Agile & DevOps Discovery & Current State Assessment by Doing
Actions over words breaks consultant fatigue to build trust and momentum. Allowing the University of Newcastle to embrace a new beginning.
The Context
The university’s IT leaders knew they needed to adopt Agile & DevOps and wanted to know how to go about that. They asked us to help them understand their current state, what was possible, and some steps they could take to realise that potential.
The Problem
The University had consultant fatigue, staff weren't engaging. A different approach was required where our actions would speak louder than our words. The university would only adopt the ideas of customer-focus, iteration and collaboration if they could seem them first hand. We set out to embody Agile & DevOps values at every step.
The Value
At the final showcase, the university sponsors stressed the impact of the approach. In just six weeks, they could already see people talking and acting in new ways. They recognised that adopting Agile & DevOps was a journey that they needed to take in an Agile & DevOps way. They said they had been so involved in the preparation of the report that it felt like their report to themselves.
| What we did | Incremental Value |
|---|---|
| Weekly showcases | The team showcased an MVP of their report in their first week. They iterated the report based on feedback and showcased progress every week. |
| Shared models, collateral and tools | The team shared the Agile & DevOps framework, their Governance model for COTS and SaaS and automation exemplars. |
| Collaborative documentation | The team edited all interview and workshop notes in collaboration with participants. They outlined their report visibly on a wall. |
| Started a centre of excellence | By linking the Agile & DevOps enthusiasts with each other and outside communities, the team started a new network and knowledge-sharing. |
| Drop-in conversations | The team kept their door open for ad hoc conversations about how Agile & DevOps could work for the client. |
| Mini-workshops | In workshops like Governance and delivery have a friendly chat, the team involved the client in new agreements for iterative delivery of value. |
| Innovation incubator | Around 25 people formed teams to pitch for executive support to work on four-week experiments to Agile & DevOps ways of working. |