I’m spending quite a bit of time these days helping organizations implement Agile methodologies.  As such I hear the same set of questions and see the same set of issues over and over again.  One of the issues I see quite often is the “long sprint.”  To explain what I mean by this I’ll use a hypothetical conversation with a Team Lead new to Agile.

Team Lead: “How do you deal with the fact sprint planning and reviews take so long?”

Me: “How long is long?”

Team Lead: “Sometimes a week!”

Me: “How long are your sprints?”

Team Lead: “Usually 3-6 weeks.”

Me: “How did you determine that 3-6 weeks was a good length?”

Team Lead: “Because we couldn’t spend 2 weeks out of every month not coding!  We use longer Sprints to avoid spending so much time in review and planning.”

For those of you that are experienced in Agile, you should see a few problems here.  For now, let’s just focus on the “long sprint” concept.  The “long sprint” seems to manifest in organizations that are always sprinting.  First off, this is in direct conflict with the name sprint.  Sprints should be just that, a focused exertion of energy over a short period of time…2-3 weeks max.  So how do we solve our Team Lead’s issue with spending too much time in review and planning and not enough time writing code?  Enter the “Release.”

A Release is a means of building larger blocks of functionality in multiple Sprints. (usually 4-6)  Some Agile methodologies (XP) implement this concept directly, others do not. (Scrum)  There are many reasons to use the concept of a Release, a select few are:

• Some features just might not fit into a two week Sprint.
• Allow team to perform work in parallel to development.  In general team members can do work other than sitting in sprint review and planning sessions.  This is because these sessions are lighter weight and involve fewer people.  You simply review implemented sprint functionality ensuring it meets the needs of the stakeholder and grab the next chunk of the prioritized Product Backlog. (ok, a bit more than that, but you get the point) These two sessions should not take more than 3 days.
• Reduce the overhead of delivering software to production every 2 weeks.
• Reduce the information overload caused by releasing every 2 weeks.
• Define a delivery pace more inline with that of the organization. (the rope in the Drum-Buffer-Rope of Throughput Accounting)

The next logical question is “Do we create a Release Backlog?”  I agree with Mike Cohn in this case and would say no.  I do however, use the concept of a Release Plan or Release Roadmap.  According to Mike a Release Plan contains:

• Graph showing historical velocity.
• Prioritized Product Backlog. (including some big user stories, "epics")
• A predicted range of where we will finish. This should be either a date-range for a fixed-scope project or a functionality-range.
• Personnel assumptions. (Team members and availability)
• Velocity assumptions. ("we’ll go about half speed during December because of holidays and time off")

I would also add the following:

• A Vision Statement.  (“We want to add the shopping cart functionality and connect it to PayPal”)
• Estimated Release Value as I discuss here.

Using the concept of a Release in Agile organizations can be an extremely effective way to increase efficiency through the elimination of waste.  I will try to post more on this topic in the future.  As always, let me know your thoughts.

Further Reading:

Extreme Programming Release Planning:

http://www.extremeprogramming.org/rules/planninggame.html

Mike Cohn on Release Planning:

http://blog.mountaingoatsoftware.com/why-do-release-planning

Mike Cohn on why there should not be a release backlog:

http://blog.mountaingoatsoftware.com/why-there-should-not-be-a-release-backlog

Kelly Waters on Release Planning:

http://www.agile-software-development.com/2008/02/agile-release-planning.html

I am happy to announce that we (Rangers) have released the new Requirements Management Guidance for TFS 2010!

This Ranger solution addresses the People, Process, and Technology guidance for Requirements Engineering (RE) using Team Foundation Server. The goal of this guidance is to provide formalized Microsoft field experience in the form of recommended procedures and processes, Visual Studio Team System and Team Foundation Server configurations, and skill development references for the Requirements Engineering discipline of your application lifecycle.

