Agility in CCSQ - Agile Plays for CCSQ

In order to serve the American people successfully, the government needs to work differently than it has, historically. Using values, principles, frameworks, and playbooks from successful organizations, here are 9 "plays" that CCSQ uses to deliver value.

Be Agile

By now, most people have heard of "Agile", but what does it really mean? At the core is the Agile Manifesto, a collection of 4 values and 12 principles to guide decisions and process for creating value. Visit the Agile Manifesto ¹ to learn more. The bottom line is, break your work down into the smallest unit of value you can identify, build it (build it well ⁴), release it, and get feedback. There are many Agile resources available to the government. Contractors ⁵ have developers, testers, Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Agile Coaches, HCD experts, etc. on staff and they WANT to help the government improve and deliver the value to the American constituent, ASAP. The United States Federal Government is dedicated to Agile and creating and delivering value. It has created the United States Digital Service ², which has created a playbook ³ for software development.

Utilize the LACE

The Lean Agile Center of Excellence (LACE) team offers three core services: Program and Product Delivery Acceleration, Continuous Learning and Innovation Support, and Enterprise Maturity and Performance. These services can help programs in various ways:

• Program and Product Delivery Acceleration service can help speed up delivery and improve efficiency
• Continuous Learning and Innovation Support service provides the necessary tools and resources to stay current and innovative
• Enterprise Maturity and Performance service helps achieve optimal performance and maturity

Together, these three service categories can help your program to achieve its goals, improve its performance and deliver unparalleled value. Let us help you take your program to the next level with our comprehensive service offerings.

Visit our our What is Lace? page to learn more.

References:

1 - The Agile Manifesto https://agilemanifesto.org/

2 - United States Digital Service https://www.usds.gov/

3 - USDS Digital Playbook https://playbook.cio.gov/

4 - USDS Digital Playbook - Play #4 (Build the service using agile and iterative practices) https://playbook.cio.gov/#play4

5 - USDS Digital Playbook - Play #5 (Structure budgets and contracts to support delivery) https://playbook.cio.gov/#play5

Understand The Value

In order to serve the American people successfully, the government needs to work differently than it has, historically. Using values, principles, frameworks, and playbooks from successful organizations, here are 9 "plays" that CCSQ uses to deliver value.

Too often, humans want to jump immediately to the "solution." Without a clear understanding of the problem ¹, the chances that the solution does not actually solve anything is increased. Agility requires a thorough understanding of the problem. Take these 4 steps to understand the value:

Identify your customers

Go out and find the customers ³ that have the problems that need to be solved. Using Human Centered Design ⁶ (HCD ⁵) techniques, gather JUST ENOUGH information to drive the Mission and Vision ² and build your first iteration of the solution. Don't spend too long on this. The needs of the customer change, so get the value into their hands as soon as possible so you can get the feedback necessary to iterate the solution to make it more valuable for them.

Develop mission and vision statement

Without a clear articulation of the mission and vision, only a small group, or individual, will have clear understanding. To widen the understanding, write down your Mission and Vision ² in simple language. Communicate your Mission and Vision and get feedback about their understanding. Refine the Mission and Vision ² until is understandable by the majority of stakeholders, customers, contractors, etc.

Create a Value Stream Map

Value doesn't just appear. It takes work to deliver it. Creating a visual map ⁴ of the flow of value in your organization brings clarity to everyone on how it gets done today, and how you want to get it done in the future.

Spend the necessary amount of time with the necessary people to create a value stream map (VSM ⁴). Revisit the VSM every few months and make updates based on the new reality.

Create a Backlog

Capturing what to work on and in what order is critical to delivering value to the customer. Start with a backlog. On the program level, this can be Epics ⁷ and Features ⁸. These are larger sized items that describe functionality for users that bring value. On a smaller level we have the Product Backlog ⁹, or Team Backlog ¹⁰. The items in this are parts of Epics and Features that can be developed and released independently, but alone do not solve all of a customer's problem.

