1. Notes
1.1. Assumptions
1.1.1. Adaption
1.1.1.1. Many problems we deal with are complex adaptive ones, which means that the best solution is not fully knowable upfront and only discoverable through test and learn cycles
1.1.1.2. Planning is very important, but plans are going to be wrong so we better be prepared to adapt them rapidly when new insights occur
1.1.1.3. We should be prepared to stop and change focus at any time, so we should look to deliver early and often to at least have something valuable to show for our efforts
1.1.2. Improvement
1.1.2.1. There is always something to improve -- we will never reach a state of perfection and that's just fine!
1.1.3. Risk
1.1.3.1. A minimally viable solution (i.e., one that minimally solves the problem) may not be possible within the time and/or cost constraints, so the sooner we can expose that, the sooner we can decide what to do about it
1.1.3.1.1. There are often risks that if not addressed/discovered could cause the initiative to fail, so better expose them asap
1.1.3.2. Not all product features are equally valuable and each feature shouldn't be assumed to have a positive return on investment
1.1.3.3. It's difficult to assess the value of a product feature over time; this risk needs to be actively mitigated during the features lifetime (not just set once at the beginning)
1.1.3.4. Knowledge work is perishable: the tacit nature of knowledge is difficult to transfer and it's value diminishes over time
1.2. An Agile approach works best when
1.2.1. the 3 X 3 qualities are observed AND
1.2.1.1. The people involved are competent, trusted, curious to learn, and given a safe environment to experiment and learn
1.2.1.2. The authority to make decisions is aligned to peoples responsibilities
1.2.1.3. Authority is given where information, competence and clarity lie (i.e., it's as decentralised as it needs to be)
1.2.1.3.1. L. David Marquet
2. Delivery quality, effectiveness & excellence
2.1. Delivery quality
2.1.1. Establish metrics to measure quality
2.1.2. Do we embrace a craft ethic around technical excellence and pursue high quality through pride of workmanship?
2.1.3. Do we bake quality into the end-to-end process and not just assure quality at the end?
2.1.4. "Quality is pride of workmanship." W. Edwards Deming
2.1.5. Quality is the result of a million selfless acts of care—not just of any great method that descends from the heavens.
2.2. Delivery and team effectiveness
2.2.1. Set teams up for success
2.2.1.1. small number
2.2.1.1.1. as few members as possible
2.2.1.2. close
2.2.1.2.1. geographically
2.2.1.2.2. temporally
2.2.1.2.3. relationally
2.2.1.3. passionate and committed
2.2.1.3.1. there is a strong sense of
2.2.1.4. dedicated and end-to-end
2.2.1.4.1. team members are all dedicated to the one mission and they have the authority and jurisdiction to deliver end-to-end for that mission
2.2.1.5. long-lived and sticky membership
2.2.1.5.1. the team lives beyond project boundaries
2.2.1.5.2. team membership is stable within natural movement
2.2.1.6. trusted, empowered and self-organising
2.2.1.6.1. the team is trusted to do the right thing
2.2.1.6.2. the team is given the authority to do what they need to do without delays
2.2.1.6.3. the team is given the flexibility to organise themselves in the way they choose
2.2.1.6.4. Quoting L. David Marquet
2.2.1.7. competent, cross-functional, functionally redundant, and responsible for product lifecycle
2.2.1.7.1. the team is proficient and effective at their work
2.2.1.7.2. the team has all the critical skills they need to get the job done
2.2.1.7.3. the team has sufficient redundancy of skills to handle normal team variations (member temporary and permanent leave)
2.2.1.7.4. the team maintains the products it builds
2.2.1.8. working at a sustainable pace
2.2.1.8.1. over-time and weekend work is exceptional
2.2.2. Promote the right team dynamic
2.2.2.1. Google's dynamics of effective teams
2.2.2.1.1. Psychological safety
2.2.2.1.2. Dependability
2.2.2.1.3. Structure and Clarity
2.2.2.1.4. Meaning
2.2.2.1.5. Impact
2.2.2.2. Lencioni’s 5 dysfunctions of a team
2.2.2.2.1. 1. Absence of Trust 2. Fear of Conflict 3. Lack of Commitment 4. Avoidance of Team Accountability 5. Inattention to Team Objectives
