Difference between revisions of "Readings Preparing for First Call"

 
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There's better-than-even odds that if you're reading this, you think you want to learn an approach to '''scale agile development'''.  
 
There's better-than-even odds that if you're reading this, you think you want to learn an approach to '''scale agile development'''.  
 
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Surprisingly, [https://less.works/ '''LeSS'''] (Large-Scale Scrum) is about not about scaling. It's about '''descaling''' and '''simplification''' of the limiting organizational '''structures''' so that '''many teams''' can work together on '''one product''' as simply as possible to towards the system optimizing goals of (1) '''highest value''' from global perspective and (2) '''agility''' to change cheaply based on '''learning'''.
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Surprisingly, [https://less.works/ '''LeSS'''] (Large-Scale Scrum) is not about scaling. It's about '''descaling''' and '''simplification''' of the limiting organizational '''structures''' so that '''many teams''' can work together on '''one product''' as simply as possible to towards the system optimizing goals of (1) '''highest value''' from global perspective and (2) '''agility''' to change cheaply based on '''learning'''.
 
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And to ''own'' it, senior managers that have the authority to change the organizational design (eliminating groups, roles, sites, policies, etc.) essentially have to do a lot of learning and change. [https://less.works/ '''LeSS'''] is not about superficial techniques that don't impact the structure.
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And to ''own'' it, senior managers that have the authority to change the organizational design (eliminating groups, roles, sites, policies, etc.) have to do learning and change. [https://less.works/ '''LeSS'''] is not about superficial techniques that don't impact the structure.
 
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==== Who's Asking? ====
 
==== Who's Asking? ====
I'm [[Craig Larman]], the creator (along with my friend and colleague Bas Vodde) of [https://less.works/ '''LeSS'''] (Large-Scale Scrum), the author of the [http://www.craiglarman.com/wiki/index.php?title=Books_by_Craig_Larman several books on scaling lean thinking & agile development], and have focused the last decade on helping organizations succeed with scaling (or more precisely, ''descaling'') with LeSS (see [http://less.works LeSS.works]). Broadly, I'm trying to ''reduce suffering in development'' — for customers, your economics, and developers. There's no good reason that development can't be successful, useful, and fun.
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I'm [[Craig Larman]], the creator (along with my friend and colleague Bas Vodde) of [https://less.works/ '''LeSS'''] (Large-Scale Scrum), the author of [http://www.craiglarman.com/wiki/index.php?title=Books_by_Craig_Larman three books on scaling lean thinking & agile development], and have focused for decades helping organizations succeed with scaling (or more precisely, ''descaling'') with [https://less.works/ '''LeSS'''].  
 
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==== Why Read and Learn Before the First Call? ====
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==== Why Learning Before the First Call? ====
Before I start any discussion with a management team that is interested in introducing [http://less.works '''LeSS'''] and becoming a learning organization, these are the pre-readings I ask to study before we start.  
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Before I start any discussion with a senior management team that is interested in introducing [http://less.works '''LeSS'''] and becoming a [https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Learning_organization Learning Organization], these are the pre-readings I ask to study before we start. Why?
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* The [https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Learning_organization Learning Organization] and [https://less.works/less/principles/lean-thinking.html Lean Thinking] approach means lots of learning and teaching by the senior management. And it's learning about the subjects covered in these first readings. If you — and all the senior and C-level managers — don't like intensively reading and learning for the next one to two years about these subjects, it's (let's say) 90% unlikely the change will succeed.
Why? '''Real''' ''lean thinking'' and ''systems thinking'' adoptions are the exact opposite of the "copying without knowledge" and "install this solution" sales pitches associated with fads and consulting-company grand solutions. Rather, this involves ''real thinking'' ;)
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* The content of the pre-readings is the context for the first call, because I'll be asking you questions that depend on knowing the pre-reading content.
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* Senior managers in a "lean" management culture — one of the foundations of LeSS is Lean Thinking — focus on ''manage by means'' rather than ''manage by results/objectives''; this is a radical shift for many traditional senior managers, and "manage by means" starts with a focus on learning more about the ''means'' side of LeSS.
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* It's the first step in ''owning'' rather than ''renting'' your change and organizational design.
If I had to boil it down to one key idea, it is: '''You must ''own'', not ''rent'', your organizational design'''.
 
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This needs '''senior managers''' taking the time to deeply grasp
 
* the nature of their ''system'',
 
* the root causes of its issues,
 
* the complexities of its system dynamics,
 
* the deeper concepts of LeSS, with a focus on ''why'' not what, and only then
 
* create a situationally-appropriate organizational design experiment based on these ideas and principles — instead of the common "you don't need to think deeply and figure this out yourself, just adopt our solution" sales pitch.
 
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And one of the simplest and quickest ways to identify senior manager groups that are serious about wanting for themselves to (1) learn and teaching others, (2) cultivate a learning organization based on Systems Thinking, and (3) starting the learning, is by starting with the following readings.  
 
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==== Adoption Process ====
 
==== Adoption Process ====
I recommend you do not simply decide to adopt LeSS. Rather, I recommend that you take the time to carefully learn, apply sober reflection, and then make an informed consent decision to try a non-trivial experiment — or not. Therefore, I recommend that the starting process is this:
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Briefly, I'll probably be recommending these steps if you want to go deeper:
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1. A 2.5-day or 3-day "'''Informed Consent'''" workshop with senior management and me, where I will help the group learn more by using [https://less.works/less/principles/systems_thinking.html Systems Thinking], with a focus on ''why'', and answer all your questions about the implications and next steps in a LeSS adoption.
1. Carefully study these pre-readings.
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2. A period of reflection and more learning by the senior management and hands-on developers, rather than a rush to decision.  
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2. Discuss them amongst yourselves.
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3. If "go", preparation for defining the first product group to change to LeSS.
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3. Participate in a 2- or 3-day "'''Informed Consent'''" workshop with me, where I will help you learn more in depth, explore your system with you, and answer all your questions about the implications and next steps.
 
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4. After I leave, you together take a careful and considered decision to consent to the next step, or decide to decline continuing.
 
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5. If your group decides with careful informed consent to go forward with an experiment, then I will help you in the next major phases: (1) LeSS Preparation, and (2) LeSS Sprint1.
 
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==== The Preparation Readings to Learn From ====
 
 
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1. [http://hbr.org/2012/05/six-myths-of-product-development HBR: Six Myths of Product Development]
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==== Pre-Readings ====
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1. [http://hbr.org/2012/05/six-myths-of-product-development Harvard Business Review: Six Myths of Product Development]
  
 
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2. The following chapters from our first LeSS book [http://www.amazon.com/Scaling-Lean-Agile-Development-Organizational/dp/0321480961/ref=pd_sim_b_1 Scaling Lean & Agile Development: Thinking and Organizational Tools with LeSS]:
2. The following chapters from our book [http://www.amazon.com/Scaling-Lean-Agile-Development-Organizational/dp/0321480961/ref=pd_sim_b_1 Scaling Lean & Agile Development: Thinking and Organizational Tools with LeSS]:
 
  
  '''Systems Thinking''' (or the equivalent [http://less.works/less/principles/systems_thinking.html Systems Thinking] chapter at less.works)
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  '''Chapter 2: Systems Thinking''' (or the equivalent [http://less.works/less/principles/systems_thinking.html Systems Thinking] chapter at less.works)
  '''Lean Thinking''' (or the equivalent [http://less.works/less/principles/lean_thinking.html Lean Thinking] chapter at less.works)
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  '''Chapter 7: Feature Teams''' (or the equivalent [http://www.infoq.com/resource/articles/scaling-lean-agile-feature-teams/en/resources/feature%20teams_%20infoq_%20final.pdf  Feature Teams] chapter at infoq.com)
'''Queuing Theory''' (or the equivalent [http://less.works/less/principles/queueing_theory.html Queuing Theory] chapter at less.works)
 
'''False Dichotomies'''
 
'''Be Agile'''
 
'''Feature Teams''' (or the equivalent [http://www.infoq.com/resource/articles/scaling-lean-agile-feature-teams/en/resources/feature%20teams_%20infoq_%20final.pdf  Feature Teams] chapter at infoq.com)
 
'''Teams''' (or the equivalent [http://less.works/less/structure/teams.html Teams] chapter at less.works)
 