The items in the various backlogs describe the desired value and how to measure success. This value is from the customer's point of view. Simply, this means that technical tasks alone are not valuable to customers. End-to-end development is needed to bring the value to the customer to solve problems. The items on the Team Backlog usually take the form of User Stories ¹¹.

References:

1 - USDS Digital Playbook - Play #1 (Understand what people need) https://playbook.cio.gov/#play1

2 - Scaled Agile Framework - Vision https://www.scaledagileframework.com/vision/

3 - Scaled Agile Framework - Customer Centricity https://www.scaledagileframework.com/customer-centricity/

4 - Scaled Agile Framework - Operational Value Streams https://www.scaledagileframework.com/operational-value-streams/

5 - Scaled Agile Framework - Design Thinking https://www.scaledagileframework.com/design-thinking/

6 - USDS Digital Playbook - Play #3 (Make it simple and intuitive) https://playbook.cio.gov/#play3

7 - Scaled Agile Framework - Portfolio Backlogs https://www.scaledagileframework.com/portfolio-backlog/

8 - Scaled Agile Framework - Program and Solution Backlogs https://www.scaledagileframework.com/program-and-solution-backlogs/

9 - Scrum Guide - Product Backlog https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html#product-backlog

10 - Scaled Agile Framework - Team Backlog https://www.scaledagileframework.com/team-backlog/

11 - Scaled Agile Framework - Story https://www.scaledagileframework.com/story/

Organize The People

People get the work done. They solve the problems. Automation ¹ (through computers or some other machines) repeats tasks.

Bring the people to the work ², not the work to the people. Simply put, get the right people involved for the minimum amount of time to accomplish value delivery. Whether short-term or long-lived, nothing gets done without the people, and nothing gets done well without the right people.

Organization of the people can take many forms, but we recommend a few simple, proven frameworks. (Scrum ³ and Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) ⁴, specifically.)

The Team

The team ⁵ is a small group of people that have all the skills necessary to create value. If there were only 7-10 people that you could hire, who would they be? Developers, testers, DevOps engineers, UX experts, technical writers, etc. may be needed to create the value. If you had a team of just DevOps engineers then you would have a difficult time writing web pages and mobile apps, it would probably be of lower quality without testers, it would probably be hard to use without UX experts, and you might have trouble creating readable, useful documentation without technical writers.

Remember, bring the people to the work.

Team of Teams

Now that you have your cross-functional team, scale that out to 8-10 teams. Again, every single team is cross-functional, as if it were the only team you had. When you have multiple teams you must coordinate these teams to plan together for the medium term and along the way they will continuously synchronize on progress and deliverables.

Proven Frameworks

In order to achieve the Team and Team of Teams organization, CCSQ uses two proven frameworks that promote agility, Scrum ³ and Scaled Agile Framework SAFe ⁴.

Scrum ³ is on the team level. It has processes and practices for building a team ⁸ and helping that team execute through a set of standard events that happen on a regular cadence. Check out the Scrum Guide ⁴, it's only 20 pages.

SAFe ⁴ takes the framework of Scrum ³ and scales it to multiple teams at the Program level. Through a regular cadence of events ³, the teams coordinate and align on the value delivery. While the SAFe ⁴ guide is longer than the Scrum Guide ³, it is relatively lightweight, given the fact it is for organizing 75-150 people in value delivery. This Team of Teams is called an Agile Release Train (ART) ⁶, in the SAFe ⁴ vernacular.

There are skilled coaches ⁵ and experienced contractors ² that will help a government program on both the team and program level for becoming more Agile over time.

References:

1 - USDS Digital Playbook - Play #10 (Automate testing and deployments) https://playbook.cio.gov/#play10

2 - USDS Digital Playbook - Play #7 (Bring in experienced teams) https://playbook.cio.gov/#play7

3 - Scrum Guide https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html

4 - Scaled Agile Framework https://www.scaledagileframework.com/

5 - Scaled Agile Framework - SAFe Program Consultant https://www.scaledagileframework.com/safe-program-consultant/

6 - Scaled Agile Framework - Agile Release Train https://www.scaledagileframework.com/agile-release-train/

7 - Scaled Agile Framework - Program Increment https://www.scaledagileframework.com/program-increment/

8 - Scrum Guide - Scrum Team https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html#scrum-team 

Figure Out How To Work

You've identified your customers ⁵, you've identified the problems ¹ you are trying to solve and created a value stream map ¹⁷, and you've gathered the right people and organized them into teams. Now you have to get to work!

We've already mentioned Scrum ² and SAFe ³. Let's use these frameworks to help guide us in our day-to-day work to create that value 6 and get it out the door to the customers.

Scrum at the Team Level

Scrum ² works in a short cycle called an Iteration ⁴, generally two weeks, with a defined set of events that happen at regular times in that timebox. Planning 7, Daily Stand Up 8, Review 9, Retrospective 10, and Refinement. That's it. In a given two week period, developers ¹⁸ shouldn't have many, or any, "extra" meetings. Focus time is important, and we want to give the developers ¹⁸ (the folks that get the work done) the uninterrupted time to do their best work.

Scaled Agile at the Program Level

Taking the Scrum framework, we have to scale it at the Program Level. The 5 ceremonies described at the Team Level in Scrum can be applied to the Program Level. (Reminder that the Team of Teams at the Program Level is called an Agile Release Train (ART) ¹¹). However, the timebox for the Program is longer than two weeks. Generally, the Program operates in a Program Increment (PI) 12 that is 8-12 weeks. During that medium term timebox, we will have similar events. PI Planning, ART Sync, System Demos, and PI Retrospective are all included that bring together the right people from the teams.

Cadence

Cadence ¹³ is an important part of process success. Because of the context switching costs between topics, we want to limit it to the absolute necessary. Extra meetings and "quick" questions are disruptive to knowledge workers. If the question can wait until a normally scheduled event, then hold onto it and add it to the agenda.

Focus Time

As mentioned in Cadence ¹³, interruptions are disruptive to knowledge workers. Allowing our teams to have focus time to get the work done will go a long way to helping success.

Social Contracts

Getting a group of people, large or small, to work together successfully is not an easy endeavor. Social Contracts go a long way to helping with this. Establishing, and updating, Working Agreements (rules of engagement) and Definitions of Done ¹⁴ (success criteria), are invaluable. Spend the time to create them at the team level, the program level, and even for temporary projects. Revisit them, as needed, to meet the changing needs of the groups and individuals involved. Your future self will thank your past self for this.

Servant Leadership

Leaders in the Program must respect ¹⁵ the people doing the work. Not scheduling interruptions during focus time, removing impediments, and generally working for the people in your charge will yield better results than a traditional "command and control" techniques.

Being a leader of knowledge workers means you will know less about how to get the work done than the people doing the work.

"Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done." - Agile Manifest Principle #5 ¹⁶

Self Organization

Yes, we like cadence to establish a working rhythm. We like social contracts to establish the rules of engagement and success criteria. But this is not necessarily prescriptive of every aspect of the individual teams and the ART ¹¹. We want to make sure the experts doing the work have the freedom and flexibility to do the work in the best way they see fit. We establish cadence and other minimal constraints to encourage transparency and collaboration, but give the teams and ART ¹¹ flexibility to complete the tasks. It works. If you trust your people, they will deliver.

