Ideal Management

Hi Everyone,

I wish you all the best for the new year. Have a successful start into 2010!

Best Regards,

Thibaut

Below is a link to access several interesting podcasts on Lean Six Sigma:

Lean Six Sigma Podcasts

Most of them are interviews of professionals working with Six Sigma and giving feedback on their experience.

Thibaut

SCRUM in 5 minutes! This video gives you a short and funny introduction to the concept.

By Orjan Hillbom - www.scrum.dk

Enjoy,

Thibaut

How is it possible to develop a Project Plan, based on Project Management Best Practices, on a IT Development project following Agile methods? Is it possible to mix strong project management processes and Agile methods?

The Agile software development refers to a set of methodologies enabling cross-functional teams to collaborate to make requirements and solution evolve throughout a project. Based on this definition it is natural to expect impact on project plan. As requirements will evolve, how a Project Manager can build good estimation? How can he agree on a project scope? How to define deliveries?

As an adaptive and iterative methods, Agile enables small teams to plan tasks by tasks what will come up next. This gives really good short term planning overview. As it is based on strong daily communication within a team composed by developers and customer representative, the respond to change time is shorten. In theory, this will allow developers to build a complete customer orientated solution which should satisfy him. However it is necessary to discuss and set goals at the beginning of the project. The Agile concept also includes functioning principles we can find in Lean Six Sigma. These include error proofing, waste elimination, flow creation, add customer value and empowering workers. Using all concepts throughout project life will definitively increase customer satisfaction. Key principles need to be respected to reach your goals:

1. Active user involvement: working on day to day basis, they are consider as main contributors to the development team
2. Fix timescale for requirements evolution: even if the requirements shall evolve throughout the project, timescale shall be defined and followed
3. High-level requirement gathering session: this gives direction to the team
4. Small functionality development: develop small and increase direct benefits to customer. Releases should be based on incremental developement
5. Empower team to make decisions
6. Focus on small and more frequent deliveries
7. Test as soon as you can: testing shall be totally integrated to the project and release lifecycle
8. Approach shall be collaborative and supported by senior and top management

This does not answer your concern regarding Project Life Cycle adaptation and the way to build correct Project Plan integrating Agile development methods. Both methods are not incompatible. I would even say they can work very well together and each brings advantages. If you used to work with a Project Life Cycle based on Waterfall or gate approach model, it is true you will slightly have to modify it. Nevertheless it is possible to integrate Agile methods within these models with a bit of flexibility. As mention earlier in this article, Agile methods will bring to Project Manager detailed short term planning. However Project Management Best Practices will bring him long term planning, defined timescales (necessary to contain Agile flexibility) and proper project scoping. Main expected features should be part of the first project scope and even if they evolve throughout the project life, the key point is to get any change validated. By working with strong project life cycle, Project change process is key point to adapt to Agile Methods. How and Who validate/approve project scope/budget/timelines changes is the key of your adaptation.

To sum up Agile and strong Project Management methods can work together. Few advantages will be bring by Agile flexibility (short term planning, customer representative involvement...) and other by Project Management best practices (long term planning, scope definition, project change approval...). However it is necessary roles and responsibilities to be set up at the beginning. Change to Agile methods shall come to your organization with Top-Down approach and be supported by senior and top managers.

Thibaut

As I have been attending a 2 days training to present main principles of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methods, I would like to summarize and share with you the main points I have learned.

Scope of the methods: Improve processes in order to get better quality and fast delivery at minimal cost.

The LSS methods is a set of tool based on statistic analysis. This will enable you to simulate and measure variation on processes to ameliorate them. The first tool we use was the DMAIC. DMAIC stands for:

• Define
• Measure
• Analyse
• Improve
• Control

This tool basically sum up the methods itself. By following the steps one after the other, you will be able to trigger your improvement, measure it and set new targets.

By doing lots of group working at the training, you can directly see that for the same question, people answer may be different. This is also one factor the LSS methods use: the group dynamics. People factor is in any case one of the most important factor when you put in place processes. It is unfortunately very difficult to control and sometimes even unpredictable. By applying LSS methods, you may better know and minimize the impact of the Group Dynamics. As defined in the method: Dynamics + People = Soul. This is the heart of your process.

On the second day we focused on Root Cause Analysis. First tool we used is 5 Ms:

• Man (Persons)
• Machine (PC)
• Materials
• Methods
• Mother Nature (Environment)

By defining the 5 Ms you shall be able to dress the skeleton of your Fish Bone Diagram:

This cause and effect diagram will enable you to model the influencing factors on your process. The 5 Ws tool can help you to complete the previous representation. 5 Ws stands for:

• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?
• Which?