  
 
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3. The following chapters from our third LeSS book [https://www.amazon.com/Large-Scale-Scrum-More-Addison-Wesley-Signature-ebook/dp/B01JP91OR4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471358164&sr=8-1&keywords=scrum+larman#nav-subnav Large-Scale Scrum: More with LeSS]:
3. The following chapters from the book [http://www.amazon.com/The-Fifth-Discipline-Practice-Organization/dp/0385517254/ref=pd_sim_b_1 The Fifth Discipline]:
 
  
  '''Give Me a Lever Long Enough'''
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  '''Chapter 2: LeSS''', or the equivalent [https://less.works/less/framework/introduction.html chapter online]
'''Does Your Organization Have a Learning Disability?'''
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  '''Chapter 3: Adoption'''
'''Prisoners of the System, or Prisoners of our own Thinking?'''
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  '''Chapter 4: Organize by Customer Value'''
  '''The Laws of the Fifth Discipline'''
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  '''Chapter 7: Product'''
  '''Personal Mastery'''
 
  '''Mental Models'''
 

Latest revision as of 13:13, 21 April 2017


Large-scale-scrum-cover.jpg
Scaling lean and agile dev - cover.jpg


There's better-than-even odds that if you're reading this, you think you want to learn an approach to scale agile development.

Surprisingly, LeSS (Large-Scale Scrum) is not about scaling. It's about descaling and simplification of the limiting organizational structures so that many teams can work together on one product as simply as possible to towards the system optimizing goals of (1) highest value from global perspective and (2) agility to change cheaply based on learning.

But there's a change problem that you the reader are part of... If I had to boil down about 40 years of this work to one key idea, it is:

You must own, not rent, your change and organizational design.

And to own it, senior managers that have the authority to change the organizational design (eliminating groups, roles, sites, policies, etc.) have to do learning and change. LeSS is not about superficial techniques that don't impact the structure.

What learning? To start, the following pre-readings before our first call.


Who's Asking?

I'm Craig Larman, the creator (along with my friend and colleague Bas Vodde) of LeSS (Large-Scale Scrum), the author of three books on scaling lean thinking & agile development, and have focused for decades helping organizations succeed with scaling (or more precisely, descaling) with LeSS.


Why Learning Before the First Call?

Before I start any discussion with a senior management team that is interested in introducing LeSS and becoming a Learning Organization, these are the pre-readings I ask to study before we start. Why?

  • The Learning Organization and Lean Thinking approach means lots of learning and teaching by the senior management. And it's learning about the subjects covered in these first readings. If you — and all the senior and C-level managers — don't like intensively reading and learning for the next one to two years about these subjects, it's (let's say) 90% unlikely the change will succeed.
  • The content of the pre-readings is the context for the first call, because I'll be asking you questions that depend on knowing the pre-reading content.
  • Senior managers in a "lean" management culture — one of the foundations of LeSS is Lean Thinking — focus on manage by means rather than manage by results/objectives; this is a radical shift for many traditional senior managers, and "manage by means" starts with a focus on learning more about the means side of LeSS.
  • It's the first step in owning rather than renting your change and organizational design.



Adoption Process

Briefly, I'll probably be recommending these steps if you want to go deeper:

1. A 2.5-day or 3-day "Informed Consent" workshop with senior management and me, where I will help the group learn more by using Systems Thinking, with a focus on why, and answer all your questions about the implications and next steps in a LeSS adoption.

2. A period of reflection and more learning by the senior management and hands-on developers, rather than a rush to decision.

3. If "go", preparation for defining the first product group to change to LeSS.


Pre-Readings

1. Harvard Business Review: Six Myths of Product Development


2. The following chapters from our first LeSS book Scaling Lean & Agile Development: Thinking and Organizational Tools with LeSS:

Chapter 2: Systems Thinking (or the equivalent Systems Thinking chapter at less.works)
Chapter 7: Feature Teams (or the equivalent Feature Teams chapter at infoq.com)


3. The following chapters from our third LeSS book Large-Scale Scrum: More with LeSS:

Chapter 2: LeSS, or the equivalent chapter online
Chapter 3: Adoption
Chapter 4: Organize by Customer Value
Chapter 7: Product