"The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams." - Agile Manifest Principle #11 ¹⁶

References:

1 - USDS Digital Playbook - Play #1 (Understand what people need) https://playbook.cio.gov/#play1

2 - Scrum Guide https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html

3 - Scaled Agile Framework https://www.scaledagileframework.com/

4 - Scrum Guide - The Sprint https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html#the-sprint

5 - Scaled Agile Framework - Customer Centricity https://www.scaledagileframework.com/customer-centricity/

6 - USDS Digital Playbook - Play #4 (Build the service using agile and iterative practices) https://playbook.cio.gov/#play4

7 - Scrum Guide - Sprint Planning https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html#sprint-planning

8 - Scrum Guide - Daily Scrum https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html#daily-scrum

9 - Scrum Guide - Sprint Review https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html#sprint-review

10 - Scrum Guide - Sprint Retrospective https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html#sprint-retrospective

11 - Scaled Agile Framework - Agile Release Train https://playbook.cio.gov/#play1

12 - Scaled Agile Framework - Program Increment https://www.scaledagileframework.com/program-increment/

13 - Scaled Agile Framework - Principle #7 Apply cadence, synchronize with cross-domain planning https://www.scaledagileframework.com/apply-cadence-synchronize-with-cross-domain-planning/

14 - Scrum Guide - Increment https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html#increment

15 - Scaled Agile Framework - Lean-Agile Mindset https://www.scaledagileframework.com/lean-agile-mindset/

16 - Agile Manifesto - Principles https://agilemanifesto.org/principles.html

17 - Scaled Agile Framework - Operational Value Streams https://www.scaledagileframework.com/operational-value-streams/

18 - Scrum Guide - Developers https://playbook.cio.gov/#play1https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html#developers 

Deliver Something Of Value

In order to serve the American people successfully, the government needs to work differently than it has, historically. Using values, principles, frameworks, and playbooks from successful organizations, here are 9 "plays" that CCSQ uses to deliver value.

Don't forget the reason we're here. To solve customer problems. That requires, unequivocally, to deliver something to the customer, in - production ¹. Prototypes, mock-ups, proposals, etc. can be useful, but they will never replace customer feedback from use in a production environment. Period. End of story.

Working Software

All the documentation in the world about what you want to create is irrelevant in the face of the actual software.

Working software is the primary measure of progress." - Agile Manifest Principle #2 ²

Demos

How do we know if the software works? First, we can demo it to key stakeholders and, hopefully, customers. There are demos ⁵ at the Team Level at the end of an iteration. There are also System Demos ⁶ at the Program Level. These are the first opportunities to get the critical and valuable feedback on the working software. If the teams don't have anything to show, they haven't delivered. If the customers and stakeholders don't attend the demos, they are telling the teams that their work is not valuable. Demos are important, everyone needs to be ready and present.

DevOps

The technical challenges for creating complex systems ⁴ that solve complex problems are often unknown. Using proven technical practices for organizing work, automation of mundane, repeatable tasks, collecting metrics, stabilizing operating environments, and evaluating feedback are addressed in a modern discipline called DevOps ³. DevOps ³ is an investment. (Servant) Leadership ⁷ needs to be committed to the work that supports the work in time, money, and people allocation, or else there is a higher risk of failure and errors.

"Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software." - Agile Manifest Principle #1 ²

Customer Feedback

We said it before, customers can only give true feedback on software released and available in a production environment. Release the software, let the customers use it, and take their feedback seriously. That probably means changing the plan. That's OK. Would you rather execute a long, detailed plan that doesn't solve customer problems, or respond to the feedback in short feedback loops and deliver value?

"Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage." - Agile Manifest Principle #2 ²

"Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale." - Agile Manifest Principle #3 ²

References:

1 - USDS Digital Playbook - Play #4 (Build the service using agile and iterative practices) https://playbook.cio.gov/#play4

2 - Agile Manifesto - Principles https://agilemanifesto.org/principles.html

3 - Scaled Agile Framework - DevOps https://www.scaledagileframework.com/devops/

4 - USDS Digital Playbook - Play #8 (Choose a modern technology stack) https://playbook.cio.gov/#play8

5 - Scrum Guide - Sprint Review https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html#sprint-review

6 - Scaled Agile Framework - System Demo https://www.scaledagileframework.com/system-demo/

7 - CCSQ Agile Playbook - Figure Out How To Work (Servant Leadership) https://qnetconfluence.cms.gov/display/LACE/Figure+Out+How+To+Work

Measure Everything

Collect Metrics

User Value/Customer Satisfaction

DevOps

References:

Be Open

If you bring information to light, you will get more support.

