A close associate, David Parker, has written a great little article about the use of agile methods in volunteer management.
Posts Tagged ‘OpenAgile’
Agile for Social Innovation and Volunteer Organizations
Sunday, March 14th, 2010Case Study: OpenAgile for Charity Volunteer Management
Friday, March 12th, 2010Cross-posted from my personal blog: A Changemaker in the Making
For the past several weeks, I have been helping a small charity solve a dilemma. Because the charity is well-recognized for their good work, they regularly attract volunteers who want to help. Unfortunately, the two overworked staff members are too busy to recruit, train, and manage them. My approach has been to use OpenAgile, an open source system for delivering value to stakeholders, to implement a few simple techniques to help them.
There are several aspects of OpenAgile that fit very well for managing volunteers:
1. Self-Organizing Behavior
This means people “volunteer” for tasks instead of doing them based on a tightly defined role or having someone tell them what to do. This frees the staff from having to assign work. Instead, they identify priorities and rely on the volunteer’s creativity and personal motivation to do the task in their own way.
2. Shared Responsibility for the Workload
When there is more than one volunteer, they work in a team and share the responsibility for the workload. The team of volunteers discuss the priorities of the organization, and decide among themselves what tasks need to be completed. Then, they create and commit to a 1-2 week short-term plan that will deliver those results. Finally, they come back after the 1-2 week period and reflect on what they accomplished. This pattern of action, reflection, learning, and planning is one of the Foundations of OpenAgile.
3. Visible Tasks
This means that all people doing the work should be able to see what tasks needs to get done, what is in progress, and what tasks are done. One technique that co-located teams often use is simply posting tasks on a wall using sticky notes. (Check out my OpenAgile Task Wall Prezi) Another cool idea is Card Meeting which works on the same principle, but it can be useful for distributed teams.
4. Learning Manifesto
The emphasis on learning is perhaps the most important aspect of OpenAgile that aligns with the needs of volunteer management. The Learning Manifesto states that “Learning is the key that unlocks human capacity.” Volunteers are drawn to an organization because of its vision but can get pushed away when they feel they’re underutilized or not able to contribute in a meaningful way. By making it explicit that the volunteer is primarily accountable for learning, the organization creates a safe space for experimentation and innovation.
Comparison of OpenAgile with Scrum
Monday, February 1st, 2010OpenAgile is similar to Scrum in many respects. Both are systems for delivering value to stakeholders. Both are agile methods. Both are frameworks that deliberately avoid giving all the answers. So why would we choose OpenAgile over Scrum?
The most important difference is in applicability: Scrum is designed to help organizations optimize new software product development, whereas OpenAgile is designed to help anyone learn to deliver value effectively.
OpenAgile is an improvement over Scrum in the following ways:
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More effective teamwork and team practices, in particular the Consultative Method of Decision Making, and
applicability over a larger range of team sizes from a single individual on up. -
Recognition of the individual capacities required for effective learning, namely Truthfulness, Detachment,
Search, Love and Courage. Scrum acknowledges a separate set of qualities, but does not show how they systematically connect with the requirements of a Scrum environment. -
Systematic handling of more types of work beyond just “new artifacts” and “obstacles”. In particular, OpenAgile includes calendar items, repetitive items and quality items and acknowledges their unique qualities in a work
environment. OpenAgile also provides a framework to include additional types of work beyond these five. -
Improved role definitions based on extensive experience.
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There is only one role defined in OpenAgile (Team Member) vs. three defined in Scrum (Team Member, ScrumMaster, Product Owner).
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There are multiple paths of service that allow Team Members and Stakeholders to engage with an OpenAgile team or community in different ways. There are five paths of service: Process Facilitation, Growth Facilitation, Tutoring, Mentoring, and Catalyst.
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The Process Facilitator path of service is similar to the ScrumMaster role with the following major differences:
- is not responsible for team development
- is not necessarily a single person, nor is it a required role
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The Growth Facilitator path of service is similar to the Product Owner role with the following major differences:
- is responsible for all aspects of growth including value (like the Product Owner), and individual and team capacity building.
- is not necessarily a single person, nor is it a required role
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Integration of principles and practices from other methods. Two examples suffice:
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From Crystal: creating a safe work/learning environment.
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From Lean: build quality in, value stream mapping, root cause analysis, standard work.
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OpenAgile allows interruptions during the Cycle. Scrum has the concept of Sprint Safety. This makes Scrum
unsuitable for operational work and general management. -
The distinction between Commitment Velocity and other uses of the term “velocity” used in Scrum. Commitment Velocity is the historical minimum slope of a team’s Cycle burndown charts and determines how much work a team plans in its Engagement Meeting.
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Flexibility in the length a Cycle. Scrum requires that Sprints (Cycles) be one month in duration or less.
OpenAgile allows a Cycle to be longer than that and instead provides a guideline that there should be a minimum number of Cycles planned in the time expected to reach the overall goal. -
The Progress Meeting in OpenAgile does not require people to take turns or directly answer specific questions.
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Avoiding conflict-oriented models of staff and management (Chickens and Pigs in Scrum).
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Terminology changes to be more clear in meaning and applicable beyond software. A comparative glossary is
included below.
Another major difference between OpenAgile and Scrum is how the community operates. OpenAgile is an open-source
method that has a specific structure for community involvement that allows for continuous improvement of the system. Scrum is closed. It is closely managed by it’s founders and this has led to challenges with the method becoming dogmatic. OpenAgile is meant to constantly evolve and grow.
Comparative Glossary between OpenAgile and Scrum
| OpenAgile | Scrum |
|---|---|
| Cycle | Sprint |
| Cycle Planning | Sprint Planning and Sprint Review |
| Team Member | Team Member or “Pigs” |
| Process Facilitator | ScrumMaster |
| Growth Facilitator | Product Owner |
| Work Queue | Product Backlog |
| Work Queue Item | Product Backlog Item |
| Cycle Plan | Sprint Backlog |
| Task | Task |
| Work Period | Day |
| Progress Meeting | Daily Scrum |
| Learning Circle w/ steps | “Inspect and Adapt” |
| Delivered Value | Potentially Shippable Software |
| Stakeholders | “Chickens” |
| Five Types of Work:
New, Repetitive, Obstacles, Calendar, |
- no equivalents -
User Stories, N/A, Impediments, N/A, N/A |
| Consultative Decision Making | - no equivalents - |
| Sector / Community | - no equivalents - |
References on OpenAgile:
References on Scrum:
http://www.scrumalliance.org/
http://www.scrum.org/
“Agile Software Development with Scrum” - Schwaber and Beedle
“Agile Project Management with Scrum” - Schwaber
“Scrum and the Enterprise” – Schwaber
Infonium using OpenAgile to transform Canadian healthcare
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009This summer, Berteig Consulting delivered an intensive OpenAgile training to Infonium, developers of enterprise application software for the Canadian healthcare industry. Based in Ottawa, Infonium collaborates with Canadian healthcare practitioners to develop innovative software solutions that solve issues that are specific to the healthcare industry.
http://www.infonium.ca/about-infonium/news/96-news-berteig
Berteig Consulting is proud to be helping Infonium achieve their vision of transforming healthcare across Canada.
Agile method for the Financial Services industry
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009There are two things every leader needs to know to be successful: first, a leader must clearly articulate what they expect, and second, they need to inspect what they expect on a daily basis. The big challenge though is how do you stay on top of changing priorities? And how do you avoid micro management and driving your team crazy? This is why OpenAgile, in my opinion, will be very quickly embraced by management teams around the world. It has all the necessary tools to ensure success.
For the past 6 months, I have been working with a financial services team in Slovakia to introduce them to Agile methods. I started with Scrum, a methodology and framework that has been used in the Information Technology sector for the past 5-10 years.
The Slovak team started using Scrum with one team of 6 managers. They grew to have 4 teams actively managing their activities and projects using Agile Scrum, and another 2 teams are planning to launch soon. The feedback from the team members has been positive and the team leader is very impressed with the methodology, the activity levels, and the results. This organization/structure is doing very well in the very competitive marketplace that is Slovakia. I interact with the teams on a regular basis and often travel to Slovakia from Canada on business, so I have the opportunity to work closely with the structure, leader, and the teams.
The only challenge with Scrum is that it is somewhat restrictive regarding the types of work that is recorded and reported upon. Scrum does not accommodate repetitive or calendared activities. Fortunately, Berteig Consulting has developed OpenAgile as a new Agile method that allows for the tracking and reporting of all the Scrum work activities plus these new categories. I find OpenAgile more inclusive and representative of the Financial Services work environment.
I’m now in the process of transitioning the Slovak teams from Scrum to OpenAgile. I believe OpenAgile will be a much better methodology for this team, and for all non-IT organizations, as it creates an environment for teams to achieve even greater success.
The OpenAgile method teaches the team members to self-manage. And rather than replacing the role of the team leader, that person is empowered to truly lead because they are free to focus on creating an environment where the team can thrive. OpenAgile helps the team to clearly identify the key strategic and tactical goals, and it allows the team to systematically inspects what everyone expects to be done.
