(In Agile) Where Do All The Managers Go?

(In Agile) Where Do All

The Managers Go?

Scott W. Ambler

•  Pioneered Agile Modeling and Agile Database techniques in the early 2000s

•  Co-creator of the Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD) framework

•  Executive Transformation Coach

•  scott [at] scottambler.com •  @scottwambler

© Disciplined Agile Consortium

Helps IT departments around the world become awesome

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Our strategy: Observe what happens in practice

© Disciplined Agile Consortium 3

Let’s explore three important questions….

What important trends are happening?

Where do managers fit into agile?

What can you do?


Important Trends


Trend #1: Technical management tasks are performed by the team


Trend #2: Leadership is addressed by new roles


Team Lead Architecture Owner

Product Owner

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Trend #3: Experienced organizations are moving towards stable teams


Work Work Work

Work

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Trend #4: Status reporting is being automated away


Implications for Existing Managers

1.  Empowered teams è Less work for managers to do

2.  New leadership roles è Leadership is the responsibility of non-managers

3.  Stable teams è Much less “resource management” is required è Budgeting is greatly simplified

4.  Automated status reporting è Less work for managers to do


Where do managers fit into agile?


Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD) Roles


Primary Roles

Secondary Roles (for Scaling)

Team Lead

Independent Tester

Architecture Owner

Product Owner

Team Member

Technical Expert Integrator Specialist Domain

Expert

Stakeholder

Team Lead

•  Responsible for the effectiveness and continuous improvement of the team’s process

•  Facilitates close collaboration between team members •  Keeps the team focused on the project vision and goals •  Removes impediments for the team and escalates

organizational impediments •  Protects the team from interruptions and external

interference •  Maintains honest communication between everyone on the

project •  Coaches others in the use of agile practices •  Prompts the team to discuss and think through issues when

they are identified •  Facilitates decision making (but does not make decisions or

mandate internal team activity)

13 © Disciplined Agile Consortium

Potential “Management Responsibilities” for a Team Lead


Managing the project budget

Producing project status related metrics E.g. Iteration burn downs, defect trend charts, task boards

Assessing team members

Product Owner

•  The Stakeholder “proxy” •  Go-to person for information on the solution

requirements •  Prioritizes all work for the team •  Participant in modeling and acceptance testing •  Has access to expert stakeholders •  Facilitates requirements envisioning and

modeling •  Educates team in business domain •  May demonstrate solution to key stakeholders •  Monitors and communicates status to

stakeholders •  Negotiates priorities, scope, funding, and

schedule


Team Member

•  Is a cross-functional, generalizing specialist •  On small teams every team member is typically a

developer, but on larger teams non-developers may appear

•  Volunteers to do any work that allows the team to most efficiently deliver the work committed to for the iteration

•  Seeks to both learn about other specialties as well as coach others on their own specialty

•  Goes to the product owner for domain information and decisions

•  Works with the architecture owner to evolve the architecture

•  Follows enterprise conventions and leverages and enhances the existing infrastructure


At scale you may need a few people in specialized

management roles


Potential Management Roles at Scale

•  Community of Excellence (CoE) Lead •  Community of Practice (CoP) Lead •  Data Manager •  Functional Manager •  Governor •  Operations Manager •  Portfolio Manager •  Program Manager •  Release Manager •  Support (Help Desk) Manager


The Bad News: There Are Fewer Management Positions in Agile Orgs

Before Agile


After Agile

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The Good News: You Have Several Choices Available to You


What can you do?


Observe what is actually happening


Be flexible


Choose to evolve


Questions and Answers

•  During the webinar on February 23, 2016 we received numerous questions. We answered many of them during the webinar but did not get to all of them.

•  We have written a blog answering the questions in detail at http://www.disciplinedagiledelivery.com/where-managers-go/

•  There is also a recording of the webinar available from the Disciplined Agile YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcWJ20C86Mzxcsqb73AReHQ


Thank You! scott [at] scottambler.com

@scottwambler

AgileModeling.com AgileData.org Ambysoft.com

DisciplinedAgileConsortium.org DisciplinedAgileDelivery.com

ScottAmbler.com

Disciplined Agile Delivery Disciplined Agile Delivery


Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD) is a process decision framework The key characteristics of DAD:

–  People-first –  Goal-driven –  Hybrid agile –  Learning-oriented –  Full delivery lifecycle –  Solution focused –  Risk-value lifecycle –  Enterprise aware


Shuhari and Disciplined Agile Certification

At the shu stage you are beginning to learn the techniques and philosophies of

disciplined agile development. Your goal is to build a strong foundation from

which to build upon.

At the ha stage you reflect upon and question why disciplined agile strategies work, seeking to understand the range

of strategies available to you and when they are best applied.

At the ri stage you seek to extend and

improve upon disciplined agile techniques, sharing your learnings with

others.


Would You Like This Presented to Your Organization?

Contact us at ScottAmbler.com


Scott Ambler + Associates is the thought leader behind the Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD) framework and its application. We are a boutique IT management consulting firm that advises organizations to be more

effective applying disciplined agile and lean processes within the context of your business.

Our website is ScottAmbler.com

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(In Agile) Where Do All The Managers Go?