Speaker: George Schlitz

Presentation Title: Mapping the Agile Enablement Battlefield

Track: Advancing Agility

Presentation Time: 1:30pm
Duration: 90 minutes

Presentation Description

The first presentation on this topic was presented by Giora Morein and George Schlitz at the Spring 2008 Scrum Gathering in Chicago. It was extremely well received and generated much debate and discussion. The presentation introduces a technique for mapping external forces and influences acting directly and indirectly on an Agile project in order to determine potential hazards and risks that need to be proactively addressed. The presentation comprises of five primary sections.

1. Change is Challenging - this is a brief overview of the challenges and pitfalls associated with attempting to introduce change into an organization - especially a change that is typically perceived to be as radical as Agile.

2. The Military Metaphor - an introduction to the military battlefield metaphor and specifically that of the project perimeter.

3. Battle-mapping Tool - a step-by-step introduction to a simple diagramming technique for mapping direct and indirect influencers on a project perimeter. These may be positive or negative, strong or weak etc. The diagrams can be paper-based or can make use of drawing tools such as those found in MS Visio, PowerPoint or similar tools. Participants will use the technique to develop an initial map of their own engagements..

4. Patterns and Early Warning Signals - an introduction to a library of common patterns that the change-agent should know and take advantage of based on the instructors years of practical experience introducing Agile to various organizations.

5. Response Strategy - a guide for analyzing, evaluating and responding to the battle-map. Participants will assess their own maps and determine a strategy that can be implemented when they return to their workplace.