Visual Studio ALM Rangers
This guidance is created by the Rangers who have the mission to provide out of band solutions for missing features or guidance. This content was created with support from Microsoft Product Group, Microsoft Most Valued Professionals (MVPs) and technical specialists from technology communities around the globe, giving you a real-world view from the field, where the technology has been tested and used.

What is in the package?
Requirements Management is a vast area with many disciplines. To address your areas of interest and expertise, we have packaged the content in 9 zip files. The default download is the complete package in one zip file for those who are interested in all areas.

1. Introduction: RM Rangers Guide to the Complete Guide Start Here
2. Requirements Management Planning
3. Requirements Traceability
4. Analysis and Breakdown
5. Requirements Elicitation
6. Requirements Specification
7. Requirements Validation
8. Requirements Change Management and Approval
9. Requirements Management checklist sheet

Great job Mike Schimmel & the rest of the team!

For those of you out there doing TFS 2010 presentations and demos, here is the TFS “stadium graphic” with the new SKUs and branding.

Enjoy!

I have a couple of custom-written apps that allow teams to track current progress on a projector using TFS.  I just found a community project on CodePlex that looks like a promising replacement, Scrum Sprint Monitor.

Scrum Sprint Monitor provides the Agile team with hands-off, always up-to-date status of the current Sprint, both at the individual and team level. It is designed to run either on a large LCD screen located in a public area, or as a desktop application.

Looks like a great product!  If you try it, let me know what you think.

Glen B. Alleman has a great post on teams trying to use technology to solve their issues.  First tenant of the Agile Manifesto:

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

I see supposed Agile teams doing the direct opposite over and over again.   I’ve seen really well run projects using nothing more than email and an Excel spreadsheet…and lots and lots of leadership and communication.  :)

The more software development teams I work with, the more I’m convinced that it’s often nearly impossible for said teams to see where there are issues.  From the managers of these teams I hear:  “If people would just follow the process we would be in great shape!” or “We really don’t have many issues.”   From the team members I hear “We’ve tried following our process and it just creates more work for us!”  or “Management doesn’t get it!”  If these statements sound familiar to you, you’re not alone. 

Improving your organization’s ability to deliver software in a streamlined way can be a daunting task.  I liken it to having issues with your golf swing.  You can make corrections that you hope will have a positive effect, but often they morph one problem into another.  In most cases it is better to have someone else examine your swing.  A coach or consultant looking in from the outside typically has a much clearer view of what is going wrong.  If this consultant has the experience and a keen eye, he can make suggestions that will have a greater impact in a shorter amount of time than you could on your own.

The point here is that if you are looking to improve a management area in your organization, give a reputable consultant a try.  They just might see the real issues and allow you to be under par on every hole! :)

For those of you who haven’t been to the Perot Charts site, have a look.  It has a great collection of visuals that pertain to our economy.  This one caught my eye:

Picture source:  http://perotcharts.com/2008/05/the-nations-healthcare-dollar-2004/

I recently sent simple letters to both Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold voicing my concerning about H.R. 3200 and the excessive government spending.  Both sent me nice template email replies saying thanks. I wasn’t expecting much more than that. I especially liked the email address on the response from Senator Feingold. DO NOT REPLY.  LOL!  Great PR Russ!

I would be interested to know how many people write the senators during the course of a typical year.  How about this year?

Anyway, I thought I would share my letter and their responses with you.

My Letter:

$550M for jets, trillions of dollars on a stimulus that isn't working, a $3B coupon for people that were already going to buy a car. STOP SPENDING!

As for HR-3200, again, this is not the time to increase spending to solve the problem. While there are many ways to begin to address the 15% of Americans without healthcare, spending my hard earned dollar should not be one of them. STOP SPENDING!

Response from Senator Feingold:

Thank you for contacting me to share your concerns about universal health care.  I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts with me.

