Agile and the Knowledge and Skills : Level 2
Agile and the Knowledge and Skills : Level 2
The Knowledge and Skills at the Level 2 are :
– Agile frameworks and terminology
– Building high-performance teams
– Colocation (geographic proximity) / distributed teams
– Continuous improvement processes
– Elements of a project charter for an Agile project
– Facilitation methods
– Participatory decision models (e.g., inputbased, shared collaboration, command)
– PMI’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
– Process analysis techniques
– Self assessment
– Value-based analysis
Agile frameworks and terminology
Common frameworks or methodologies used within agile include: scrum, extreme programming (XP), lean software development, crystal, feature driven development (FDD), dynamic systems development method (DSDM), agile unified process (AUP). [Agile Software Development: The Cooperative Game – 2nd Edition. Alistair Cockburn.]
Agile methods offer several benefits including faster time to market, more business value and improved stakeholder satisfaction. For planning, agile does not recommend heavy upfront planning. Instead, it recommends an initial high-level plan which is re-visited on several occasions throughout the project.
Agile methods work well where there is uncertainty in the environment and the results are driven by people rather than process. Heavy-weight methods canvass formality and discipline in order to work the intricacies of the project. In opposition, agile methods favor creativity, improvisation, and nimbleness to negotiate with project hazards. In addition, agile methods welcome change and alternately adapt to the new conditions. Heavy methods are more pessimistic at handling change and try to get all things worked out in the first instance.
– Agile Unified Process (AUP)
– Crystal methodologies
– DSDM
– FDD
– Lean Software Development
– Scrum
– XP
Building high-performance teams
Building a high-performance team is critical to any project’s success. A high performance team has the right team members, is empowered, has built trust, works at a sustainable pace, has consistently high velocity/productivity, takes regular time for reflection to review work, has a team lead that removes any obstacles and provides mentoring and coaching, is self-organized and self-disciplined, and is collocated. Several management techniques can be used to build or foster a high-performance team environment, some techniques include: removing obstacles that slow down a team’s performance, having high expectations of team performance, and coaching and mentoring the team to achieve its best performance. [Coaching Agile Teams. Lyssa Adkins.]
A high-performance agile team is one that is ideally collocated for osmotic communication and face-to-face interaction. However, collocation isn’t always feasible in today’s multinational environment. For distributed teams, several practices are available to provide the best form of effective communication in the absence of being collocated: team intranet sites, virtual team rooms, and video conferencing over e-mail when possible. Geographic separation, especially on a world-wide scale, causes the team to consider language and cultural differences, and time zone differences. [The Art of Agile Development. James Shore.]
High-performance teams differ from low-performance teams with how they deal with conflict. Conflict is inevitable even for the most experienced agile team. The difference is that high-performance teams approach conflict with an open mind and as self-organizing often navigate and resolve conflict organically. [Coaching Agile Teams. Lyssa Adkins.]
Tacit knowledge is the « sum of all knowledge from all people on a project team. » [Agile Software Development: The Cooperative Game – 2nd Edition. Alistair Cockburn.]
Taking the team out to lunch for bonding and trust building. [Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great. Esther Derby, Diana Larsen, Ken Schwaber.]
Business case development
Business case development is an important initial step in agile project management. The business case is a concise document that outlines the project’s vision, goals, strategies for achieving goals, milestones, required investment and expected return/payback. A business case articulates the why and how a project will deliver value to a customer. [Lean-Agile Software Development: Achieving Enterprise Agility. Alan Shalloway, Guy Beaver, James R. Trott.]
Colocation (geographic proximity) / distributed teams
Building a high-performance team is critical to any project’s success. A high performance team has the right team members, is empowered, has built trust, works at a sustainable pace, has consistently high velocity/productivity, takes regular time for reflection to review work, has a team lead that removes any obstacles and provides mentoring and coaching, is self-organized and self-disciplined, and is collocated. Several management techniques can be used to build or foster a high-performance team environment, some techniques include: removing obstacles that slow down a team’s performance, having high expectations of team performance, and coaching and mentoring the team to achieve its best performance. [Coaching Agile Teams. Lyssa Adkins.]
A high-performance agile team is one that is ideally collocated for osmotic communication and face-to-face interaction. However, collocation isn’t always feasible in today’s multinational environment. For distributed teams, several practices are available to provide the best form of effective communication in the absence of being collocated: team intranet sites, virtual team rooms, and video conferencing over e-mail when possible. Geographic separation, especially on a world-wide scale, causes the team to consider language and cultural differences, and time zone differences. [The Art of Agile Development. James Shore.]
Continuous improvement processes
– Continuous improvement
Agile project management places strong emphasis on ‘continuous improvement.’ Continuous improvement processes are built into the agile methodology, from customers providing feedback after each iteration to the team reserving time to reflect on its performance through retrospectives after each iteration. Ongoing unit and integration testing and keeping up with technological/industry developments also play a part in the continuous improvement process. Continuous improvement is also a key principle in the lean methodology, where a focus of removing waste from the value stream is held. [The Art of Agile Development. James Shore.]
PDCA was made popular by Dr W. Edwards Deming, who is considered by many to be the father of modern quality control.