2.2.2.2.2. Do your team members openly and readily disclose their opinions?
2.2.2.2.3. Are your team meetings compelling and productive?
2.2.2.2.4. Does your team come to decisions quickly and avoid getting bogged down by consensus?
2.2.2.2.5. Do your team members confront difficult issues rather than avoid them?
2.2.2.2.6. Do your team members sacrifice their own interests for the good of the team?
2.2.3. Do we have the right capabilities, systems, tools, environment and level of trust to thrive?
2.3. Delivery excellence
2.3.1. Pursue value & flow
2.3.1.1. Maximise end-to-end flow of value piecemeal
2.3.1.1.1. from concept to cash
2.3.1.1.2. a piece of value is a positive outcome that customers pay money for
2.3.1.1.3. maximising flow of value means
2.3.1.2. Questions
2.3.1.2.1. How often do we deliver to the end user high quality, valuable deliverables?
2.3.1.2.2. Do we create the simplest possible thing that could possibly work and aggressively and continuously redesign it with each increment?
2.3.2. Derisk work by validating assumptions and testing areas of uncertainty
2.3.2.1. Are we calling out and validating or otherwise unvalidated assumptions and areas of uncertainty or ambiguity?
2.3.3. Learn & adapt continuously
2.3.3.1. Establish rapid feedback loops
2.3.3.1.1. Do we seek frequent feedback?
2.3.3.1.2. Do we keep adapting the plan to take into account new insights as they occur?
2.3.3.2. Inspect and adapt frequently and intentionally
2.3.3.2.1. How often do we set aside time to reflect on the following four questions?
2.3.3.2.2. How often do we experiment with new ideas, seek to learn new skills and keep it's options open?
2.3.3.2.3. Are the decisions we make based on fact and evidence?
3. Ownership, care & collaboration
3.1. Shared ownership
3.1.1. Cocreate a solution
3.1.2. Do we all share ownership of the problem and solution?
3.2. Passion, care and integrity
3.2.1. Respect and act in the best interests of the group
3.2.2. Encourage and reward people who:
3.2.2.1. care and collaborate
3.2.2.1.1. they ask for help
3.2.2.1.2. they seek to help
3.2.2.2. are willing to take small steps and seek feedback
3.2.2.3. are adaptable
3.2.2.4. willing to work outside their expertise and learn new things
3.3. Deliberate collaboration
3.3.1. Establish easy access to customers and experts
3.3.2. Do we have the 'all for one, one for all' spirit?
3.3.3. Open communication
3.3.3.1. Visualise the work for all to easily see: progress, setbacks, risks
3.3.3.2. Form a big picture and long view of delivery
3.3.3.3. Do we communicate transparently and honestly?
4. Direction, prioritisation & focus
4.1. Clear direction
4.1.1. Set and maintain a clear direction and measures of success
4.1.2. Do all key stakeholders understand, share and sustain a clear direction, plan and measures of success?
4.2. Strict prioritisation
4.2.1. Divide work into small customer aligned outcome deliverables
4.2.2. Prioritise work in a single pipeline
4.2.2.1. Does all work arrive through the main funnel and not around the sides or via backdoors?
4.3. Determined focus
4.3.1. Pull work in priority order
4.3.1.1. Are we using a Pull model for work allocation?
4.3.1.2. Are WIP limits defined and protected?
4.3.1.2.1. In other words, do we systemically finish work in progress before starting new work, treating too much work in progress as a liability?
4.3.1.3. Do we quantify the cost of switching contexts?
4.3.2. Minimise distractions and interruptions
4.3.2.1. Do we get sufficient focus time?