Too often, business (mission) teams and development teams work on their own cadence that are often misaligned and out of sync. This tends to cause avoidable delays due to communication breakdowns, bottlenecks, and priority misalignment between teams. This session will review how Agile methodologies can be leveraged to synchronize planning and execution across interdependent non-development and development teams to better delivery value in a consistent and predictable manner by planning and executing better together.

1. October 14, 2021
Using Agile to Plan &
Execute Better Together

2. ● About me
● Value & value streams
● Real government example
● Lean Agile Principles
● Cadence
● Synchronization
● Benefits of cadence +
synchronization
● Planning better together

3. Bill Annibell, SPC
Digital Polygon
COO & Chief Agilist
bill@digitalpolygon.com
● Agile enthusiast & change agent
● Recovering technologist
● Party DJ, and former singer in a
rock and roll band
https://www.linkedin.com/in/billannibell/
@billannibell

5. ● 21+ Years
● 850,000+
miles
● 3+ hours of
commute
time daily
● Excludes
train, Uber,
cabs, and
Metro rides

6. 3 hours x 5 days
x 48 weeks =
720 hours
-OR-
18 weeks of
sitting in a car

8. Value & Value Streams

9. Value ˈval-(ˌ)yü
noun
: a fair return or equivalent in goods, services, or money for something
exchanged
: relative worth, utility, or importance
Merriam-Webster.com

10. Value Stream ˈval-(ˌ)yü ˈstrēm
noun
: represent the series of steps that an organization uses to implement solutions
that provide a continuous flow of value to a customer.
Scaled Agile Framework

14. The Department of Education, via
the FAFSA process, provides more
than $120 billion in grants, loans,
and work-study funds each year to
help students and parents pay for
college or career school.

16. Website
IRS Data
Retrieval
Tool
FAFSA
Application
Operational Value Stream
Development Value Stream
Development Value Stream
Development Value Stream

17. Website
IRS Data
Retrieval
Tool
FAFSA
Application
Operational Value Stream
Development Value Stream
Development Value Stream
Development Value Stream
Dependencies

18. Website
IRS Data
Retrieval
Tool
FAFSA
Application
Operational Value Stream
Development Value Stream
Development Value Stream
Development Value Stream

19. Lean Agile Principles

20. 1. Take an economic view - Digital assets evolve over time. Tradeoffs must be made between risk, cost of
delay, operational costs, etc.
2. Apply systems thinking - Just because you optimize an individual component does not mean you are
optimizing the entire system (same goes for organizations, too).
3. Assume variability; preserve options - assume requirements are going to change, have multiple options.
Leverage cross-functional teams to solve toughest problems.
4. Build incrementally with fast, integrated learning cycles - Do you want faster customer feedback?
Build incrementally and get their feedback early and often.
5. Base milestones on objective evaluation of working systems - integrate system early and often.
6. Visualize and limit work in progress (WIP), reduce batch sizes, and manage queue length -
Kanban!!! REMEMBER: Humans beings STINK at multitasking and estimating work. Prioritize and re-prioritize!
7. Apply cadence, synchronize with cross-domain planning - Dependent teams (not just DEV teams)
should plan and execute together at the same time and pace.
8. Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers - Provide time for exploration and
experimentation, individual autonomy and purpose and innovation will blossom.
9. Decentralize decision making - Those closest to the customers are best suited to solve said problems.
10. Organize around value - Customer centricity requires an understanding of the customer’s journey as well as
the processes and systems that support said journey.
Lean Agile Principles

