ALI 2020

My review and insights for Transpoco about this conference.

First of all, let me introduce to you this conference. ALI or Agile Lean International is an annual event organized by the agile community in Ireland. I went into the event last year (2019) and this year (2020).

This year it was wonderful. One of the talkers, Linda Rising, simply changed me with her amazing presentation about Busting Myths around Organizational Change (I really suggest you watch it later).

But, let go through in each talk that I did.

Day 1 (29/10/2020)

[Keynote 1] The systematic approach to innovation: from adaption to exaptation from Dave Snowden.

He spoke about four areas/scenarios of the company: complexity, complicated, chaotic and clear. He explained in each scenario how the companies work and how to adapt each better in each scenario.

My highlights:

• It is about a process that doesn't provide the people to see it.
• He suggested his book: Cynefin — weaving sense-making into the fabric of our world.
• "People looks for something to copy". We need to understand the process of the company to understand the business.
• "If you don't change the people language, you don't change the way that they think".

Bonuses in an Agile company: our successful application of Merit Money from Rafael Sabbagh and Ricardo Caldas

They presented how they resolve the problem of motivation is his company. They said that metrics shape behaviours. So, how to incentive good behaviours? They said that they focus first on intrinsic and then on extrinsic motivations.

Merit Money was the idea implemented there created by Jurgen Appelo. It has 5 crucial factors:

1. Salaries should always be expected. The bonus shouldn't;
2. Earning should be based on collaboration, not a competition;
3. Peer feedback is the main performance measurement;
4. Creative thinking can grow the compensation system;
5. Compensation can be used to nurture intrinsic motivation.

How to Accelerate Business Transformation through Business Agility from David McGrath

He spoke about how we can adapt ASAP after the pandemic our business? End-end value of the organization. We need to identify new ways to work, we need to thinking in Business Transformation for 2021. It means:

• Impact of Covid for the organization and customers;
• How we can increase the company innovation;
• Look at "fit for purpose", a tool created by David Anderson.

We need to find the data to support the changes, the innovation.

"Your organization needs to be able to build the right product, in the right way and at the right time."

Right Product — Product Ownership — Make the right decisions

Right Way — Portifolio Planning — Lack of visibility impacts the ability or inability to reprioritize.

Right Time — Patterns — Fit for Purpose — Check and improve our backlog (good practices)

Difficulties to support it: Culture Clash | Legacy Products

[Keynote 2] The role of leaders in driving innovation from Fabiola Eyholzer

She said: "Innovation is more important than ever. ". And I agree. Innovation will change the way that we work.

Some highlights:

• We need to humanize the innovation;
• Without learning there is no innovation;
• There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Something will be wrong and that's right.
• How many spike of innovation have in our sprint or backlog?

[Keynote 3] Escaping the build trap from Melissa Perri

Are we really solving the customer's problems?

What's our product strategy? Product strategy isn't a plan, it is a framework.

The Agile Metrics you should use..but don’t from Cat Swetel

Metrics that we should start using:

• Time in Progress — Units of time per unit of work
• Throughput — Units of work per unit of time

Little's Law:

AVG Itens = AVG Arrival Rate * AVG Time Spent

AVG Time Spent = AVG Itens / AVG Throughput

[Keynote 5] The secret history of Kanban and why it matters from Daniel Vacanti

Day 2 (30/10/2020)

Testing is not the Goal from Rob Meaney

He spoke about the importance of manage risks and also how we can make the software easier to test. To do it, he explained about CODS.

C — Controllability — control risk

O — Observability — Observe system behaviours — Drive it to understand

D — Decomposability — Decompose deploy

S — Simplicity — Simplify Test

We need to learn from our mistakes. It is a good opportunity to improve our testability. We need to understand the problem.

[Keynote 6] Moving your scrum downfield from Gunther Verheyen

He spoke about 6 essential traits to up your game:

1. Scrum is simple, yet sufficient. Value != Volum. Isn't about rule, it is about people.
2. Scrum's DNA. Self-organization — Less process more people.
3. Players demonstrate accountability. PO|SM|Team|Stakeholders|Customers
4. Transparency for a flow of value. Humanize the workflow results is more value.
5. Closing the loops. Input (Product Backlog) -> Output (Valuable Increment)
6. The Scrum Values. Commitment | Focus | Openness | Respect | Courage | Collaboration.

Scrum is more about behaviours than process. Keep learning, keep improving.

Be Agile Remotely from Molood Caccarelli

Some tips:

• Make asynchronous communication your default method of exchanging information;
• Keep the number of tools to a minimum;
• Simplify process;
• Create explicit agreements;
• Do not replicate the office.

Your Story Points are belong to us from Jose Casal

He spoke about two types of estimation:

• Simple Item (Task)
• Multiple Item (Velocity | Throughput)

Metrics should be about the team, never individually. Remember that metrics show behaviours.

[Keynote 7] Qualitative Data Analysis for Digital Transformation from John Willis

Author of The Phenix Project | DevOps Handbook | Unicorn Project

He spoke about Three transformations Killers:

1. Frameworks — You cannot learn
2. Impersonal — Human being to change and make this happen
3. Mental Models — are deeply held internal images of how the world works, the image that limits us to familiar ways of thinking and acting.

Exploring Requirements for Shared Understanding from Janet Gregory and Lisa Crispin

Small differences can cause big misperceptions.

Testing Through: Discovery ->Delivery

7 Product Dimensions:

1. User
2. Interface
3. Action
4. Data
5. Control
6. Env.
7. Quality Attributes

If we think in all those dimensions we can learn a lot when we'll plan the task and test it.

[Keynote 8] Busting Myths around Organizational Change from Linda Rising

#Smart People are rational

# Good always triumphs over evil

# If I have enough power I could make people change. You cannot force the people to be creative

# You're smart. Ask for help. Bring others is the best way to influence them. Sincere appreciation. Don't forget to recognize them and say thanks.