Rolling out Scrum? Remember the Product Owner Presented by Lonnie Weaver-Johnson 1

Welcome – The Menu Who is in the room Share the problem Look at three implementations Recipes and ingredients for success Discussion with a Product Owner 2

Welcome – Our Special Guest Stephen Gumnit Formerly Product Owner on a very successful Scrum team Currently Program Director for an Innovations Lab Turning an R&D Lab into an Agile Team 3

Who Are We? In which Mix do you currently belong? A.Team Member, technology/IT leader, or ScrumMaster B.Coach or trainer, either in-house or external C.Product or business leader, Business Analyst, Product Manager Information applies to all of us 4

The Problem IT and the business have different levels of interest for transitioning to Scrum The benefits of Scrum are not always crystal clear to the business partners The business is typically driven by financials yet they don’t understand how Scrum (when done right) can deliver value 5

Current State Business & IT are not collaborative (win/lose, lack of trust) The Business has different pressures than IT (sales, customer demands, market changes) Technology development processes have been bureaucratic (slow, cumbersome, one sided, expensive) Technology is more interested in Scrum than the business – Eliminating all other certification combinations*, there are: 121,100 Certified ScrumMasters 14,162 Certified Product Owners – There is about one PO class for every five SM classes Gap between the business and IT with Scrum involvement *Data provided by Scrum Alliance May 2011

Three Scrum Implementations Summary of three Scrum implementations: The similarities and differences The problems The learning 7

Scenarios 8

Scenario Summary What problems have you seen? Each had their differences but traits in common were: – IT was responsible for the implementation – Business came second (training, needs consideration, and communication) Learning outcomes will be shared in the recipes and ingredients 9

Business Transition Success Use four recipes for success from Guy Kawasaki’s book Enchantment: 1.Enchant the business 2.Prepare them for the change 3.Launch the change 4.Overcome their resistance Within those recipes, there are key ingredients for solving the business problems when transitioning to Scrum 10

Enchant the Business Enchantment is where we fill someone with great delight Enchantment is not persuasion or sales Enchantment is necessary when one is trying to overcome entrenched habits * Ingredients for delighting our business partners include: – Engaging the business early – Sharing Scrum’s benefits – Securing a Business Follower *from the book Enchantment by Guy Kawasaki 11

Ingredient: Engage the Business early Scrum success is only gained with business involvement – there is no value to anyone but the business Have early business involvement in the planning and decision making Find out what kinds of support they’ll need and then do it 12

Ingredient: Share the Business Benefits Discuss the benefits of Scrum Help the business see that they can’t afford NOT to make the change Share examples of what they’ll gain: – Transparency – Value more often / quicker – Heightened innovation brings better solutions – Greater predictability – Collaboration leads to increased quality 13

Ingredient: Secure a Business Champion Win someone over and use that individual to demonstrate to all areas that the business is on- board Have an executive business champion be on the leadership implementation team Use that person for: – New ideas – Communicating with other areas like finance – Making leadership decisions – Encouraging business participation 14

Prepare the Business Preparation is necessary when one is trying to overcome entrenched habits * Keep things simple, set the change up for success, and establish goals In this recipe we’ll discuss these ingredients: – Training for the business – The change to Scrum – Sharing new behaviors *from the book Enchantment by Guy Kawasaki 15

Ingredient: Provide Business Focused Training Provide business leader training Ensure Product Owner training includes business benefits Suggest Product Owner certification Talk through expectations and why Attract POs /business people to Scrum Gatherings Increase business interest and involvement (user user groups, etc. 16

Ingredient: Prepare Them: The Change to Scrum Help people through organizational change phases * – Ending, Losing, Letting Go - deal with losses; prepare to move on – The Neutral Zone - capitalize on all the confusion; encourage innovators – The New Beginning - develop a new identity Changes initiatives often fail because “they are change-heavy and transition-light” William Bridges *From Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change by William Bridges 17

Ingredient: Share the “New” with the Business Instead of only training the new topics, make them a part of daily activities and conversations Discuss new: Process, deliverables, behaviors, and expectations Walk through new potential scenarios Help them understand what will happen around them 18

Launch with Care Business Impacts must be considered Immersing the business in the Scrum launch is critical Use your business champion In this section we’ll discuss the ingredients: – Assign a coach to the business – Aligning resources 19

Ingredient: Assign a Coach to the Business Coach provides training to business team (PO, BA, Leaders, etc.) Coach works with the PO on building their vision, backlog prep, and prioritizing using value Conduct business readiness meetings ensuring all levels understand the “new” Support business partners with the Scrum process 20

Ingredient: Align Resources May be some prep work involved before the business is ready Look at resource alignment – Pooled structure – Dedicated PO Encourage knowledge sharing activities 21

Overcome Business Resistance Often times resistance is due to fear, inertia, or a lack of proof * To overcome resistance we will look at the following ingredient: – Understand and Address their Pain Points *from the book Enchantment by Guy Kawasaki 22

Ingredient: Address their Pain Points Why are they reluctant? – Discover issues – Address issues Determine which issues Scrum can address and be truthful about those it cannot Share ideas and set expectations 23

Summary and Q&A Scrum will have limited success without early business considerations Take steps to mitigate risks by applying the recipes: 1.Enchant the business 2.Prepare the business 3.Launch with care 4.Overcome resistance Use the ingredients to ensure success Q&A – with Lonnie & Stephen 24

Thank You for your time! Want to talk more - I’d love to hear from you! Lonnie Weaver-Johnson or Make a LinkedIn connection 25