Interest in Agile development is at an all-time high. It is estimated that over 85% of organizations have some type of Agile implementation, a pilot, or are planning on introducing Agile.
In a previous article, we discussed how implementing Agile without the three necessary pillars of Division of Labor, Platform Rehabilitation, and Component Development architecture will only result in getting ‘Bad Things’ get done Faster. This certainly is not the purpose of Agile.
In this article, we shift gears to Agile team structure and operations. Our experience and observation has led us to these 3 key points:
- The Scrum Master: In simple to medium development project, the traditional scrum master role of a facilitator works well. However, in complex technical projects, and in large environments, the scrum master needs to be more than a facilitator. He or she must have a good understanding, and perhaps expertise in enterprise architecture and software engineering. Not that the scrum master will play the role of an architect or engineer, but because in a complex project, they need to be able to identify challenges and reach out or requisition to the right resources in order the keep the cadence on track. This essentially extends the role of scrum master into a consultant and an advisor.
- The Product Owner: The business reality is the tyranny of the urgent trumps the important. Often, the designated ‘product owner’ role is handed off to “someone who has time”, and not necessarily one who know exactly what the product need to do, and how it should function. The result is re-work, delays and waste of time. Not at all what people expect from Agile.
- To remedy this, we have proposed and implemented a Product Owner role qualification that is a cross between a business architect and a product manager
- The Framework: In smaller organizations, individual Agile development activities work well. However, in larger enterprises, connecting and coordinating tens, hundreds, or even thousands of Agile projects REQUIRE coordination on all levels; technical, fiscal, governance, systems, compliance, strategic, and operational. To accomplish this, an Agile framework (eg; Scaled Agile – SAFe) needs to be in place to tie it all together; enterprise portfolio, enterprise strategy, financial planning, resource management, business/IT alignment, and other aspect or enterprise activities.