SCRUMMING the Software Process

Bottom-up Improvement with a Top-down Vision?

Organizers : Patrick Steyaert, Boris Gloger & Nico Marien

Objectives:
Learn better ways for successfully introducing agile practices in your organization. Learn how different models of software improvement that are both agile (e.g. SCRUM) and non-agile (e.g. CMMI) can support measurable improvement. Learn that CMMI and Scrum have more in common that you think.
Contents:
It is commonly accepted that agile methods improve results and efficiency of development processes. SCRUM and other agile practices bring many benefits by making sure that the people that need to do the work also determine "how" to do the work. Capability and maturity models are widely used by companies to improve their software process. Maturity models (such as CMMI) have the benefit of having a "standard" framework for organizations to "improve" their way of doing things from the top, taking into account the needs and wishes from management. This workshop search for answers on how these two mental models fit together:
  • What can be learned from model-based improvement to introduce Agile?
  • How can the improvement process be agile?
  • How to apply best of both worlds to achieve measurable improvements?
In the simulation game we will explore a process for introducing agile (and possibly non-agile) practices in a structured way (akin to model based improvement) while remaining agile. We will focus on ways to develop an Improvement Vision and Improvement Roadmap.
Process & Timetable:
  1. Outline of process improvement (30')
    1. Model-based improvement
    2. Agile improvement process
  2. Splitting in groups (5')
  3. Iteration 1: Case assessment and Improvement Vision (30')
  4. Iteration 2: Improvement road-mapping (30')
  5. Retrospective ('25)
Session Format:
Short presentation followed by a Simulation Game based on a case study. Intended audience & required experience level
Intended Audience:
Are invited to attend:
  • Anyone who is facilitating the introduction of an agile approach in his/her organization.
  • Anyone who is involved in software process improvement.
  • Anyone that lives in a multi-model world (SCRUM, CMMI, …)
Benefits of participating:
Learn from others how to introduce agile practices that lead to measurable improvement. Learn a structured but agile way of introducing agile. Explore ways for becoming more agile that fit into non-agile environments (such as CMMI) We tried this topic already in a different way at the XP 2007in Como. See: http://agilematurity.pbwiki.com/FrontPage) We found a high interest into this topic and a lot of wrong concepts about Scrum and CMMI.
Benefits of organizing:
Get insight into the impediments other people encounter in introducing agile practices and how they are overcome. Share experience about the process of introducing agile practices.