Agile Coach

1.   What is Agile?

Agile is a product development methodology in which the development is carried out iteratively and the requirements evolve through continuous inspection and adaptation. Some of the most commonly used agile software development methods/frameworks are Adaptive Software Development (ASD), Extreme Programming (XP), Scrum, and Kanban.

2.   What is the Agile Manifesto?

The Agile manifesto is based on the following - 

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

3.   What are the 12 principles of the Agile Manifesto?

Following are the 12 principles of the Agile Manifesto - 

• Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
• Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.
• Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference for a shorter timescale.
• Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
• Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
• The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.
• Working software is the primary measure of progress.
• Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
• Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
• Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.
• The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
• At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

4.   What are different Agile Methodologies?

Following are the different Agile methodologies - 

1. Scrum
2. Kanban
3. Lean
4. Behaviour-Driven Development (BDD)
5. Test-Driven Development (TDD)
6. Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD)
7. Extreme Programming (XP)
8. Adaptive Software Development
9. Rapid Application Development (RAD)
10. Dynamic System Development Methodology (DSDM)

5.   What is Kanban?

Kanban is an Agile framework for defining, managing, and improving services that deliver knowledge work. It aims to visualize your work (via a Kanban board), maximize efficiency, and improve continuously by limiting the work in progress.

6.   What are the advantages of agile methodology over the other software development methodologies?

Agile development, due to its innate nature, is both iterative and incremental. Owing to this characteristic, all the development aspects (design, quality, requirements) are constantly reviewed and improved progressively with each sprint. Thus, the product could be adapted at any time based on the client’s needs and the level of customer satisfaction is very high. Whereas, in the conventional development methodologies, each project phase is only traversed once which restricts the flexibility to incorporate new requirements or modify existing requirements.

7.  How do you define a user story with respect to Agile?

A User Story is a document that defines the requirement of a system/ project/ product in the agile environment. They dictate the ‘who', 'what', and 'why' of a requirement. To explain a requirement, a number of user stories might get created with each one of them defining a specific aspect of the requirement. These user stories are prioritized based on their importance, broken down into tasks followed by the developers estimating the duration of completion of each of these tasks.

8.   What is MVP (Minimum Viable Product)?

A minimum viable product (MVP) is a development technique in which a new product or website is developed with sufficient features to satisfy early adopters. The final, complete set of features is only designed and developed after considering feedback from the product's initial users.

An MVP has three key characteristics:

• It has enough value that people are willing to use it or buy it initially.
• It provides a feedback loop to guide future development.
• It demonstrates enough future benefits to retain early adopters.

The motto of this development technique is that early adopters can see the initial product and provide the valuable feedback needed to guide developers forward. It suggests that technically orientated products used by technical users may be the most appropriate for the development technique.

9.   What is test-driven development (TDD) in Agile?

Test-driven development (TDD) is a software development process that relies on the repetition of a very short development cycle. Requirements are turned into very specific test cases, then the software is improved to pass the new tests, only. In other words, we can say that test-driven development (TDD) is an evolutionary approach to development that combines test-first development where you write a test before you write just enough production code to fulfill that test and refactoring. 

10.   What is a test-driven development (TDD) life cycle?

A test-driven development follows - 

• Add a test - In test-driven development, each new feature begins with writing a test. Write a test that defines a function or improvements of a function, which should be very succinct.
• Run all tests to see if the new test fails - It validates that the test is working correctly, shows that the new test does not pass without requiring new code because the required behavior already exists, and it rules out the possibility that the new test will always pass.
• Write the code - The next step is to write some code that causes the test to pass.
• Run tests - To check the new test should pass.
• Refactor code - The growing code base must be cleaned up regularly during test-driven development. New code can be moved from where it was convenient for passing a test to where it more logically belongs.  Duplication must be removed. Object, class, module, variable, and method names should clearly represent their current purpose and use, as extra functionality is added. As features are added, method bodies can get longer and other objects larger. They benefit from being split and their parts carefully named to improve readability and maintainability, which will be increasingly valuable later in the software life cycle.

