Agile development ecosystem Series II: Agile ecosystem-Planning and Tracking I (cross-functional teams-joint estimation-per Hitachi conference-peer pressure)

This is the second article in the agile ecosystem series (One, Two, Three, Four, Five ).

If there are still some factors that cannot be controlled by the Team in demand management that lead to implementation difficulties, there is no problem in the planning and tracking process? In fact, I have seen the entire group with the authority of Leadership (many of which are simply unable to handle the issue), but there are still many problems within the team. The most prominent one isEvery Hitachi will have no vitality. This is not because of cultural differences, but because of problems with the ecosystem.

This is roughly the case for the planning and tracking ecosystem in Agile development (in bold, the elements in the image ):

 Cross-functional teamsThe overall idea is "everyone can do every job ". The advantage is that it eliminates the bottleneck of resource allocation and the barriers to division of labor that make players unable to help each other.

The task shouldEstimate and allocateTo individual, so that the entire team (or at least one of the groups) is interested in it.Joint Estimation.

Joint Estimation(Usually using poker estimation) people use the wisdom of the entire team to fully discuss and confirm the task implementation goals and methods, soPo uniformly manages/explains requirementsTo prevent individuals from understanding differences. Common estimation is the basis for joint follow-up.Every Hitachi ConferencePeople are concerned about others' progress because they are concerned about whether the estimation results they have participated in are correct and whether the solution is feasible.

Co-estimation and every Hitachi will producePeer pressureThat is, everyone wants to complete the task with a result that is better or at least equal to the team's estimation, resulting inMotivated individual.

Joint Estimation and each Hitachi will also prevent individual mistakes. The former ensures that everyone understands the same requirement and the implementation method, the latter prevents issues such as requirements for gold plating and brute force consumption during work.Better skills and Design.

AsSelf-organizing teamAgile teams are not simply motivated by "leadership enables us to manage ourselves, however, with the cooperation of cross-functional teams, joint estimation, individual interaction, and peer pressure, incentive individuals and better skills and design are produced.Better Work Efficiency.

 

Cross-functional teams-joint estimation-each Hitachi meeting-peer pressureIs one of the main lines of this ecosystem.

If we look at the example of each Hitachi meeting, it is not difficult to solve the problem of each Hitachi meeting. It can be simply:

1. Each Hitachi meeting must be held under the supervision of the scrum master

2. Statistics on the implementation of each Hitachi MEETING

3. Set up a penalty box for completion of the award on time and late arrival

4 .......

Many companies have used these methods. When I knew these methods in the early days, I really thought this was the right thing to do. I didn't know that there were deep problems until I heard that every Hitachi would become more and more dull.

What should we look at from the perspective of the ecosystem?

The first thing to doubt is whether a joint estimation is made. If you do not know other people's tasks, and you have never participated in them (naturally, you will listen to others just as you do in tianshu; if you do not know your tasks, so even if they encounter difficulties, how can they be used? (Except for indicating that you are stupid ......) In the end, every Hitachi meeting was formed.

However, if the analysis continues, the root cause of the joint estimation is the cross-functional team. Here, we only use "estimation first and then allocation" as a stepping stone, because we cannot simply think that "we have to estimate together because we don't know who we are going to give ", sooner or later, people will form a habitual division of labor, and everyone will know which task must be assigned to others. This problem can be solved only by cross-functional teams that "everyone can do every task.

Establishing a cross-functional team is a challenge. I personally feel that it is impossible for three or four people to force cross-functional teams for no reason. They will automatically form a strong division of labor system in private. A good way is to establish a solid team relationship using mentoring and loose Pair programming, and the unity of duties and rights is far easier to change the team culture.

Although it is an internal task of the Team to follow the plan, it may be forced to do more things during the plan, but it will be added to the change while tracking the process, and the time will not change. How can we deal with these problems? This is another ecological line for planning to track the ecosystem, which will be described in the next article.

 

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