How to have a conversation

To quote Mike Cohn, stories 'serve as placeholders for conversations.'

Despite this being a well known idea, everyone has had at least one experience of a badly defined story leading to the wrong thing being built.

In this workshop I will give you a framework to make those placeholders become conversations that are learning experiences that lead to great features.

We will cover running refinement sessions using the Three Amigos style:
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Starting with a description of that that is anyway (Gotta start somewhere).
Lightweight psychology of people in teams (Amigos means friends, how do you get to that).
Activities to keep your refinement sessions fresh (there are three quizillion retro formats, why should retros be the only fun thing?)
How to feed that outcome back into your backlog. (We've learned something - and we need it to stay learned).

We'll be trying out some of the activities, and (time dependant) we will run a fish bowl on your specific problems.

Transcript

1. armakuni.com How to have a conversation Billie Thompson
2. Introductions 2 • Billie Thompson • Developer • Fav. Animal Capybara PurpleBooth ArmakuniHQ Getting to know you, Getting to know all about you
4. We’ve worked with these people 4
5. 5 Return creativity & joy to the world of software engineering
6. 6 Let’s play a game! The Agile Mexican Wave Todo Done In Progress Story 4 Story 3 Story 1 Story 2
7. 7 Let’s play a game! The Agile Mexican Wave Todo In Progress Done Todo
8. Let’s play a game! The Agile Mexican Wave 8 Todo Done In Progress
9. 9 Todays Menu • Back to basics • Psychology • Supporting the right story You will read this bit of text last
10. 10 Back to basics: What is a story?
11. 11 User stories [...] serve as placeholders for conversations about the users’ detailed needs. Mike Cohn Advantages of User Stories for Requirements
12. 12 User stories start the process by writing down just two pieces of information: each goal to be satisfied by the system and the rough cost of satisfying that goal. Kent Beck User Stories Applied Foreword
13. 13 Every story must provide the customer with identifiable business value. This rule helps the customer to invest time and resources in the stories that matter. chromatic Extreme Programming Pocket Guide Photo: David H. Adler - https://www.flickr.com/photos/ptmpsiat/323303029/
14. 14 Concurrent development makes it possible to delay commitment until the last responsible moment, that is, the moment at which failing to make a decision eliminates an important alternative. Mary Poppendieck Lean Software Development
15. 15 ✨ Three Amigos! ✨
16. 16 How do we wait till the last responsible moment?
17. 17 How do we decide what to do in a Hypothesis Driven, High Autonomy Team?
18. 18 How we engage enough people to reduce bus factor?
19. 19 How can we improve the effectiveness of our team?
20. 20 ✨ Three Amigos! ✨
21. It’s a conversation 21 Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project
25. 25 Planning or IPM Oh that boring one I don’t go to?
27. 27 Automated Test Run
29. 29 Automated Test Run
31. 31 Automated Test Run
32. 32 Feature Delivered
33. 33 Retro
34. 34 Three Amigos Shorter meetings? Sign me up!
39. 39 DEVELOPER What my coworkers think I do What my mom thinks I do What my boss thinks I do What I think I do What society thinks I do What I actually do
40. 40 TESTER What my coworkers think I do What my mom thinks I do What my boss thinks I do What I think I do What society thinks I do What I actually do
41. 41 PRODUCT OWNER What my coworkers think I do What my mom thinks I do What my boss thinks I do What I think I do What society thinks I do What I actually do
42. 42 You are not your job, you're not how much money you have in the bank. You are not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You are not your fucking khakis. Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
43. 43 Set the stage for a good meeting
44. 44 Try to pose for yourself this task: not to think of a polar bear, and you will see that the cursed thing will come to mind every minute. Fyodor Dostoevsky, Winter Notes on Summer Impressions, 1863
45. 45 ➰ Iterate ➰
46. armakuni.com Agile Scotland Edinburgh - December 2019 Zenon Hannick & Craig Fotheringham How to be an Evil Scientist
47. The individual 47 It allows people individually to be happy
48. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17173201 48 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17173201
49. 49 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-determination_theory Autonomy Competence Relatedness
50. 50 You are not your fucking khakis. Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
53. The team 53 It allows teams to be high performing
54. 54 https://rework.withgoogle.com/guides/understanding-team-effectiveness/steps/identify-dynamics-of-effective-teams/
55. 55 awful eye feeble seed prefer tasteful quizzical silky jazzy bleach hateful women grape rely filthy writer
56. 56 What was on the previous slide?
57. 57 awful eye feeble seed prefer tasteful quizzical silky jazzy bleach hateful women grape rely filthy writer
58. 58 A Trainable Spaced Repetition Model for Language Learning
59. 59 A Trainable Spaced Repetition Model for Language Learning
60. 60 We’re training
61. 61 We’re training to think alike
64. 64 The Blueprint Like
65. 65 Example Mapping
67. Would you rather break your arm or your leg? 67
68. Compliment the person sitting next to you! 68
69. Let’s play a game! The Agile Mexican Wave 69 Todo Done In Progress
70. Example Mapping Story Rule Rule Rule Question Question Question Example Example Example Example Example 70
71. Story Example Mapping Rule Rule Rule Question Question Question Example Example Example Example Example 71
72. Story Example Mapping Rule Rule Rule Question Question Question Example Example Example Example Example 72
73. Story Example Mapping Question Question Question Example Example Example Example Example 73
74. Example Mapping Story Rule Rule Rule Question Question Question Example Example Example Example Example 74
75. Example Mapping Story Rule Rule Rule Question Question Question 75
76. Example Mapping Story Rule Rule Rule Question Question Question Example Example Example Example Example 76
77. Example Mapping Story Rule Rule Rule Example Example Example Example Example 77
78. Example Mapping 78 Gather in a circle and start counting...
79. Example Mapping Divisible by 3, shout Fizz Divisible by 5, shout Buzz What if it’s divisible by 5 and 3? 79 Gather in a circle and start counting...
80. Example Mapping Divisible by 3, shout Fizz Divisible by 5, shout Buzz What if it’s divisible by 5 and 3? What is the range of numbers? 1-100? My number is 6 => “Fizz” My number is 5 => “Buzz” 10 => “Buzz” 80 Gather in a circle and start counting...
81. Example Mapping Not Divisible By 5 or 3 Divisible by 3, shout Fizz Divisible by 5, shout Buzz What if it’s divisible by 5 and 3? What is the range of numbers? 1-100? My number is 1 => shout “1” My number is 6 => “Fizz” My number is 5 => “Buzz” My number is 2 => shout “2” 10 => “Buzz” 81 Gather in a circle and start counting...
82. Example Mapping Not Divisible By 5 or 3 Divisible by 3, shout Fizz Divisible by 5, shout Buzz What if it’s divisible by 5 and 3? What is the range of numbers? 1-100? If lose count? Or make a mistake? My number is 1 => shout “1” My number is 6 => “Fizz” My number is 5 => “Buzz” My number is 2 => shout “2” 10 => “Buzz” 82 Gather in a circle and start counting...
84. 84 In one word, describe how you feel about this meeting?
86. 86 Ice Breaker Ask everyone in the group a silly question!
87. 87 Example Mapping You work at a publishing house, and revenues are falling, as is circulation. Lots of people are reading your website though...
88. 88 Checkout Get feedback (It’s not just for Retros)
89. 89 Invent your own damn session!
90. 90 Invent your own damn session Yes and...
91. 91 Today I learned hopefully something I will test that by doing something I will know it works for me when measure shows change in reading
92. armakuni.com Thank you! Billie Thompson