It is far past time for Congress to guarantee health insurance coverage for all Americans.  Too many Americans are forced to make basic decisions regarding their health based on cost rather than on medical reasons; too many delay seeking treatment and do not receive preventive care, which results in more costly, or even fatal, consequences down the line.  Our country spends $5,670 per capita annually on health care - which is twice as much as any other industrialized nation - and 15.6 percent of our gross domestic product.  Despite this spending, we are not healthier than those other countries, and we still have more than 46 million Americans - including eight million children - who do not have health insurance, and countless others who are underinsured.

These high and rising costs take a tremendous toll on American families and businesses.  While inflation grew 9.7 percent, and wage growth was 12.3 percent, premiums for family insurance coverage rose 59 percent from 2000-2004 and show no sign of stabilizing.  As a result, many employers are shifting much of their health care costs to employees, no longer providing health benefits, or eliminating positions.

I have worked for years to try to break through the gridlock preventing health care reform.  For example, I have introduced legislation, the State-Based Health Care Reform Act, with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), that would provide federal grants for states to develop and administer expanded health plans to help ensure coverage for all of their residents. The plans would have to include income protections and meet basic coverage requirements; current federal programs like SCHIP and Medicaid would have to be protected.  This bipartisan legislation was intended to help ensure that Congress addresses the need for meaningful nationwide reform.

The full Senate is expected to consider health care reform legislation soon.  I look forward to Congress finally taking up this issue, and I will continue working to improve access to health care and make health care more affordable for the people of Wisconsin. I look forward to hearing from you in the future.

Response from Senator Kohl:

We face a deep and painful recession, and our economy will not recover overnight.  To help struggling Americans through these tough times and get our economy moving again, Congress passed a package of tax relief and targeted investments called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  Since then, I have been closely monitoring the implementation of this recovery package, and I welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue with you.

           Tax relief is a vital part of the recovery package, and over two million households in Wisconsin are already keeping more of their paycheck due to the Making Work Pay tax credit.  This credit will result in a tax cut of about $800 for 95% of working families across the country.

           Unemployed workers are struggling to find new jobs, and factory closings are straining cities and towns across Wisconsin.   The recovery package is funding vitally needed job training programs for Wisconsinites who lost their job when their plant closed.  Recovery funds also support increased unemployment benefits to help displaced workers get back on their feet.

New transportation projects are underway across Wisconsin, creating jobs and improving vital infrastructure.  These include roadwork throughout the state, airport rehabilitation in Green Bay and Rhinelander, and energy efficiency upgrades for buses in Stevens Point.  Transportation projects across the country are costing less than expected, and Wisconsin alone has saved over $10 million.

Overdue energy and environmental investments are now made possible due to the recovery package.  In Wisconsin, increased energy tax credits have sparked interest in geothermal power.  The credit helps to overcome the initial cost of building geothermal systems, leading to an immediate savings in energy costs.  Recovery funds are supporting cleanups of hazardous waste sites in Baraboo, Milwaukee, and Wauwatosa.  This land had been left abandoned, but may now be returned to productive use.

Ensuring that every American can see how their money is being spent is a central part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  I encourage you to follow the progress of the recovery package at http://www.recovery.gov, and track investments in Wisconsin at http://www.recovery.gov/?q=content/allocation-programs&state=WI.  To stop waste, fraud, and abuse, these websites include links to inspector general hotlines and whistleblower information.

I have heard from many people across Wisconsin with a variety of views on how to best rebuild our economy, which has been very helpful to me.  I will keep your thoughts in mind as the Senate oversees the progress of the economic recovery package.  Again, thank you for contacting me and please feel free to do so again in the future.

                                                                           Sincerely,
                                                                           Herb Kohl
                                                                           United States Senator

Another book to add to the list:

Pascal Van Cauwenberghe has a review here.

I glanced at my bookshelf this morning and laughed.  “The Unknown Ideal” how fitting given the news these days.  I think it’s time for our leaders and lawmakers to revisit this book.

Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal