The Art of Agile Practice: A Composite Approach for Projects and Organizations
Features
- Presents a consistent, integrated, and strategic approach to achieving Agility in your business
- Describes metrics that are relevant to the entire CAMS lifecycle
- Explains how to embed Agile practices within formal process-maps in projects
- Includes figures, case studies, and tables that illustrate key concepts
Summary
The Art of Agile Practice: A Composite Approach for Projects and Organizations presents a consistent, integrated, and strategic approach to achieving "Agility" in your business. Transcending beyond Agile as a software development method, it covers the gamut of methods in an organization—including business processes, governance standards, project management, quality management, and business analysis—to show you how to use this composite approach to enhance your ability to adapt and respond to evolving business requirements. The book is divided into three parts:
- Introduces Agility and identifies the challenges facing organizations in terms of development and maintenance approaches
- Presents Composite Agile Method and Strategy (CAMS) as a carefully constructed combination of process elements and illustrates its application to development, business management, business analysis, project management, and quality
- Includes two Agile case studies, a comprehensive index, definitions of key acronyms, and appendices with a current list of Agile methods and interview summaries
The book describes relevant metrics for the entire CAMS lifecycle and explains how to embed Agile practices within formal process-maps in projects. Filled with figures, case studies, and tables that illustrate key concepts, the text is ideal for a two- or three-day training course or workshop. It is also suitable for a 13-week education course for higher degree students that includes process discussions and consideration of Agile values at both software and business levels. The chapters are organized to correspond roughly to such lectures with an option to choose from the case study chapters.
Table of Contents
Introducing Agile in Practice
Objectives
Introduction
Agile in Practice—A Business Issue
Budget and Agility
Time and Agility
Requirements and Agility
Quality and Agility
Understanding Enterprise Agility
Strategy, Method, and Practice of Agile
Conversational Model for Software Development
Agility—Art, Craft, and Engineering
Correlating Agility to Planned Processes
Agile Coverage in Organizations
Agile Organizational Methods Spaces
Business Methods Space
Planned Methods Space
Pure Agile (Solution) Methods Space
Governance Methods Space
Agile Manifesto, Principles, and Practices
Agile Methods
Composite Agile—Research Project
Conclusions
Agile in Practice: Road Map 1
Discussion Questions
References
Landscape of Agile and Planned Methods
Objectives
Introduction
Defining Agile
What Comprises Agile?
Agile Manifesto
Agile Values
Agile Principles
Agile Methods Landscape
Extreme Programming (XP)
Scrum
Roles
Artifacts
Scrum Meetings
Scrum Flow
Agile Unified Process (AUP)
Crystal
Lean
Kaizen
Adaptive Software Development/Agile Project Management
Feature-Driven Development (FDD)
Test-Driven Design (TDD)
Planned Process Life Cycles and Agile
The Waterfall-Based SDLC
The Spiral-Based SDLC
The Fountain-Based SDLC
The IIP—Iterative, Incremental, Parallel Development Process
A Practical Agile Manifesto
Individuals and Interactions Together with Processes and Tools
Working Software Together with Comprehensive Documentation
Customer Collaboration Together with Contract Negotiation
Responding to Change Together with Following a Plan
Agile Practices
Analytical Practices
Requirements Practices
Development Practices
Design Practices
Project Management Practices
Quality Assurance Practices
Operational Practices
Testing Practices
Conclusions
Agile in Practice: Road Map
Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions
References
Landscape of Agile and Planned Methods
Objectives
Introduction
Defining Agile
What Comprises Agile?
Agile Manifesto
Agile Values
Agile Principles
Agile Methods Landscape
Extreme Programming (XP)
Scrum
Roles
Artifacts
Scrum Meetings
Scrum Flow
Agile Unified Process (AUP)
Crystal
Lean
Kaizen
Adaptive Software Development/Agile Project Management
Feature-Driven Development (FDD)
Test-Driven Design (TDD)
Planned Process Life Cycles and Agile
The Waterfall-Based SDLC
The Spiral-Based SDLC
The Fountain-Based SDLC
The IIP—Iterative, Incremental, Parallel Development Process
A Practical Agile Manifesto
Individuals and Interactions Together with Processes and Tools
Working Software Together with Comprehensive Documentation
Customer Collaboration Together with Contract Negotiation
Responding to Change Together with Following a Plan
Agile Practices
Analytical Practices
Requirements Practices
Development Practices
Design Practices
Project Management Practices
Quality Assurance Practices
Operational Practices
Testing Practices
Conclusions
Agile in Practice: Road Map
Discussion Questions
References
Further Reading
Agile Challenges in Practice
Objectives
Introduction
Agile Project Challenges
Agile Organizational Challenges in Practice
Project-Specific Agile Challenges
Matrix of Agile Challenges
Scalability and Agile
Project Management and Agile
People Management and Agile
Business Analysis and Agile