21. 1. Take an economic view - Digital assets evolve over time. Tradeoffs must be made between risk, cost of
delay, operational costs, etc.
2. Apply systems thinking - Just because you optimize an individual component does not mean you are
optimizing the entire system (same goes for organizations, too).
3. Assume variability; preserve options - assume requirements are going to change, have multiple options.
Leverage cross-functional teams to solve toughest problems.
4. Build incrementally with fast, integrated learning cycles - Do you want faster customer feedback?
Build incrementally and get their feedback early and often.
5. Base milestones on objective evaluation of working systems - integrate system early and often.
6. Visualize and limit work in progress (WIP), reduce batch sizes, and manage queue length -
Kanban!!! REMEMBER: Humans beings STINK at multitasking and estimating work. Prioritize and re-prioritize!
7. Apply cadence, synchronize with cross-domain planning - Dependent teams (not just DEV teams)
should plan and execute together at the same time and pace.
8. Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers - Provide time for exploration and
experimentation, individual autonomy and purpose and innovation will blossom.
9. Decentralize decision making - Those closest to the customers are best suited to solve said problems.
10. Organize around value - Customer centricity requires an understanding of the customer’s journey as well as
the processes and systems that support said journey.
Lean Agile Principles

22. Cadence

23. Cadence ˈkā-dᵊn(t)s
noun
: a rhythmic pattern of events that provides the steady heartbeat of the
development process.
: enables dependent teams to stay synchronized, identify dependencies, and
collectively manage risk.
Scaled Agile + (Me!)

24. Synchronization

25. Synchronization ˌsiŋ-krə-nə-ˈzā-shən
noun
: allows multiple solution perspectives to be understood, resolved, and integrated
at the same time.
: enabled by dependent teams staying in cadence.
Scaled Agile + (Me!)

26. Benefits of Cadence + Synchronization

28. 87% of Large
Government
Projects
Challenged and/or
Failed
The Standish Group’s CHAOS database: 2010-2014

29. But why?

30. ● Independent Agile teams
tend to apply consistent
cadence via short iterations
cycles (e.g. 2-week, 3-week,
or 4-week Sprints)
● However, we introduce
significant risk when when
dependent teams, working
toward a common goal or
release, are not
synchronized
● We have no real way of
knowing if the intended
progress is being made
Applying cadence independently

31. ● Dependent teams that apply
both cadence and
synchronization reduce risk
+ enables stakeholders to
see actual progress
● Remember: System demos
of working software are the
true test of progress
● Dependent teams can plan
dependencies, identify
blockers, discuss risks, and
integrate faster when on the
same cadence while staying
synchronized

32. ● Converts unpredictable events
into predictable ones and
lowers costs
● Makes waiting times for new
work predictable
● Supports regular planning and
cross-functional coordination
● Limits batch sizes to a single
interval
● Controls injection of new work
● Provides scheduled
integration points
● Causes multiple events to
happen at the same time
● Facilitates cross-functional
tradeoffs
● Provides routine dependency
management
● Supports full system and
integration and assessment
● Provides multiple feedback
perspectives
Cadence Synchronization
Cadence + Synchronization = Better Outcomes

33. Planning Better Together

34. Website
IRS Data
Retrieval
Tool
FAFSA
Application
Operational Value Stream
Development Value Stream
Development Value Stream
Development Value Stream

35. ● Infrequent, or one-time
planning is proven to
increase risk and require
more rework (see slides 27
& 28)
● In the digital age,
requirements change
regularly and a shift from a
project methodology to a
product methodology is
required for continued
success
● Cadence-based planning
allows for more frequent
customer feedback

36. But how?

38. Cross Team Planning
Cross Team Retrospective

39. Cross Team Planning
Cross Team
Retrospective

40. ● 5-12 iterations OR Quarterly
● Provides a framework for
dependent teams to get in
cadence and maintain
synchronization
● Establishes face-to-face
communication across all team
members and stakeholders
● Aligns all team on common goals
including business and mission
context and vision
● Identifies dependencies and
fosters cross-team, organization,
and agency collaboration
● Matches demand to capacity
● Eliminates excess Work in
Process (WIP) Fast decision-
making
Cross Team Planning

41. ● Includes ALL stakeholders
● Product Demo
● Quantitative and qualitative
measurement
● Retrospective and problem-
solving workshop
Cross Team Retrospective

42. Thank you!
Together We Can Build it Better
bill@digitalpolygon.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/billannibell/
@billannibell