Transparency with Metrics

Open Demos to Everyone

References:

Support The Program

We're all in this together. We know that everyone wants to help in their own way, but we unintentionally let things get in the way of that. It's not our fault, but we have to deliberately change the way we work to become supportive.

Servant Leadership

It all starts at the top. Leaders ¹, especially leaders of knowledge workers, need to be servants to the people doing the work. This doesn't mean the people in your charge tell you what to do. It means you find out what is getting in their way and you work to remove it. Too many meetings interrupting focus time? At least don't schedule another meeting, at most find out if those meetings are more important than doing the work and figure out how to remove them. Don't have the hardware resources to do proper testing? Figure out how to get the proper resources so the developers and testers can do their job.

Servant leadership also means you are excited about the work being created. Show up to demos ². It's that simple. There shouldn't be anything more important than seeing the work your program and teams are producing.

Here ³ is a great video ³ on servant leadership. It's only 8 minutes long.

Release Train Engineer

The Release Train Engineer (RTE) ⁴ is a dedicated position to servant leadership within the ART ⁸. This person's entire day-to-day is consumed with impediment removal and ART ⁸ execution and improvement. That is a powerful ally to have in your program.

Agile Coaches/LACE

The Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE ⁵) is a group of Agile Coaches 6 that are dedicated to impediment removal and improvement of your program. They are different than the RTE 4, in that they have a wholistic view ⁷ of the program beyond execution. They do not supplant the RTE ⁴, they enhance the RTE ⁴ and program leadership ¹. This is another powerful ally at your disposal.

References:

1 - Scaled Agile Framework - Program and Solution Management https://www.scaledagileframework.com/product-and-solution-management/

2 - Scaled Agile Framework - System Demo https://www.scaledagileframework.com/system-demo/

3 - YouTube - Leadership on a Submarine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYXH2XUfhfo

4 - Scaled Agile Framework - Release Train Engineer https://www.scaledagileframework.com/release-train-engineer-and-solution-train-engineer/

5 - Scaled Agile Framework - LACE https://www.scaledagileframework.com/lace/

6 - Scaled Agile Framework - SAFe Program Consultant https://www.scaledagileframework.com/safe-program-consultant/

7 - Scaled Agile Framework - Principle #2 Apply Systems Thinking https://www.scaledagileframework.com/apply-systems-thinking/

Agility in CCSQ - Agile Plays for CCSQ

The bottom line is that there is always room for improvement. This isn't a bad thing. This doesn't mean you have failed. Recognizing, and acting on, the need for improvement is critical to long term success.

Don't Stop Improving

You will always find something to improve on ¹. This requires that you have regular retrospectives to bring to light the items that need improvement. Build time for retrospective events into your cadence. Team level ² and program level ³ retrospectives are critical to success. Adopt a culture of improvement ⁴, from the top down, to encourage everyone in the ART to improve.

"At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly." - Agile Principle #12 ⁵

Make Decisions Based on Metrics

What do you work on? The thing that is creating the biggest problem. You find this out by collecting and analyzing metrics ⁵. Economic decisions ⁷ are usually the best decisions ⁸.

Knee-jerk reactions to in the moment situations rarely have long term benefits. Pick the most important thing and work on that. If you try to improve everything at once you will probably fail. Find the biggest pain point or the most valuable item and work on that. Get it to a state that you can live with and work on something else.

