SPA Conference session: Agility Beyond the Software Development Team

One-line description:Getting the most out of the agility of the software team by extending agile principles to other parts of the business
 
Session format: Workshop (75 mins) [read about the different session types]
 
Abstract:An agile team can be constrained when surrounded by non-agility. Can the application of agile principles to other parts of the business help to lessen these constraints in order to get the most out of the agility of the software team? How can we uphold the principles of people over processes, things that work over documentation, and responding to change over following a plan in activities other than software development?

The participants will explore their experience with constraints imposed on the software team by practices in other parts of the organisation. We will discuss some of these constraints, chosen by the preference of the participants, and exchange ideas on how to extend agile principles to these areas.
 
Audience background:Managers and developers who are interested in the way that the business interacts with the development team. Familiarity with agile teams and principles is assumed.
 
Benefits of participating:- sharing experiences of successes and pitfalls of extending agile principles to other parts of the organisation
- gaining fresh ideas on things to try in order to increase the success of agile teams
 
Materials provided:none required
 
Process:Participants will divide into small groups of 3-4 people. Each group will work through two exercises, then present their findings to the workshop.

The first exercise will be brainstorming on constraints that can occur in the organisation.

In the second exercise, each participant will tell a story to their group of a specific experience they have had with an agile team being constrained by organisational practices. Each group will choose one of the stories to work with. Each group will outline ideas that apply agile principles to address the chosen constraint. They will also discuss the blockers that may prevent them from applying these things in real life.

Finally, each group will present their findings and ideas to the rest of the workshop participants.
 
Detailed timetable:
 
Outputs:Posters describing the problem and solution ideas from each group
 
History:new session
 
Presenters
1. Tamara Petroff
Kizoom
2. Mike Storey
Kizoom Ltd
3.