– Kaizen
The Japanese word « kaizen » means change for the better. [Lean-Agile Software Development: Achieving Enterprise Agility. Alan Shalloway, Guy Beaver, James R. Trott.]
The word kaizen means “continuous improvement.” It is a system of continuous improvement in quality, technology, processes, company culture, productivity, safety, and leadership. It comes from the Japanese words (“kai”) which means “change” or “to correct” and (“zen”) which means “good.”
– Reflection or retrospectives
During reflection or retrospectives, an agile team reserves time to reflect on the work it has completed with the objective of continuous improvement. In these self-assessment/team-assessment events, topics can include: lessons learned from successes and failures; team standards that worked, failed, or were not properly followed; and other areas of improvement. [Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great. Esther Derby, Diana Larsen, Ken Schwaber.]
PDCA (plan–do–check–act or plan–do–check–adjust) is an iterative four-step management method used in business for the control and continuous improvement of processes and products.
Elements of a project charter for an Agile project
The project charter is an important governing document that requires all stakeholder participation. Although experts recommend it not be longer than a page in length, creating a project charter can be challenging, as all stakeholders must participate and come to a consensus. Three key elements should be included in a project charter: vision, mission, and success criteria. Vision is the ‘why’ or rationale of a project. Mission is the ‘what’ of the project and describes what the team will accomplish to reach the vision. Success criteria are management metrics that define ‘how’ the project will be deemed successful. [Lean-Agile Software Development: Achieving Enterprise Agility. Alan Shalloway, Guy Beaver, James R. Trott.]
Facilitation methods
As a project leader or scrum master, effective facilitation methods are critical for building a high-performance and motivated team. Facilitation of meetings, discussions, demonstrations, etc., is a constant on an agile project. Some general facilitation methods include: using a small number of people for brainstorming events; hosting events in a non-threatening/comfortable environment; having an agenda that is shared with the group ahead of time; using open-ended questions instead of closed-ended questions; including a diverse representation to gain a broader perspective of the topic. [Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great. Esther Derby, Diana Larsen, Ken Schwaber.]
Problem-solving techniques
Literally thousands of decisions are made in the course of a project. Many of these decisions are made in response to problems that inevitably arise and confront the agile team. Therefore it is essential that an agile team is properly versed in problem-solving strategies, tools, and techniques. Some common problem-solving techniques include: ask it loud; revisit the problem; 5Y; sunk cost fallacy; devil’s advocate; be kind, rewind; asking probing questions; and reflective/active listening. [Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great. Esther Derby, Diana Larsen, Ken Schwaber.]
Participatory decision models (e.g., inputbased, shared collaboration, command)
To build trust among the team, agile believes heavily in participatory decision models where team members collaborate to make decisions. Although a team leader or scrum master will need to make some decisions individually, many decisions can be made by the team collectively. These agile principles are also known as collective ownership, self-organization, and self-discipline. In collective ownership, the team members are equally responsible for project results and are empowered to participate in decision making and problem solving processes. [Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great. Esther Derby, Diana Larsen, Ken Schwaber.]
PMI’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
The Project Management Institute (PMI) outlines a professional code of conduct in the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct document. [PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Project Management Institute.]
Process analysis techniques
– Value stream mapping
Value stream mapping is a collaborative process analysis technique where a diverse team depicts/maps a process to identify where waste occurs and where improvements can be made. It is an example of a process analysis technique. Like value stream mapping, process mapping is also used to map a process to identify bottlenecks (places where processing slows and inventory can build). [Lean-Agile Software Development: Achieving Enterprise Agility. Alan Shalloway, Guy Beaver, James R. Trott.]
To build trust among the team, agile believes heavily in participatory decision models where team members collaborate to make decisions. Although a team leader or scrum master will need to make some decisions individually, many decisions can be made by the team collectively. These agile principles are also known as collective ownership, self-organization, and self-discipline. In collective ownership, the team members are equally responsible for project results and are empowered to participate in decision making and problem solving processes. [Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great. Esther Derby, Diana Larsen, Ken Schwaber.]
– Self assessment
In social psychology, self-assessment is the process of looking at oneself in order to assess aspects that are important to one’s identity. It is one of the motives that drive self-evaluation, along with self-verification and self-enhancement. Sedikides (1993) suggests that the self-assessment motive will prompt people to seek information to confirm their uncertain self-concept rather than their certain self-concept and at the same time people use self-assessment to enhance their certainty of their own self-knowledge.[1][2] However, the self-assessment motive could be seen as quite different from the other two self-evaluation motives. Unlike the other two motives through self-assessment people are interested in the accuracy of their current self view, rather than improving their self-view. This makes self-assessment the only self-evaluative motive that may cause a person’s self-esteem to be damaged.
So if through self-assessing there is a possibility that a person’s self-concept, or self-esteem is going to be damaged why would this be a motive of self-evaluation, surely it would be better to only self-verify and self-enhance and not to risk damaging self-esteem? Trope suggests in his chapter « Self-Enhancement and Self Assessment in Achievement Behaviour »[3] that self-assessment is a way in which self-esteem can be enhanced in the future. For example self-assessment may mean that in the short-term self-assessment may cause harm to a person’s self-concept through realising that they may not have achieved as highly as they may like; however in the long term this may mean that they work harder in order to achieve greater things in the future, and as a result their self-esteem would be enhanced further than where it had been before self-assessment.
