms Consortium hebben we een training ontworpen waarin de mindshift die deze transitie brengt, gekoppeld wordt aan praktische tools waarmee je deze draai ook daadwerkelijk kunt maken met je marketingcollega’s.
When developing solutions it’s the dependencies that make things complicated and slow down the delivery. They can result in delays, more expensive solutions or sometimes cause the product not to see operational daylight at all.
In my latest blog for Bits & Chips I explain different types of dependencies and explain what you can do to identify them during refinement. I wonder do you recognize these 5 types and what do you to identify them?
What does rowing have to do with Agile Coaching? During one of visits to the gym, I recalled a principle that applies when you try to improve your rowing as well as when you try to improve the value flow in your organisation. My latest article for Bits & Chips tells you all about it.
Agile development is characterized by repetitive cycles. Since the cycles follow each other, the improvement you want to make in the next iteration starts in the current one. At one of my clients, we were trying to improve the quarterly forecasting process. In a scaled environment with multiple teams, this is quite a challenge, and it doesn’t work to try and set up a perfect process at once. Small steps need to be taken. In the article I use this as an example to illustrate that today’s improvement will not only help you finish the next iteration with better results but also sets the stage for further improvements in the iteration thereafter.
The article can be found on the bits&chips website: Future Improvement Starts Today Thanks Justin Lopez for making the nice illustration of the rowing squirrel.
On Wednesday, March 29, we received a group of guests in the hall of mirrors of Vanenburg Castle in Putten. The aim of the afternoon and evening was to exchange experiences about the challenges of agile working. “We have chosen not to focus on our vision”, explains Martijn van der Poel, “but to let our customers speak for themselves”. In a small informal setting, we reflected on the challenges that each of us experience. The group consisted of agile coaches, CTOs and team leads from various organizations. “It is interesting that there is so much recognition for the themes presented. While we discussed each other’s challenges and exchanged solutions that we try,” Derk-Jan de Grood continues enthusiastically, “you regularly saw someone write down a tip or insight.” Based on the wave model from the book “The waves of Agile, Value delivery in medium and large organizations” an understanding was created about the phase in which each of the organizations finds itself.
After a delicious dinner, we discussed more topics from the book. We did this on the basis of the Waves of Agile, discussion and inspiration cards. The evening flew by. There was not enough time to discuss everything. So that calls for a follow-up session.
Yesterday I visited the Scrum Facilitators meet-up. Aim of this this session was to promote the XP2023 conference that will be held in Amsterdam later this year. We like to emphasise that you can propose a session until 12 Februari. Please share your story by suggestion a topic on the conference website.
During the meetup I shared my story about the changing role of the agile coach, an experience report I made for a previous edition of the conference. The report can be found on the agile alliance website. In my presentation I used the ‘waves of agile’ from my book to explain that organization face different challenges when the progress on their agile journey. I am very pleased that two of the participants want to use this model in their organization. “I just had a discussion this morning, about this”, one of them replied,” This is just what we need to understand where we are and challenges we encounter”. When the needs of the organization develops, so should the role of the agile coach. I shared three profiles that help to develop yourself as agile coach.
Sjoerd Kranendonk of Scrum Facilitators made a 11 min podcast about the event. Check it out.
Derk-Jan de Grood 