Testing and Agile
Metrics and Measurements in Agile
Enterprise Architecture and Agile
Maintenance and Agile
Documentation and Agile
Legal and Compliance Issues and Agile
Expanding Agile Challenges at the Organizational Level
Strategic versus Tactical Agile
Conclusions
Agile in Practice: Road Map 3
Discussion Questions
References
COMPOSITE AGILE METHOD AND STRATEGY AND ITS APPLICATION IN PRACTICE
Composite Agile Method and Strategy (CAMS)
Objectives
Introduction
Composite Agile: Balance and Coverage
Taxonomy of Organizational Methods and Their Agile Touch Points
Software Agile (Development)
Software Processes and Agile
IT Governance and Agile
Project Management and Agile
Business Management and Agile
Composite Agile Method and Strategy (CAMS)
Life Cycles as Basis for Composite
CAMS Architecture
Initial Iteration
Major Iteration
Final Iteration
The CAMS Repository of Agile Practices
CAMS in Practice: Configuration
Practicing CAMS—Role-Based Execution
Advantages and Limitations of CAMS
Conclusions
Agile in Practice: Road Map 4
Discussion Questions
References
Composite Agile and IT: Enablement, Development, and Maintenance
Objectives
Introduction
Emergent Information Technologies: Agile Enablers
Cloud Computing
Mobile Technologies
Business Intelligence
Web Services and SOA
Applications Integration
Social Media
IT Areas of Work and Agile
Development and Agility
Configuration and Agility
Integration and Agility
Conversion and Agility
Deployment, Training, and Agility
Maintenance and Agility
Architecture, Design, and Quality
Requirements (Functional, Nonfunctional, and Interface)
Agile Practices and CAMS Process Maps
Enterprise Architecture Process Map
System Architecture Process Map
Nonfunctional (Operational) Requirements and Architecture (Enterprise and System)
System Design Process Map
Implementation Process Map
Deployment Process Map
Deliverables
Conclusions
Agile in Practice: Road Map 5
Discussion Questions
References
Collaborative-Agile Business Management
Introduction
Agile Business Management
Composite Agile Method and Strategy (CAMS)
Business Agility and CAMS
Six Sigma in Composite Agile
Kaizen in Composite Agile
Kanban in Composite Agile
Agility in Learning Organizations
Collaboration and Agility
Collaborative Business Processes and Agility
Collaborative Cluster Formation
Business Size and Collaboration
Characteristics of Collaborative-Agile Business
Customer Experience through Collaboration
Knowledge Management Collaborations and Agility
Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) with Collaborative Agile
Market Expansion through Collaboration
Global Trade and Agility
Organizational Leanness and Restructuring
Outsourcing and Offshoring with Collaborative Agile
Legal Compliance and Tax Management with Collaborative Agile
Carbon Consciousness and Lean-Agile
Evolving Complexities in Collaborative-Agile Business
Types of Collaboration
Reaching Collaborative Intelligence in Agile Business
Reaching Collaborative Business Process
Business Evaluation Process Map
Roles in Business Evaluation
Deliverables
Activities and Tasks in Business Evaluation
SWOT Analysis
PESTLE Analysis
Cost–Benefit Analysis
Change Management in Agile Business
External Changes
Internal Changes
Risks and Challenges in Collaborative-Agile Business
Conclusions
Agile in Practice: Road Map 6
Discussion Questions
References
Business Analysis and Composite Agile
Introduction
What Is Business Analysis?
Business Analysis and Agility
Handling Agile Challenges in the Context of Business Analysis
BA and Agile Practices in CAMS
Business Analysis Frameworks and Agility
SFIA, IIBA (BABOK"), AIBA Frameworks
SFIA and Agile BA
BA-SFIA Levels 1–4
BA-SFIA Levels 4–6
BA-SFIA Levels 6–7
Comparing SFIA and IIBA with Agile
Business Process Management and Agility
Business Process Reengineering (BPR)
Processes: Individual, Organizational, and Collaborative
Customer-Driven Analysis and Agility
Requirements Modeling Process Map
Roles in Requirements Modeling
Deliverables
Activities and Tasks in Requirements Modeling
Conclusions
Agile in Practice: Road Map 7
Discussion Questions
References
CAMS Project Management and ICT Governance
Objectives
Introduction
Planning and Agility in CAMS
Declaration of Interdependence and Agile Project Management
Organizing Composite Agile Projects
Project Management Process Map
Roles in Project Management Process Map
Deliverables in the Project Management Process Map
Activities and Tasks in the Project Management Process Map
Leadership and People Management in Agile Projects
Soft Issues and Subjective Skills
Agile Team Formation
IT Governance and Business Agility
The IT Governance Frameworks
Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (CoBIT)
Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
Conclusions
Agile in Practice: Road Map 8
Discussion Questions
References
Further Reading
Composite Agile—Quality, Testing, and Metrics
Objectives
Introduction
Quality Context: Management, Assurance, and Control
Quality Management Process Map
Quality Assurance Process Map
Quality Techniques and Agile Practices
Quality Control Process Map
Organizing Testing
Test Data
Analyzing Risks in Testing Risks: Analyzing
Composite Agile Metrics and Measurements
Challenges of Agile Projects Metrics
Fundamentals of CAMS Estimation
CAMS Metrics in Practice
Planning Metrics
Requirements Metrics