Within the self-evaluation motives however there are some interesting interactions. Self-assessment is found a lot of the time to be associated with self-enhancement as the two motives seem to contradict each other with opposing aims; whereas the motive to self-assess sees it as important to ensure that the self-concept is accurate the motive to self-enhance sees it as important to boost the self-concept in order to protect it from any negative feedback.
Self assessment :
– Learning all the life
– Learning to know : the formal education system
– Learning to do : vocational learning
– Learning to live together : learning for social cohesion
– Learning to be : learning as personal growth
8 keys competences of self assessment :
1) Communication in the mother tongue, which is the ability to express and interpret concepts, thoughts, feelings, facts and opinions in both oral and written form (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and to interact linguistically in an appropriate and creative way in a full range of societal and cultural contexts.
2) Communication in foreign languages, which involves, in addition to the main skill dimensions of communication in the mother tongue, mediation and intercultural understanding. The level of proficiency depends on several factors and the capacity for listening, speaking, reading and writing.
3) Mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology. Mathematical competence is the ability to develop and apply mathematical thinking in order to solve a range of problems in everyday situations, with the emphasis being placed on process, activity and knowledge. Basic competences in science and technology refer to the mastery, use and application of knowledge and methodologies that explain the natural world. These involve an understanding of the changes caused by human activity and the responsibility of each individual as a citizen.
4) Digital competence involves the confident and critical use of information society technology (IST) and thus basic skills in information and communication technology (ICT).
5) Learning to learn is related to learning, the ability to pursue and organise one’s own learning, either individually or in groups, in accordance with one’s own needs, and awareness of methods and opportunities.
6) Social and civic competences. Social competence refers to personal, interpersonal and intercultural competence and all forms of behaviour that equip individuals to participate in an effective and constructive way in social and working life. It is linked to personal and social well-being. An understanding of codes of conduct and customs in the different environments in which individuals operate is essential. Civic competence, and particularly knowledge of social and political concepts and structures (democracy, justice, equality, citizenship and civil rights), equips individuals to engage in active and democratic participation.
7) Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship is the ability to turn ideas into action. It involves creativity, innovation and risk-taking, as well as the ability to plan and manage projects in order to achieve objectives. The individual is aware of the context of his/her work and is able to seize opportunities that arise. It is the foundation for acquiring more specific skills and knowledge needed by those establishing or contributing to social or commercial activity. This should include awareness of ethical values and promote good governance.;
8) Cultural awareness and expression, which involves appreciation of the importance of the creative expression of ideas, experiences and emotions in a range of media (music, performing arts, literature and the visual arts).
These key competences are all interdependent, and the emphasis in each case is on critical thinking, creativity, initiative, problem solving, risk assessment, decision taking and constructive management of feelings.
The self-assessment process
1) The user, in a first step, is asked to choose one to start the self-assessment of key competence performance with, from the list of 8 key competences of Lifelong Learning named by the European Commission (2007);[9]
2) In a next step five generic situations are presented, each one describing a situation in which the chosen key competence is performed in a common setting.
Each of the five situations corresponding to the following five levels of mastery :
– Level 1 can do when guided (in known situations),
– Level 2 can do, can choose (in known situations),
– Level 3 can combine, can design (also in unknown situations),
– Level 4 can improve, can extend, Level 5 can explain.
3) Five different clusters of the chosen key competence are presented. These clusters are well grounded in Vintage research considering projects and publications throughout European countries and Framework. After deciding for a cluster the user is presented a situation in which the key competence in the chosen domain is performed. Again situations, meant to be broad enough to apply to many common experiences, yet specific enough to identify what a performance in a certain key competence and domain requires, meant to refer to daily life settings, support the user in the reflective abilities to relate own experiences and performances to the described situations.
4) The user is asked to note and reflect upon own experiences and collect these in the Vintage portfolio as documentation of personal key competence experiences to be used in further development or to be included in e.g. the European CV (Cedefop/European Commission 2004). Amongst others this stresses the importance and relevance of lifelong learning, be it in formal, non-formal or in-formal settings.
5) The quality of the performance is, consequently to the premises of self-assessment, evaluated by the user himself, ranking personal performances on the following four dimensions of qualities:
1. Reflective
2. Autonomous
3. Self-directed – Self-regulated
4. Effective
The four quality dimensions thereby refer to themes such as critical thinking, creativity, initiative, problem-solving, risk assessment, decision-taking and constructive management of feelings.
Value-based analysis
Value-based analysis strives to understand how value, as defined by the customer, relates to various components of the product, like features and tasks. Features are often prioritized with prioritization based on value and risk. Prioritization can be performed using the MoSCoW or Kano method and through the use of risk-to-value and cost-to-value matrices. [Lean-Agile Software Development: Achieving Enterprise Agility. Alan Shalloway, Guy Beaver, James R. Trott.]
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