AVO Chief

When it comes to software development a lot of companies still use a methodology that has been around for a long time and that is the waterfall method. Before, months or even years went into strict planning of every detail, finalizing requirements, developing the design, then construction and then finally testing only to find out that markets had changed and therefore business requirements had changed and the product’s value was only a fraction of what it should have been and in some cases needed major re-work or even needed to be shelved completely.

For many business today the market moves even more frenetically than ever and therefore strategies need to be far more dynamic. And of course with these challenging economic times for many companies the point may no longer be arbitrary, but may be an absolute matter of survival. So many companies have tried to adopt a new methodology that to some still seems extreme – Agile development.

The key characteristics of this Agile-Scrum development are as follows:

• Short development iterations normally 30 days
• Paired programming (two developers constructing the same piece of code)
• Co-location (all team members sitting close together)
• Daily interaction from business users on functionality being built

The benefit of agile of course is its ability to increase developer efficiency by some 30%. The cons are that it may present a dramatic culture change for some companies both for their IT and business users which at times can lead to adoption failure (approx. 70%).

That is why the AVO method also known as Scrimmaging works for companies who know they need to become more agile but don’t want to deal with the cultural pain points, high initial costs, and low short term returns associated with switching to agile development. Let’s take a look at the pro’s and con’s of traditional waterfall and agile development and how the AVO method helps provide a balance between the two extremes.

We know that in business almost all good ideas need some sort of technology for them to become a reality. But many times when using a waterfall method ideas become cold or lose their value by the time it makes it through the IT process of steering, planning and review committees thus the term “Death by Committee”.

Using the AVO method, software development is no longer accomplished through lengthy projects. Instead, the overall concept of the desired system is defined at a high-level up front so as to provide a general direction and strategy and then the product is developed in short iterations called Script Runs (releases).

The AVO Method is similar to Agile SCRUM but with more flexibility since it can be applied to remote teams.

The key roles of this agile development are as follows:

• The Product Owner, usually the individual who represents the stakeholders, possibly the business owner.
• The AVO “Coach”, acts as facilitator and maintains the AVO processes (in lieu of project manager) at the project level.
• The AVO “Chief, is the C-Level Sponsor that enables conversion to this method and oversees its implementation and management.
• The Script Run Captain, acts as team lead for a specific run.  Captains can be alternated or subbed out to take advantage of specific skill for the next sprint.
• The Players [Team], individual members who form a team or cross-functional group who do the actual analysis, design, implementation, testing, etc.  They are responsible for delivery of the product.
• Fans are made up of  stakeholders such as customers, vendors, administrators and managers outside of the team who are not involved in the delivery of the product on a daily basis.

The key characteristics of this AVO development are as follows:

• Scrimmage Meeting: Project Planning/Status meeting to discuss the next scrimmage exercise.  Basically what will be accomplished in that  Scrimmage. This can be done daily in the morning for 15 to 30 minutes, 3-5 days/week.
• Scrimmages:  A Scrimmage (Feature Set Component) is the next piece of the Script Run to be delivered.  This could be done on a daily basis.  The Scrimmage is documented and thus helps with overall documentation for the Script Run which will be used for Help files and Script Run Guides (Release Manuals)
• Script Runs : Short development iteration cycles. First Script Run(fundamentals) may be 1 to 3 months (because needs to be done and functional) but after that new releases are normally 30 days
• Captain Subbing: All developers stay on the team during a Script Run but may switch Script Run Captain (Lead Architect/Developer) role to take advantage of a team’s different skill sets that may be needed specifically for the next Script Run tasks.
• Mixed co-location and remote location team members (if using proper collaboration and versioning tools).
• Huddles: 3-5 Days/week 15 minute scheduled huddles (afternoon status meetings). Audibles (15 min huddles) can be called at anytime through the AVO Coach or Script Run Captain.