Development Metrics
Testing and Release Metrics
Role-Based CAMS Metrics
Applying Estimation and Metrics in CAMS
Conclusions
Agile in Practice: Road Map 9
Discussion Questions
References
Further Reading
AGILE Adoption in Organizations
Objectives
Introduction
Organizational Adoption of Agility and Business Transformation
Adopting of CAMS: Reasons and Value
CAMS Organizational Adoption—High-Level Road Map
Agile Business Transformation—Internal and External Factors
External Influencing Factors
Internal Factors and Responses
Organizational Focus Areas in Agile Business Transformation
Business Transformation Process and Organizational Focus Areas
Work Areas for ABT
Varying Influence of ABT
CAMS and Center of Excellence
Configuring, Training, and Upskilling in Agile Business Transformation
Money
Technology
Process
People
CAMS and Process Maturity—The CMM Standards in an Agile Environment
Conclusions
Agile in Practice: Road Map 10
Discussion Questions
References
CASE STUDIES IN CAMS
Case Study—Outsourced Project
Introduction
Outline of the Case Study "MITS"—An Outsourced Project
Composite Agile Road Map for an Outsourced Project
Understanding the Project
Extent of Agility in Configuring CAMS
CAMS Process-Map-Based Activities in an Outsourced Project
Creating CAMS-Based Project Iterations
Use of CAMS Metrics in Outsourced Projects
Overcoming the Challenges of Outsourced Projects with CAMS
Uncertainty in the Scope of Work
Leadership and Direction
Payment Contracts Based on Delivery
Determining Correct Iterations and Releases to Deliver the Product
Service Level Agreements After Delivery
Formal Requirements Modeling
Iterative and Incremental Implementation of Solution Design
Quality Control and User Acceptance Testing
Ongoing Maintenance of the Solution
Conclusions and Lessons Learnt
Discussion Questions
References
Case Study: Organizational CAMS in an Insurance Business
Objectives
Introduction
Hartford Insurance Company (HIC) Case Study Outline
Goals of Agile Business Transformation
Composite Agile Road Map
Diagnose (0–3 months)
Plan (4–6 months)
Enact (7–12/15 months)
Review and Manage (15–18 months)
Configuring Composite Agile
HIC and Collaborative-Agile Business
Balancing HIC’s ABT Enactment
Conclusions and Lessons Learnt
Discussion Questions
References
Appendix I Agile Interview Summaries
Project Management and CAMS
Development with CAMS
Testing and CAMS
Architecture and CAMS
Metrics and Estimates in CAMS
References
Appendix II Business-Analysis-Related Associations and Standards
Appendix III Role-Based CAMS Metrics
Project Manager
CAMS Task: Planning—Requirement Prioritization
CAMS Activity: Risk Management—Collaborative
Business Analyst
CAMS Activity: Requirement—Collaborative
CAMS Activity: Change Management—Negotiable Requirement
Architect
CAMS Activity: Design—User Feedback
Programmer
CAMS Activity: Coding/Implementation—Pair Programming
Tester
CAMS Activity: Testing—Continuous
Appendix IV Telecom User Stories in Tabular Format
Index
Author Bio(s)
Bhuvan Unhelkar (BE, MDBA, MSc, PhD; FACS) has spent close to three decades in the information and communication technologies (ICT) industry as a strategist as well as a hands-on professional. As the founder of MethodScience.com, he has demonstrated consulting and training expertise in business analysis, software engineering, Agile processes, mobile business, and Green IT (environment) in banking, financial, insurance, government, and telecom verticals. He is an adjunct associate professor with the University of Western Sydney, Australia (where he had formed the Mobile Internet Research and Applications Group—MIRAG) and a visiting faculty at the University of Technology, Sydney, MS University, Baroda, India, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Hartford Graduate Campus), CT, USA. He has authored 17 books and several executive reports (Cutter, Boston, USA), supervised numerous PhD students, and has extensively presented and published papers and case studies. Dr. Unhelkar is a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society, life member of Computer Society of India, president of the Rotary Club in St. Ives, Sydney (and a Paul Harris Fellow), a Discovery volunteer at NSW parks and wildlife, and a previous TiE mentor.
Dr. Unhelkar obtained the PhD degree in the area of "object orientation" from the University of Technology, Sydney, in 1997. Subsequently, he has designed and delivered course units such as Global Information Systems, Object Oriented Analysis and Design, Business Process Reengineering, and IT Project Management to the industry as well as across universities in Australia, China, and India.
Other CRC Press (T&F) Books by the author:
- Mobile Enterprise Transition and Management, 2009
After the Y2K Fireworks,1999
Green IT Strategies & Applications, 2011
Editorial Reviews
Bhuvan rightfully does not provide a silver bullet in this book because there are none. Rather, he uses Agile together with proven business practices to provide a best of breed approach. … the book gives a balanced view of Agile in the practical world. Whether you are a business analyst, developer, project manager, executive, or playing any other role within your organization, I am sure you will enjoy reading this book and find it relevant to your work.
—Steve Blais, PMP, Solutions Architect, Sarasota, Florida