References:

1 - Scaled Agile Framework - Lean-Agile Mindset https://www.scaledagileframework.com/lean-agile-mindset/

2 - Scrum Guide - Sprint Retrospective https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html#sprint-retrospective

3 - Scaled Agile Framework - Inspect and Adapt https://www.scaledagileframework.com/inspect-and-adapt/

4 - Scaled Agile Framework - Continuous Learning Culture https://www.scaledagileframework.com/continuous-learning-culture/

5 - Agile Manifesto Principles https://agilemanifesto.org/principles.html

6 - Scaled Agile Framework - Metrics https://www.scaledagileframework.com/metrics/

7 - Scaled Agile Framework - Principle #1 Take an Economic View https://www.scaledagileframework.com/take-an-economic-view/

8 - USDS Digital Playbook - Play #12 (Use data to drive decisions) https://playbook.cio.gov/#play12

Where Do I Go From Here?

The nine plays described are the foundation for Agile adoption and transformation based on the historically proven practices of the Agile Manifesto ¹, Scrum ², SAFe ³, and USDS Digital Playbook ⁴.

Take some time to research and learn about these resources. There are many trainings offered by the LACE ¹⁶, formal ¹⁴ and informal, to improve your knowledge and understanding. Engage with organizations ⁵ that hold these practices and principles in high value to have the Agile Coaches ⁶, RTEs ⁷, team members ⁸, and product managers ¹⁰ in place ⁹ to deliver value to the American constituent. Create a culture ¹² of change for the better through Inspect and Adapt.

Commit to being a responsible steward ¹⁵ of taxpayer dollars and enhancement of American lives and act on it.

Learning Journey

If you are intimidated by this, don't be. We are all on a learning journey. Most of us are novices in any given area. Martin Fowler, an original signatory of the Agile Manifesto ¹, summarizes learning stages as Shu-Ha-Ri ¹³. We are probably in Shu, the novice stage.

Throughout the playbook, you will see the Learning Opportunity icon. Clicking this icon will take you to the relevant LACE training resource for the topic.

LACE Coaching Support

The Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE) is a resource of experienced Agilists that are available to coach people and programs within the CCSQ organization. Our team offers a wide variety of support options to help your Program. Please visit our home page to learn more.

Reference Material

The referenced material in these plays are just scratching the surface. The problems we are solving are complex. But the plays described are the starting point for, and guide the success of, an Agile transformation. Every decision should be weighed against the appropriate play(s) and the outcome should be in support of the play(s). 

CCSQ Agility Practices Guide:

• Overview
• Agile Roles
• Meetings
• Artifacts
• Reference
• Toolkit

CCSQ ADO Onboarding Guide: Click here

References:

1 - Agile Manifesto https://agilemanifesto.org/

2 - Scrum Guide https://scrumguides.org/

3 - Scaled Agile Framework https://www.scaledagileframework.com/

4 - USDS Digital Playbook https://playbook.cio.gov/

5 - USDS Digital Playbook - Play #5 (Structure budgets and contracts to support delivery) https://playbook.cio.gov/#play5"

6 - Scaled Agile Framework - SAFe Program Consultant https://www.scaledagileframework.com/safe-program-consultant/

7 - Scaled Agile Framework - Release Train Engineer https://www.scaledagileframework.com/release-train-engineer-and-solution-train-engineer/

8 - Scaled Agile Framework - Agile Teams https://www.scaledagileframework.com/agile-teams/

9 - USDS Digital Playbook - Play #7 (Bring in experienced teams) https://playbook.cio.gov/#play7

10 - Scaled Agile Framework - Product Management and Solution Management https://www.scaledagileframework.com/product-and-solution-management/

11 - Agility in CCSQ https://qnetconfluence.cms.gov/display/LACE/Agility+in+CCSQ

12 - Scaled Agile Framework - Continuous Learning Culture https://www.scaledagileframework.com/continuous-learning-culture/

13 - Martin Fowler - Shu-Ha-Ri https://martinfowler.com/bliki/ShuHaRi.html

14 - LACE Training - Upcoming Events

15 - USDS Digital Playbook - Play #6 (Assign one leader and hold that person accountable) https://playbook.cio.gov/#play6

16 - LACE Training - Learning Hub