The AVO Method can at first be selected to be a release cycle that improves on your current cycle but eventually probably works best at about a month (although could be made to work bi-monthly if everything is lined up properly). The software is then released for use (a Script Run) after each iteration. Variations of this methodology has been used successfully both at Toyota and at Cisco among others.  I have listed a process breakdown below:

1. Wishlist features are put on the Chalk Board List. (Not all Chalk Board features will make it into the Playbook.)
2. The AVO Coach (in lieu of PM) will facilitate an Owner’s and Player’s meeting at the beginning of a new Script Run, the Playbook (Product Requirements Document) for the next 30 day Script Run will be finalized.
3. The Script Run Captain serves as the Architect for Script Run (Captains can change per Script Run) and will deliver a Functional Playcard (Funtional Specs)  for the developers involved.
4. The Script Run is executed over the next 30 days to produce a working AVO iteration or Release.  During the Script Run 30 min huddles can either be designated for early morning every day or at least 3 days a week.  Audibles (15 min Huddles) can even be called by any team member through the Coach or Captain.
5. The  product is released as a Scrimmage (POC or Beta). This allows user to test features and quality. If needed the team goes back to the Drawing Board list for feature enhancements for the next Script Run or Release.

When the software is released, it is either released to POC (internal or select user) or as a beta (external), people (or select users) can use the software and then provide feedback that helps decide which features should be built next. The beauty of this method over the waterfall method is the feedback is pertinent and actionable in the short-term rather than after a lengthy engagement when it is found that is too late and there are too little resources to make any more changes. Suggested features are logged into a playbook and rated based on value to the overall business and market strategy. At the beginning of the next iteration the features are prioritized based on their AVO rating. Some strategic features will obviously take more than 30 days to build and can be targeted for a future release. That is another benefit of the AVO method you don’t have to lose strategic planning just because you are focusing on rapid development. Also product roadmap can be used to keep track of the features and their targeted release date.

Whereas adoption of Agile-Scrum may require significant change in both the work practices of IT team members and business users, and thereby can create significant change leadership challenges, the AVO method (Scrimmaging) is not as wide a bridge to gap and therefore can be more easily accommodated. The AVO method allows for quarterly or monthly releases depending on what works best for your company’s culture and quality review processes. Since the AVO method is a continuous improvement process it allows companies to start from wherever they are right now and helps refine their process through the AVO principles to help define the parameters of their product release cycles. Therefore the switching to the AVO method is not as high risk as switching to Agile-Scrum and can even be an middle ground for companies who eventually want to switch to an 100% Agile-Scrum environment.

For example, one of the challenges is the cost versus short-term benefits of switching to agile from a traditional waterfall method. Agile consultants may carry a significant price tag for tools and training, also requiring immediate workplace changes while still acknowledging that at first new projects will take longer temporarily while IT people learn the new techniques.

The AVO method (Scrimmaging) allows you to get the agile benefits of delivering highest priority functionality faster without the steep learning curves which can often become pain points for a company. No don’t get me wrong Agile works as a process to make development as much as 35% more effective. But this alone does not necessarily mean that a 100% change to Agile right now is the best solution for your company.

So which method is best for you? Well, the answer depends on your company:

• If your company has an immediate need to cut costs and believes that they can deal with the possibly disruptive nature of switching to Agile then go with Agile now. Just be aware that there is higher chance of adoption failure (approx. 70%).
• Now If your company is stable and would like to reduce costs rapidly but not at the risk of implementing a disruptive or high risk process then the AVO method (Scrimmaging) would be a better choice. In this case, the AVO method may be the best choice since it can serve as a guide to agile, while showing measurable improvements right away which can be help with company acceptance.

Written by AVO Chief

Efren Duarte is Director of Products & Services and AVO Chief (Strategist/Evangelist) at Avocera Products & Services Consulting and principal of the AVMI Group, a market research based venture management firm. The AVO Chief provides 2-Week Money Back Guarantee Product Marketing/Management Services Trial for qualified Startups and SMBs with growth potential. Inquire at avochief@ymail.com for more details.

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