There is actually a third thing every leader needs to know. It’s called OpenAgile. And you can learn more about OpenAgile at http://www.openagile.com/ or by contacting Berteig Consulting http://www.berteigconsulting.com/Contact
OpenAgile Reference Sheet Download – First Draft Available
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009Hi Everyone! As you know, I’ve been working with my team at Berteig Consulting and with some of our clients to create the OpenAgile method. OpenAgile is based on Scrum and Lean, and integrates some important learning and teamwork principles and practices. We’ve just published the first draft of the OpenAgile Reference Sheet. This is based on the OpenAgile Primer as well as integrating some late-breaking learning about the use of Agile in non-software environments. I hope you like it, and let me know if you have any suggestions! We’re going to get to an official first release of OpenAgile soon, and when that happens, we will also be starting the official “open” part of it – OpenAgile is meant to be an open-source agile method!
Growth Facilitator role on an OpenAgile team
Friday, June 5th, 2009This is my first post on the Agile Advice blog. In fact, it’s my first blog post ever. Before joining the Berteig Consulting team, I had never even heard the words Agile, Scrum, Lean, or OpenAgile. After all, my background is marketing, community relations, and sustainability! Needless to say, I’ve gone through some intense learning about the role of the Growth Facilitator.
The responsibility of the Growth Facilitator is about more than simply prioritizing New Work goals and tasks. I see the role as contributing to the organizational culture, and helping to build the business in a sustainable way. “Sustainability” is an important concept at BCI. It means that we are committed to conducting business in a way that is respectful of the environment, society, and the economy. At the same time, it means that the BCI team operates at a sustainable pace, finding ways to balance our work and life so that we don’t burn out.
As Growth Facilitator, I am also responsible for guiding the team toward delivering greater value for our stakeholders. At Berteig Consulting, our stakeholders don’t just include the company’s owners. Our stakeholders include a wide range of groups, including customers, suppliers, employees, and our families, all without whose support nothing we do would be possible. Delivering value to our stakeholders requires that we keep them in mind when we commit to our tasks each week.
One of the important lessons I learned was to give the team S.M.A.R.T. – Simple, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timebound – goals and give them space to come up with the tasks to meet the goal. When I first started, I made goals that were broad, saying for example “to take care of our clients” or “to work at a sustainable pace.” Rather than stating goals, I realized that I was making statements of the team’s shared values. And while the team integrated these thoughts into our behavior, it was nonetheless challenging to spin off specific tasks that we could work on. Now, I try to ensure the goals I create conform to a user story format and meet S.M.A.R.T. criteria. For example “Berteig Consulting can update the Certified ScrumMaster course content so that all CSM course participants receive the best value in the market.” As soon as I made the direction clear, the team self-organized and generated tasks required to achieve each goal.
Another key lesson of developing the direction for the team was allowing the Team Members time to review the next Cycle’s goals in advance of the Cycle Planning Meeting so that they could provide feedback and seek clarification. This became particularly important when one team member jumped on a business opportunity that created a significant amount of New Work. We simply could not overlook this great opportunity, and we moved it to the top of the New Work priority list and put it in the next Cycle Plan.
Last, I learned that the Growth Facilitator and Process Facilitator have a complimentary relationship that requires frequent consultation. As the Process Facilitator goes about helping the team overcome obstacles, it can become clear that the team needs to address a systemic challenge during one of the upcoming Cycles. The Growth Facilitator then states the need as a Cycle goal in a S.M.A.R.T. format, allows the team time to give feedback, and prioritizes the goal in the New Work list. When the goal is brought to a future Cycle Planning Meeting, the team breaks the goal into tasks and solves the systemic obstacle that the Process Facilitator identified.
These lessons have helped me understand how the Growth Facilitator role extends beyond prioritizing New Work and guiding the team’s value delivery. The role also fosters the culture in which the work gets done – working at a sustainable pace, taking care of our customers, and maintaining unity of vision.
I would love to hear your thoughts about anything I’ve expressed here. Berteig Consulting is a deep-learning environment, and your feedback is invaluable.
David D. Parker
VP Marketing and Sustainability
Growth Facilitator
Using Agile to Run a Small Business – Five Types of Work
Thursday, May 14th, 2009At Berteig Consulting, we used Scrum to run our business for quite a while – about one year. Over that time we struggled with a few different concepts and practices. As a Certified Scrum Trainer, I am very aware that Scrum requires us to use the framework itself to expose obstacles, rather than modifying Scrum to accommodate obstacles. However, over the course of that year, it became more and more obvious that there is something fundamentally different between writing software products (where Scrum is fantastic) and running a business. Scrum, the framework, just wasn’t good enough.
The main problem we had was with the types of work we encounter in running a business. We noticed patterns in the types of tasks we had every Cycle (Sprint). In this article I will look carefully at two of those types of work and then briefly describe the other three types of work.
