Fixing Broken Teams · 2019-11-22 · synerzip.com | linkedin.com/in/michael-watson-jr/ | ©SYNERZIP2019 ©SYNERZIP2019 2

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Fixing Broken Teams

How I fixed my broken teams on a budget

Mike Watson, VP Engineering

@AGILE_Watson

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What we are here to talk about

⟳ Leadership

⟳ Template for Success

⟳ My non-scientific explanation of why I think it works


Let’s Define a Broken Team

The Symptoms

✔ Erratic delivery (both timeliness and/or quality)

✔ Low throughput

Digging deeper

✔ Poor understanding of roles

✔ Lack of accountability


Denial is not just a river in Africa

If you are cutting corners, your

velocity can’t be trusted

“Done has to mean done”

Can a waterfall be better than agile?


Avoid what is seemingly easy

• More people is usually not the answer

• Methodology change is risky

• A reset can be disastrous


As simple as 1-2-3

1. Learn to execute – “Deliver the agreed upon scope on-time”

2. Establish a quality focus – Poor quality is waste

– Everyone is responsible for eliminating waste

3. Continuously improve – Look for additional waste and keep removing


Three tools for leaders

1. Nurture through Active Listening

2. Set direction and Influence

3. Lead from the front

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Fight the good fight

Sell a modified reset

externally

• Reduce expected capacity

• Establish a delivery commitment

• Be prepared to work hard

Within the team

• Set expectations

• Communicate that we are going

to deliver on-time, within budget,

and what was expected


What do I mean by Execution?

• Taking an idea and making it happen

… maybe

• The method in which you get something done

… closer

• On-time delivery without misrepresenting reality

• It’s about making the outcome matter

“Building software

successfully is

about confidence”

-Kishore D.


Measurements and housekeeping

– Tickets need to be up-to-date (minimally daily)

– All fields need to be updated

– Report on the tickets to make it real

– Attend status meetings and question everything

“The ticketing system must

be the source of truth”

-Me


Waste

• Defects, you have to measure them

• Look for these categories of waste

• Requirements confusion

• Reopens

• Escaped defects


Broken

processes

live

somewhere

in here


Features Caught

Defects

Escaped

Defects

Features Caught

Defects

Escaped

Defects

Features Features

Before

After

A Simplistic Example


Continuous Improvement

“If you are only going to do one

thing in Agile, do retrospectives”

-someone smart

…is a mindset.

If the right culture is in place,

improvement will happen automatically

and without management intervention.


Power up with agility

• Establish a cadence

• Deliver something sooner than later

• Have the team buy into the schedule

• Ensure you have a strong “Definition of Done”

• Do retrospectives

Kanban is well suited for evolutionary

change.


Take Aways

• Broken teams don’t imply bad people

• Establish the right culture

• The order of implementing cultural changes (and how you lead

them) matters

• Agile methods are not required

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@AGILE_Watson

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Documents

Fixing Broken Teams · 2019-11-22 · synerzip.com | linkedin.com/in/michael-watson-jr/ | ©SYNERZIP2019 ©SYNERZIP2019 2