The Declaration of Interdependence describes 6 behaviors of an agile project:
- We increase return on investment by making continuous flow of value our focus.
- We deliver reliable results by engaging customers in frequent interactions and shared ownership.
- We expect uncertainty and manage for it through iterations, anticipation, and adaptation.
- We unleash creativity and innovation by recognizing that individuals are the ultimate source of value, and creating an environment where they can make a difference.
- We boost performance through group accountability for results and shared responsibility for team effectiveness.
- We improve effectiveness and reliability through situationally specific strategies, processes and practices.
The rub I've always had with these types of manifestos is they having very few if any actionable outcomes. Wonderful even inspirational words, but how do I put them into practice - on the job?
If I'm going to act as an agile project manager, in my efforts here in aerospace as well as at a bio-informatics client deploying Enterprise Services and agile product development, it's time to put some action in the principles of the DoI.
Managing Uncertainty
Let's start with We Expect Uncertainty and manage it through iterations, anticipation and adaption.
The previous post I came across the four types of uncertainty NOT based on technology, features, functions, people or any other assumed risk source. For each of these uncertainty types specific actions can take place.
- Variances comes from small (the definition of small needs to be developed) variances in task durations. This can be modeled using PERT or better a probabilistic schedule risk tool like RISK+. The variance from plan will cause a shift in the critical path resulting in adjustments to plan as part of the normal project management process. These changes to plan can be managed through a schedule change request (SCR). The SCR defines what the change is requested, its impact on schedule, cost and risk, and the resulting new cost and schedule. When the planned delivery date for Test and Launch Operations gets within 10 days and the test articles are not ready for shipment to the test lab, we'll add ten days to the downstream delivery of the integrated articles.
- Foreseen Uncertainty are identifiable and their outcomes understood. These are side effects types of uncertainty. Changes in the environment of the project. Things that have happened in the past on similar projects or from core knowledge about how the project works in the domain. Contingency plans are the way to address these types of uncertainties. If the local government cancels our access permit to the underground water source, we'll truck water in for making cement.
- Unforeseen Uncertainties cannot be identified during the planning phase of the project. There is no Plan B for these types of uncertainties. These are Unknown Unknowns. These types of uncertainties make Program Managers very nervous, because the problems appear without warning and have unanticipated consequences. Unforeseen uncertainties can be found in projects that are on the edge of technology. Digging in the basement of a nuclear processing building found 2 hidden floors from a long ago fire, that had been covered over. Now we have to excavate these floors and discover what buried wastes are there and remediate them as well. Cost and schedule are out the window, our Plan B now becomes Plan C.
- Chaos on projects exists when even the unforeseen uncertainties are not present. The structure, cost, technical scope, and underlying goals are unstructured. Research or exploration projects are like this. Let's fly to Mars with our little digging machine and turn over some rocks to see what's there. Planning this mission is possible for the technical side of things - getting there, landing, powering up the rover, and establishing communications home. But when we start to drive a bit we encounter not only a strange and hostile world (we planned for that) but a completely unplanned and chaotic set of environmental, technical, and operational events. Continuous replanning, rethinking, reevaluating, rebudgeting, and re-everything is the normal course of this type project.
What does all this means for project managers and the DoI. For the We expect Uncertainty principle it means that planning for uncertainty must take place just like planning for certainty does. The plans come in a variety of forms from submitting a SCR, to turning to Plan B in the Mission Operations Guidebook, to convening a Change Control Board for a new baseline, to assembling a team of scientist and engineers to discover new ways to recover the spacecraft that drove into a ditch.
All all these cases some form of actionable outcome is not only needed but is planned in various degrees of resolution. Even for the upside down rover, there is a plan. The plan is let's get a plan to recover. Managing each type of uncertainty requires specific actions to be taken. Thinking through the actions prior to their need is part of Project Management. Even in the Chaos type projects.
- Managing Variation - starts with touble shooting. Why does the variation exist and how can we put it back into the defined boundaries
- Foreseen uncertainty - idetifies the causal events takes specific actions - rikls mitigation - to deal with the outcomes of the events or someghow avoids the event from having an impact. Disciplined management of the risk and mitigation is the starting point.
- Unforeseen uncertainty - requires an evolving management plan. Making decisions "in the field" at the point of contact is one approach. This of course requires skilled and experienced staff as well as an integrated risk sharing management style, which in trun requires trust and flexibility.
- Chaos - requires even more flexibility and trust. Fine grained iterations are one way to avoid big surprises. Moving the spacecraft a few inches at a time rather than driving yards to a flot spot allows the team to evaluate every small detail of the machine's behavior. Contunous verification of project goals, techncial and operational parameters and feedback from old and new ideas is the raw material for managing chaos projects. Involvement of EVERYONE, top to bottom is the engagement style for these projects as well.
So for the agile PM defining the uncertainty type, the specific actions to be taken in the presence of this uncertainty, the management style, participants, and the expected outcomes must be made visible, actionable and measureable for agility to be maintained.