We discovered that calendar items such as meetings, scheduled public events, and even personal appointments didn’t fit anywhere in Scrum’s Product Backlog or Sprint Backlog. At first, we tried to think of this as an obstacle and force-fit these into the Product Backlog. That didn’t work because that meant we couldn’t always prioritize by value. Even if the Product Backlog had something more valuable in it than the scheduled meeting, we sometimes couldn’t change the dates of the meeting to accomodate the more valuable work. So Calendar Items became a new category of work in addition to the new “features” that were in the Product Backlog. (I say “features” in quotes because we were running a business not writing software.)
We also noticed that we were struggling with applying the concept of the Definition of Done. This led us to explore the concept of Repetitive Work. For example, we need to clean our office on a regular basis – vacuum, water plants, take out trash, etc. If we left that until it became more valuable than anything else on our Product Backlog we would have ended up with a disgusting work environment. So we thought that this should be part of our Definition of Done. The problem then became a more conceptual one: what were we doing that needed cleaning so that it would be considered done? Well of course, it’s simply part of business operations. Cleaning is not independently valuable. We did decide that it was most cost-effective to outsource it, but it didn’t match the concept of Definition of Done as applied to the work in the Product Backlog. That led to an insight: actually, we were looking at a new category of work: Repetitive Items. These are those activities that we need to do to sustain our business and which should become habits, or which should be automated or outsourced.
After identifying Calendar Items and Repetitive Items as types of work, we decided that we needed to look at the Product Backlog more carefully. We decided that we needed to separate features, or as we called it “New Work”, from defects or Quality Items. We also formalized the concept of a queue of Obstacles, which is mentioned in Scrum, but about which is given very little guidance.
So after over a three years of trying to use agile methods to run our business, we have finally come up with a stable and seemingly sufficient set of types of work:
- Calendar Items
- Repetitive Items
- Quality Items
- Obstacles
- New Work
We have written more about our experiences and their results in our e-book: The OpenAgile Primer. If you are trying to use agile methods to run a business or any other kind of organization, please check it out and let us know about your experiences. We hope that OpenAgile will become an Open-Source method that we can contribute back to the world of work and life.
Agile Announcements
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008It seems that Berteig Consulting is blocked from China, so I’ve made a new site called Scrum Beijing to promote the ScrumMaster training I do there.
Also, the price has been reduced on the Scrum Study Guide and the web site now includes screen shots and a bit more useful information.
Berteig Consulting is starting to formally market OpenAgile as a method for helping small businesses manage their work (in any industry). Heck, we’re using it ourselves.
And of course, a reminder about the Agile 2008 conference happening in Toronto in August – don’t miss it, it’s going to be fantastic!
Announcing: Talks at Agile 2008
Monday, June 9th, 2008After a rigorous submission process, a total of five presentations by Berteig Consulting staff and affiliates are accepted into the program for the Agile 2008 conference in Toronto. The five presentations are:
Berteig Consulting is also using the vendor talk slot to provide additional value to conference goers with an introduction to using OpenAgile to run a small business.
OpenAgile: A Method for Business Development (30 minutes, vendor talk) – Paul Heidema and Mishkin Berteig
Agile Tools vs. Agile Books
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008
I have been working with Agile for a few months. At Berteig Consulting we are using OpenAgile to run our small business. As such we try to use various tools to make our life easier. I have already mentioned that we use CardMeeting for our cycles and tasks. I have tried using PlanningPoker for online estimation. It seems useful, but maybe our team is too small to make great use of it. I am also looking for other ways to manage the reflections and learning from each cycle.
I have received an email from David Wolrich of CardMeeting that states: “Anyways, I rely on the trickle of news from legitimate organizations like yours to let users know that CardMeeting is still around, that I am still adding features, and to generate interest; thanks again.” So maybe some of you could try it and give him a shout. Much like other free applications on the net such as Drupal and Neo Office this one could become more robust and useful.
I am wondering if I am spending too much time on tools and not enough reading and researching Agile methods. I am enjoying reading about Agile success stories. Anybody know of small businesses that have documented or written about achieving success in Agile? Is there an Agile bible or maybe a book about the best ways to succeed using Agile?
So this is the question that I am wondering: Are tools better than books when it comes to Agile?
OpenAgile and Small Business Management
Wednesday, May 7th, 2008For the past three months I have been working with Paul Heidema (our VP of Marketing) to use OpenAgile to run our business. I thought it might be interesting for folks to see a screen capture of how we have arranged things in CardMeeting to do our planning and tracking. The yellow cards are labels for our Cycles, the white cards are Work Queue items, and the blue cards are Tasks related to the item. The orange cards represent special information (eg. obstacles or ongoing work) and the green cards represent reflections and learning for each Cycle.
