Guerrilla Agile
Nick Schweitzer
SpiderLogic
What is a Guerrilla?
Why Work Underground?
Starting a Guerrilla Movement
Working Against a Large Organization/Process
No Buy-In from Stakeholders
Expert at "Irregular Warfare"
Works Outside the Normal Process
Stays Hidden from Opposing Forces
Uses Speed and Stealth as Force Multipliers
Project Timeline is Short
Normal Process Takes Too Much Time
By Thomas Schoch [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Identify a Project
Find a War Room
Have a Committed Team
Have a Strong Leader
Picking a Project
The War Room
Working
with Regular Forces
Your Other Coworkers Are Not the Enemy
The Process is Your Enemy
Relatively Autonomous
Clear Mission
Colocation is Crucial
Far Away from Distractions
Whiteboards!
Business Owner with Authority
High Visibility if Possible
Strong Need and/or Short Timeline
Convert a Conference Room
Always Looks Busy
From the Outside
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www.spiderlogic.com
Keeping Agile from Becoming "Just an Experiment"
Ceasefire
The Guerrilla Leader
No Requirements or Constantly Changing
Warning
Signs
Invite Outside Stakeholders to Iteration Reviews
You'll Need to Do the Work of Other Groups
"Can You Do Me a Favor?"
"I'm in a Bind Here"
"You Need That By... When?!"
Have a Project Backlog and Burn Down Prepared
Use Agile Terms Around Outside Coworkers
Declaration of War
Empty Seats for Those Who Don't Colocate
"Just Try It for a Week"
Process is Hard to Change
You Don't Have the Authority to Change It
Invite Outside Stakeholders to One Stand-up a Week
Make Sure They Know They're a
Chicken and Not a Pig
The Process Wasn't Designed For You
But It Affects Your Ability to Produce Results
"Choose the Right Battle"
Translates Terminology Up The Chain
Responsible for Going to "Non Stand-up" Meetings
Manages Gating and Paperwork
Converts Burn Downs into Progress Reports
You'll Likely Be Viewed As a "Troublemaker"
Resource Manager Becomes Concerned
Stakeholders Stop Coming to Iteration Reviews or Stand-ups
An "End Date" to the War Room is Made
Project Manager is Transitioned After Major Milestones Complete
Are You Ready To Be a Guerrilla?
Project Manager or Product Owner
Liaison Between Guerrillas and the Normal Process
Must Be Committed to Agile Process
Entire Team Should Know Agile or Be Given a Primer
Does The Project Have to Be High Visibility?
By Joshua Veitch-Michaelis from Leamington Spa, England (Eiffel Tower lit up with the beacon) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
More Likely to Lead to Future Change if Successful
Normal Process More Likely to Be Abandoned Anyway
Better to Replace with Agile than Wild West
Regular Forces More Likely to Help You
"I Don't Care How - Just Get It Done"
Short Answer: Maybe
Nobody Wants to Risk Being the Blockade
"Why Aren't You Agile Already?"
Functional vs. Project Teams
Generalists - Not Specialists
Even if Requirements are Unclear
Makes Use of What Others Throw Away
Know Your Enemy
Project Manager Success Is Not Based on Project Success
Is it a Software Project or a Traffic Signal?
Do Your Dependencies Have Skin in the Game?
Project Manager Success Based On Following Process
Who Really Takes the Hit if the Project Fails?