This is now time to go back to the root cause by applying the 5 Whys method. Starting from a problem statement (defined from the previous methods), you need to ask 5 times consequently Why this problem happened. By doing that and going to the different direction of the Fish Bone Diagram you have built, you should find at least one root cause for each branch.

The whole LSS method raise the question what do we do to make sure the process goes compliant? Well, having thought of it and after having set your target, you may use one last tool to execute and test your process: Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA). Used to design a product or service, it will be useful to execute your process and analyze potential human errors.

To conclude, these 2 days LSS certification were a very good introduction to the method and few tools. I am looking forward to continue the certification and go more in details during Green Belt certification.

Thibaut

I have been attending a web seminar yesterday focusing on Agile methods in software development projects. My main concern was to collect documentation on the relation between "classic" project management practices and Agile development methods. Here are the most interesting ones:

Agile

Agility_in_40_Days

Selecting_An_Agile_Management_Tool

Best Practices for Both Agile and Waterfall Development Environment

I have also discussed with several consultants from ATSC to get a bit of experience from their side and try to identify problems the usually met with the Agile Approach. This was a very fruitfull discussion and I am looking forward to continue it.

The main challenges I can still perceive are on the ROI calculation and set up. The 2 following documents give a direction to adapt current methodologies to Agile but this needs to be tested on a bigger scale:

Agile_ROI_Toolkit

Thibaut

The following video show the possible future of multi touch interaction and the new way to interact with you computer. 

10/GUI from C. Miller on Vimeo.

Thibaut

What people can do when they have to generate new problem solving? Why would make you better to get creative ideas? 

The first method I present below is SCAMPER. 

• S - Substitute 
• C - Combine
• A - Adapt
• M - Magnify
• P - Put to other uses
• E - Eliminate
• R - Reverse

This SCAMPER technique can be used to spark your creativity and overcome any challenge you may be facing. You can find lots of useful information on Litemind.

The last point, Reverse, can be used independently to think actively. This will consist in asking the opposite of the question you want to ask, and then apply the results. This is a good tool for improving product or service. A short example:

As a IT Manager, you need to provide solution to your customers. Imagine you want to improve the efficiency of your solution. Using reversal you would use "How can I decrease efficiency of my solution?". You might come with the following answers:

• Not gather user requirements
• Not evaluate As-Is solution
• Not imagine To-Be processes
• Not emphasize infrastructure
• Not create user friendly interfaces

After using Reverse thinking method, you are now able to identify key success points to provide the best solution to your customers.

Litemind/scamper

Thibaut

As I wanted to discuss on a common basis with all readers, I thought it would be good to dress up a glossary on the most utilized terms. This focus on IT Project Management.

• Agile Project Management: Agile methods applied to Project management. It promotes short process that encourages development iterations, teamwork, stakeholder involvement, short term objectives, effective metrics and controls.
• Baseline Package: approved configuration item, for example project plan, schedule, budget and defined scope on a project.
• Business Case/Statement of work: document recording the justification for starting a project. This can briefly describes benefits, first costs estimation, etc.
• Change Control: practice of identifying, documenting and approving changes within an organization.
• Communication Plan: how to tell people your project will change the world?
• Critical Path: sequence of activities that must be completed on time for the entire project to be completed on schedule, longest duration path through project plan.
• Deliverable: object produced through project execution.
• Dependency: any event that is dependent on the outcome of the project or the project will depend on.
• Milestone: key event during the project life (e.g. Go Live Date).
• Phase: project state depending on the PLC (Project Life Cycle) in place (e.g. Initiation, Analysis, Design, Active, Close-out).
• Production: a system is in production once it is lived for its end users (basically after Go-Live date).
• Project Change Request: once the baseline package is approved, any change on it though the project life shall follow a proper workflow and be reviewed by appropriate people. A PCR (Project Change Request) shall be raised and sent for sign-off. 
• Project Plan: formal and approved document used to guide project execution and control.
• Requirements Specification: complete description of the behavior of the system to be developed.
• Resources: everything needed to complete the project (in particular people and money).
• Risk Management: project management subset consisting on risk identification, risk qualification, risk response development and control to respond to project risks.
• Scope: the agreed description on what the project should achieve and what should be its outcome.
• Sponsor: person who has authority on the project and provides funding.
• Stakeholders: person interests in the project and its outcome.
• User Requirements Document: document that specifies the requirements the user expects from software to be constructed.
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS): hierarchical tree structure of deliverables and tasks that need to be performed to complete a project.

Hope this could help.

Thibaut

A bit of humor after a week's vacation.

"Vacation vs Stress" by Jorge Cham. phdcomics.com

Thibaut