From Vision Statement to Product Backlog

From Vision Statement to Product Backlog: An Effective Way to Quickly Develop Project and Product Requirements Luiz Cláudio Parzianello [email_address] Brazil Scrum Gathering São Paulo, Brazil, 13/05/2009

Master´s Degree in Systems Engineering from USP Bachelor´s Degree in Electronics Engineering from PUCRS + 25 years of experience in informatics (prog., analysis e management) + 10 years as consultant and instructor in Software Engineering + 6 years of experience in Agile Methods Certified Scrum Master and Coach in Lean Software Development CEO from Surya Digital Management Vice-Coord. from Agile Methods User Group at SUCESU-RS I’ve acted as a researcher, consultant and instructor for the following companies: Incor-HCFMUSP, Citibank (Caribe), Sicredi, Banrisul, FAURGS, SBC, ThyssenKrupp Elevadores, Refap/Petrobrás, FIERGS, Mercador-Neogrid, Ministry of Planning from Angola, Mayoral of Novo Hamburgo, Mayoral of Santa Cruz do Sul, FUNTEC (Argentina), and others. About the Speaker

A Software Product From Merriam-Webster The entire set of programs, procedures, and related documentation associated with a system and especially a computer system; specifically: computer programs; From WordReference.Com Written programs or procedures or rules and associated documentation pertaining to the operation of a computer system and that are stored in read/write memory.

A Software Product Scrum “ Something with VALUE to our customers”

So, how can I explore this “VALUE” in a Vision Statement? A Software Product

A Software Product It would be a software product a kind of resource to support a transformation in a business environment?

How a business process can help me to define a transformation scenario?

A Business Process Business Process Software A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 Customer Customer People Tools Materials RESOURCES Requests Information Norms Regulations Indicators Procedures POLICIES Products Information Services Project targets User

A Business Process A1 A2 A4 A5 I1 I2 S1 S2 O1 O2 T1 T2 A3 M1 M2 C1 C2 AS IS A1 A2 A4 A5 I1 I2 S1 S2 O1 O2 T1 T2 A3 M1 M2 C1 C2 TO BE A project is a transformation process! Where you can find compliments ... Where you can find complaints ...

How can I structure a strategy for the transformation process?

Present State (PROBLEM) A Strategy of Change S.C.O.R.E. Model The minimum amount of information that needs to be addressed by any process of change or healing . Robert Dilts & Todd Epstein (1987) Complaints about bad results or unaddressed opportunities ( Symptoms ) Transformation Desire State (GOAL) The most noticeable and conscious aspects of a Goal ( Outcomes ) Rationale for the transformation ( Effects ) Underlying elements responsible for creating and maintaining symptoms ( Causes ) Underlying elements responsible for removing causes ( Resources )

Where? When? With whom? Logical Levels of Learning and Change Robert Dilts based on Gregory Bateson A Strategy of Change Environment When we find a problem at a particular level … … we can solve it at the next upper level! “ Bad behaviour can generate bad results … Good behaviour can generate good results!” Spirituality Purpose What do you do? Behaviour is perceived by my senses triggering a Capabilities and Strategies How do you do? is a conscious action supported by Who are you? Identity and Mission Are unconscious responses based on Why do you do that? Beliefs and Values are semiconscious actions based on personal

How can I write a story for the whole project using these models?

A Project Story  Who are associated with the problem?  When does the problem usually happen?  Where can we see the problem?  What is the mode or situation the problem occurs?  How many times the problem usually happen?  Why is the problem happening in your business?  What is your problem?

Toyota specialists believe that when you structure your problem solving around 1 page of paper (A3), then your thinking is focused and structured. The A3 Problem-Solving Report is a document that tells the story of the issue, observation, or problem. A Project Story

A Project Story THE PROJECT CHARTER: 1x A3 or 2x A4 Form Project Identification Present Scenario Desired Scenario Critical Success Factors Product Scope Cost Estimates

A Project Story Mary Jane Sir John An Electronic Document Management System Conceive and develop a Web application to reduce the amount of space and time required to capture, organize and manage corporate documents. Docs. Department IT Bart Lisa Process guidelines and product validation Software development, delivery and maintenance 10/03/2009 20/03/2009 15/04/2009 Who is asking for this project? What is this project for? Who belongs to the project context? How is our projects queue? Logical Levels (Identity) Logical Levels (Mission)

A Project Story Tell me about your business environment and process … Where, when and with whom do you run your business? What are your process outputs and what do you expect as inputs to produce them? How are your activities planned to be done? How do you control your process? Who, where, when and what? How much? How do you do that? Why do you think that? Tell me about efficiency and effectiveness … What about your wastes? Are you losing new opportunities? Tell me about your beliefs ... Why are you facing bad results? Why are you losing business opportunities? Why do you do that? Tell me about people, tools and materials … What about people skills? What about equipments and tools capabilities? SCORE (Present) SCORE (Causes) Logical Levels (Environment and Behavior) SCORE (Outcomes) SCORE (Resources) Logical Levels (Capabilities)

A Project Story Tell me about your FUTURE business environment and process … Where, when and with whom do you EXPECT to run your business? What about process outputs and inputs in that future? How will you plan your activities in that future? What about controlling your process by this way? Tell me about your TARGET efficiency and effectiveness … New capabilities? Better productivity? More velocity? Less failures? Tell me about EXPECTED people, tools and materials … New skills? New people? New equipments? New product software or maintenance? Tell me about RECOGNITION … Return of Investment (ROI)? Do the results fit the ecology of the surrounding environment? Who, where, when and what? How much? Why? How will you do that? SCORE (Future) Logical Levels (Environment and Behavior) SCORE (Outcomes) SCORE (Effects) SCORE (Resources) Logical Levels (Capabilities)

A Project Story This is what we need to start the project … A1 A2 A4 A5 I1 I2 S1 S2 O1 O2 T1 T2 A3  Pre-Requirements (Setups) M1 M2 C1 C2 PROJECT Execution Conditions (Policies) Alternative Solutions Potential Risks This is what we consider to run the project … This is what we consider as project threats and impediments … This is what can be done if we face that problem …

A Project Story System A System B Enterprise Service Bus (ESB/SOA) A new web application with 3 modules: Customers, Accounts and Reports A new set of services (< 4) integrating systems A and B A new set of services (< 4) providing financial information to the ESB Java, Struts, PostgreSQL SOA via Web Services Check attached prototype for GUI 4 6 1 2 1 1 4 6 Where? What? Why? How much? How? SOFTWARE PRODUCT SCOPE (Medium Level) Who and When? PROJECT PLAN (High Level) Similar to the services provided to System C Similar to the integration between System B and C

A Project Story Scrum Master Developer To lead the technical team and run business analysis Team members to develop System A 1 3 5.000,00 2.500,00 5.000,00 7.500,00 14.100,00 Computers For the technical team 4 1.000,00 4.000,00 Designer To conceive and prototype a GUI 1 3.000,00 3.000,00 10.000,00 Server Repository, Continuous Integration, V&V 1 3.000,00 3.000,00 System A is the critical path (4months) 66.400,00 94.600,00 Developer Team member to implement services in System B 16h 40,00 640,00 Developer Team member to implement services in ESB 16h 60,00 960,00 System A is the critical path (6months) A Unique Team Proportional to the project duration. costs X 4 months X 6 months

How can I detail a Software Product Scope?

Software Product Scope Business Process Activity #1 Activity #2 Activity #3 Activity #4 Activity #5 Activity #6 Activity #7 Activity #8 Activity #10 Activity #11 Activity #12 Activity #13 Activity #14 Activity #15 “ Tell me about your activities and I’ll understand your User Stories”

Software Product Scope Activities performed every day by the Sales Manager who plans and controls the whole sales team. Based on daily data received from each team member (by PDA´s), the Sales Manager checks goals and results of the sales group and each individual person. Statistical reports (graphs and tables) are the main tools used by the Manager in a web based Sales Management System. Pre-Sales request Customer product Customer Sales Manager Sales Mgmt. System Sales Person Sales Planning Sales Post-Sales Sales Control Sales Planning and Control Data from PDA Individual reports Team reports General Statistics (Graphs)

Software Product Scope Sales Manager Homer Simpson He is responsible for quarterly team revenue goals, as well as weekly activity goals for each sales rep. Personality Type A He’s moderately computer savvy. He uses our software every day. To make faster decisions To get appropriate data To have well designed reports Who? What? How? Why?

Software Product Scope Sales Manager A report to check sales growth by month I can take a decision about initiatives to be done by my team I need an A4 format report containing: Products, Salesman, Total Sales, and filters to Region, Product and Salesman AJAX Use attached prototype 3 Sales Management System - Reports Application SALES PLANNING AND CONTROL A1 A2 A4 A5 I1 I2 S1 S2 O1 O2 T1 T2 A3 M1 M2 C1 C2 BUSINESS PROCESS

Software Product Scope Project Story Project Identification Present Scenario Desired Scenario Critical Success Factors Product Scope Cost Estimates Business Theme #3 Business Theme #2 User Story #3 User Story #2 User Story #1 Project Scope Process Scope Business Theme #1

Conclusions Projects addressed in a superficial way could be called " first-order problem-solving projects ”. That is, they work around the problem to accomplish immediate objectives, but do not address the root causes or core assumptions of the real problem. This is time consuming and can result in poor software products. The process view of a business environment can show the main pieces of our project puzzle, acting as a seed for the thinking process. The LLLC and S.C.O.R.E. Models are strong to be considered in a software project when we recognize changes in a business environment. 5W2H gives us some directions about what have to be considered when we analyze the main project questions. The A3 Problem-Solving Process helps people to engage in a collaborative, in-depth problem-solving technique. A Project Story template can effectively guide team members through the discovery of a real project scope. User Stories are well considered in terms of Themes .

Thanks and enjoy your project! Luiz Cláudio Parzianello [email_address]

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