1. Agile Communities of practice: set up, sustain, and succeed
Sesh Veeraraghavan
Director, agile practice
IHS markit

2. Quick survey
How many of you run - or participate in - a Community of Practice?

3. Agenda Define CoP; understand its characteristics with examples
Benefits
Practical steps towards establishing your own CoP
CoP at IHS Markit, successes and challenges, next steps

4. About IHS Markit HQ – London 13,000+ colleagues worldwide
Information, Analytics, Expertise

5. IHS Markit – Who We Serve
Industries:
Financial
Aerospace/Defense/Maritime
Energy
Electronics
Academic
Chemicals
Automotive
Construction
Media/Technology/Telecommunications
Retail…

6. About Sesh Director, R&D - Agile Practice
Software Engineering Background
Head a global team of SMs/Coaches
We develop and lead agile initiatives
We train and coach teams/individuals
Animal rights, photography, non-fiction

7. Definitions – common understanding
Community (noun) - com·mu·ni·ty
a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
a similarity or identity.
Practice (noun) – prac·tice
the actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method as opposed to theories about such application or use.
repeated exercise in or performance of an activity or skill so as to acquire or maintain proficiency in it.
Practice (verb)
perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one's proficiency.
carry out or perform (a particular activity, method, or custom) habitually or regularly.

8. Community of practice
Cognitive anthropologists Lave and Wenger (1991) define it as a group of people who
-- share a passion for something they do
-- learn how to do it better
-- interact regularly

9. Examples of communities of practice
Research areas by Lave and Wenger included studying learning among
Yucatan midwives
Tailors in Liberia
Insurance claims processors
These groups exhibited common patterns of sharing, learning, and growth

10. A modern-Day example of A Cop: xerox
Xerox repairmen - informal exchange of tips and tricks
Communication usually done over lunch and informal meetings
Eureka database created to keep track of these tips and tricks
Savings due to the Eureka database: over $100 MM USD

11. Characteristics of a successful cop
Domain (e.g. agile)
Community (e.g. ScrumMasters)
Practice (the practical aspect)

12. So, why set up a community of practice?
Share
Learn
Mentor
Teach
Grow
Enrich

13. Benefits of CoP Organic organizational growth Higher productivity
Happier employees
Cost savings

14. Benefits, Contd. Sharing of key knowledge and technologies
Unexpected and fruitful collaboration

15. CoE vs CoP Center of Excellence Community of Practice
Platform for ensuring adherence/compliance to standards and guidelines
Platform for sharing knowledge, expertise, and experience
A designated group defines standards for the org.
Groups of people come together to define what works for them
Have the necessary authority to create and at times enforce standards
Influence without authority, organic growth
Aim to achieve excellence by applying the same principles and practices across teams/groups
Aim to achieve excellence by sharing, collaborating, connecting, and learning together
Must be able to afford to put in place
Can’t afford NOT to put one in place

16. How to create your own CoP
Practical steps towards creating a great Community of Practice

17. Step 1 – identify the CoP
Identify the Community that you wish to create (and for which there is an active need)
Example communities: ScrumMasters; Product Owners; Architects; QA; Developers
Your role is not important – your passion, commitment, and sphere of influence are

18. Step 2 – identify the stakeholders
Figure out who the stakeholders are (influencing; removing roadblocks)
Example: Development/QA directors/managers; PMO directors and managers
Resources and time are not free
Understand and respect the time commitments of all involved

19. Step 3 – educate the stakeholders
Critical aspect – you must be able to demonstrate the value of such a Community
Be upfront about what’s needed from participants and sponsors
Promise your commitment to the initiative and specify what outcomes you expect

20. Step 4 – identify the members
Can be done as a parallel/background task with Step 2
Get recommendations from the stakeholders on those with
solid knowledge
ability and willingness to share and learn
These will be your primary contacts, contributors, and cheerleaders

21. Step 5 – Get executive sponsor (ES) buy-in
Set the scenario/lay the groundwork for the conversation with the ES
Set up 1:1 with the ES
Prepare well – use minimal slides
Show passion and demonstrate knowledge
Explain background and previous communications with stakeholders
Explain the goals of the community
Explain the potential, and the benefits that can be gained

22. Step 6 – create the charter/manifesto
Flatten the landscape – break down silos
Liberate yourself from set hierarchies/methodologies
Leave room for changes as they may very well happen
Don’t be too specific
The Charter defines your Community’s purpose and goals

23. Step 7 – Set up the website/social site
SharePoint templates are quick & easy to create a site
Platforms like Jive make collaboration a lot easier
Upload all relevant info: videos, documents, etc.
List the executive sponsor’s name
Keep the content fresh and relevant
Create a sitelet for member profiles

24. Step 8 – Solicit members and generate buzz
Get stakeholders to talk about this effort via ; in meetings; in the intranet as blogs etc.
Once the buzz sets in, reach out to the members and set up group meetings
Explain the purpose, charter, goals, and any other useful information
Follow-up by saying they’ll hear back soon

25. Step 9 – invite the members
Send out a formal communication to the invitees
List the site URL and other relevant details
Have them update the member list area of the site so they’ll be involved right from the start
Encourage them to explore and provide initial thoughts and feedback on the site
Find a volunteer to make those changes – this will entrench the Community aspect a bit more

26. Step 10 – launch the community
Find a suitable time, and set it up for an hour – no more
Invite should list the specifics (this is important at the outset)
Bring in an expert from within or outside of the company for a talk
Logistics
Have them emphasize the value/benefits/relevance of this initiative
Have the expert speak to their direct experience and provide examples of previous success

27. Step 11 – sustain the community
How to collaborate
engage via internal social media/ESN or website (not )
via regular – recorded - sessions (WebEx and teleconference)
upload the recordings and related artifacts
have members come up with ideas for the backlog
let people vote (if possible) on the next session/future sessions
create an distribution list for easy access to the members

28. Step 12 – Succeed! Request feedback on the Community
Make changes gradually
Evaluate impact of the changes
Make stakeholders and execs aware of successes
Always invite stakeholders and execs to all sessions
Summaries on what worked, what’s new, etc.

29. Current challenges & Next steps
Getting new members interested right away
Different levels of maturity and knowledge and interest
Getting many more people to contribute
Bringing in awareness of the latest industry trends
Next steps:
Leverage the ESN a lot more
Create local “guilds”
Create more special interest groups

30. Further successes Helped set up and coordinate our QA Chapters
In the process of helping set up a CoP for Product Owners/Managers
Helped assist in the creation of SCM CoP and Tech Group

31. Testimonials
Project Manager: I look forward to these meetings; I know that when we had a sub-team that researched and presented, it was great. The recordings are great to have.
ScrumMaster: I don't just like it, I LOVE it!
Sr. Mgr. PD&D: I really like the community!
Sr. Mgr. PD&D: I think this is great idea to share knowledge in a discussion form to achieve better efficiency.
Sr. Software Engg./ScrumMaster PD&D: I love the idea of the community!
Dir. R&D: I find the community very vibrant...For the sessions, I like the variety, where we go sometimes from open questions to full presentations

32. Questions/Thanks/Let’s Connect!
/in/sesh-veeraraghavan /