Designing in Teams Dr. Alistair Cockburn http://Alistair.Cockburn.us

People ... Communicating Inventing Creating a solution Solving a problem Expressing ideas in languages Deciding … they don’t understand which keeps changing … they don’t understand which keep changing … they don’t understand which keeps changing To an interpreter unforgiving of error Making decisions every decision has economic consequences and resources are limited.

Knowledge acquisition Personalities (Self-Awareness) Craft Cooperative Games Design in Teams Knowledge acquisition Lean Processes Personalities (Self-Awareness)

Craft: lifelong deepening of skills in a medium. Skill grows in stages 1: ( Shu ) Learn a technique 2: ( Ha ) Collect techniques 3: ( Ri ) Invent / Blend techniques

Cooperative Games Career Management Infinite Organization Survival Craft Cooperative Games Cooperative Games Infinite Competitive Cooperative Open-ended Endpoint-directed Career Management Organization Survival Product Lines King-of-the-hill wrestling Poker Jazz music Rock-Climbing Theater Engineering Journalism Business initiatives Software Development Tennis Chess Swamp Game - Imagine a competition in which each team must build something somewhere in a swamp. They don’t know exactly what they have to build, they don’t know where they have to build it, and they don’t have a map of the swamp, but they are in a race to build it. They will create subteams. Some will scavenge for building materials, others will explore the swamp, and so on. Note that this corresponds to people finding different specialties in software development. If they have to play only one round of the game, they will find it optimal to build the weakest, sloppiest bridges and to draw the most careless maps possible to get to the end of the game. However, if they know another team will be coming in after them, they may choose to make better maps, better bridges, better paths. This difference between strategies corresponds to a software project team updating their system documentation and training their junior people.

Games have positions, moves, strategies Craft Cooperative Games Games have positions, moves, strategies There are only three types of moves ... Communicate Invent Decide

Strategies: Adapt to situations. Craft Cooperative Games Strategies: Adapt to situations. Comfort Essential moneys Life Discretionary Criticality C6 C20 C40 C100 D6 D20 D40 D100 E6 E20 E40 E100 L6 L20 L40 L100 X X Number of people coordinated 1 - 6 - 20 - 40 - 100

Communication: Face-to-face is still best. Craft Cooperative Games Communication: Face-to-face is still best. 2 people at whiteboard 2 people on phone (Courtesy of Thoughtworks, inc.) Communication Effectiveness 2 people on chat Videotape (Question-&-Answer) Paper (No Question-&-Answer) Communication channels in play

Craft Cooperative Games Lean Processes Design is like manufacturing, but decisions are the internal inventory. Design has loops backward in flow! Every line of code is a decision I wish they’d decide what style they want! I wish they’d decide what functions they want! I wish they’d think a bit more carefully before coding! I wish they’d decide on the UI design already! Users & Sponsors UI Designers Programmers Testers Business Analysts A decision

Learn from lean manufacturing: Craft Cooperative Games Lean Processes Learn from lean manufacturing: Learn from lean manufacturing: Reduce decisions in motion & balance the flow. Users & Sponsors UI Designers Programmers Testers Business Analysts Convert jams Users & Sponsors UI Designers Programmers Testers Business Analysts Convert jams to continuous flow.

Business Risk (are we building the right thing?) Cooperative Games Craft Design as knowledge acquisition: "Solving a problem they don't yet understand … " Knowledge acquisition Lean Processes Solidify business value Knowledge time knowledge cost Grow knowledge (shrink risk) Typical learning path Business Risk (are we building the right thing?) Social Risk (can these people build this thing?) Technical Risk (will our equipment work?) Surprise! We can pay to learn early!

Design as knowledge acquisition: Cooperative Games Craft Design as knowledge acquisition: Knowledge acquisition Lean Processes Solidify business value time knowledge cost Grow knowledge (shrink risk) Grow business value time

Trim the tail to deliver by date or value. Cooperative Games Craft Trim the tail to deliver by date or value. Knowledge acquisition Lean Processes Trim & deliver sooner Delay & improve time “Trim the tail”

What you use depends on you yourself(selves). Craft Cooperative Games Personalities Knowledge acquisition Lean Processes What you use depends on you yourself(selves). Self-Awareness Values Priorities Personalities Reflection Theory Cooperative Game Lean Processes Knowledge acquisition Techniques & Strategies Shu-Ha-Ri

Craft Professions skills in a medium Cooperative Game communication, teamwork, strategies Designing in Teams Knowledge Acquisition pay-to-learn, trim-the-tail Lean Processes Unvalidated decisions as inventory Personalities (Self-Awareness) the strategies and techniques actually used http://Alistair.Cockburn.us