11.   What are the advantages and disadvantages of test-driven development (TDD)?

Advantages of TDD - 

• Test-driven development can produce applications of high quality in less time in comparison to other methods. 
• TDD creates a regression-test suite as a side effect that can minimize human manual testing, while finding problems earlier, leading to quick fixes. Because tests are conducted from the very beginning of the design cycle, time and money spent in debugging at later stages are minimized.

Disadvantages of TDD - 

• TDD requires considerable skill to be successful, especially at the unit level. Many legacy systems are simply not created with unit testing in mind, making isolation of components in order to test impossible.
• All the development team members need to create and maintain the unit tests, or else they will quickly get out of date. 

12. What is Behavior Driven Development (BDD)?

Behavior Driven Development (BDD) is a synthesis and refinement of practices stemming from Test Driven Development (TDD) and Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD). BDD augments TDD and ATDD with the following tactics - 

• Apply the "Five Why's" principle to each proposed user story, so that its purpose is clearly related to business outcomes.
• Thinking "from the outside in", in other words, implement only those behaviors which contribute most directly to these business outcomes, so as to minimize waste.
• Describe behaviors in a single notation that is directly accessible to domain experts, testers, and developers, so as to improve communication.
• Apply these techniques all the way down to the lowest levels of abstraction of the software, paying particular attention to the distribution of behavior, so that evolution remains cheap.

13.   What are the advantages and disadvantages of Behavior Driven Development (BDD)?

Advantages of BDD -

• BDD offers more precise guidance on organizing the conversation between developers, testers, and domain experts.
• Notations originating in the BDD approach are closer to everyday language and have a shallower learning curve compared to those of other tools.
• Tools used in a BDD approach generally afford the automatic generation of technical and end-user documentation "specifications".

Disadvantages of BDD -

• BDD requires familiarity with a greater range of concepts than TDD does, and it is difficult to recommend a novice programmer should first learn BDD without prior exposure to TDD concepts.
• The use of BDD requires no particular tools or programming languages, and is primarily a conceptual approach; to make it a purely technical practice would be to miss the point altogether.

14. How is an epic useful in an agile project?

While managing a large project, there are a lot of requirements spread across multiple domains of the project and it becomes difficult to manage such a large number of requirements. Thus, these requirements are documented in the form of user stories, and the user stories belonging to the same section of the project are clubbed to form an ‘Epic’. An epic is considered as complete only when all the user stories (and their respective tasks) belonging to it are complete.

15. What is the definition of ready?

The definition of ready is a set of criteria that a user story has to meet before being considered for estimation or inclusion into a sprint. The definition of Ready focuses on the characteristics of a user story. A good user story should be Clear, Feasible, and Testable. A user story is clear if all Scrum team members have a shared understanding of what it means. A user story is feasible if it can be done in one sprint as per the Definition of Done. A user story is testable if it meets the acceptance criteria to ensure the functionality works as expected. The definition of Ready (DoR) should be like this -  

• User Story is clear, feasible, testable
• User Story defined
• User Story Acceptance Criteria defined
• User Story dependencies identified
• User Story sized by Development Team
• Scrum Team accepts User Experience artifacts
• Performance criteria identified, where appropriate
• Scalability criteria identified, where appropriate
• Security criteria identified, where appropriate
• The Development Team has a good understanding of what it will mean to Demo the User Story

16. What is the Definition of Done?

The Definition of Done conditional agreement between the Development Team and the Product Owner on what needs to be completed for each user story – and is often standardized across the company in order to guarantee consistent delivery of quality. When a user story satisfies all these conditions or acceptance criteria like code produced, peer review, build without errors, passing the unit test, passing the integration test, code comments, and release notes then the team considers that the user story is done.

17. What is the difference between sizing and estimation?

Sizing estimates the probable size of a piece of software while effort estimation predicts the effort needed to build it. Size is an inherent characteristic of a piece of software just like the weight is an inherent characteristic of tangible material. The relationship between the size of software and the effort required to produce it is called productivity. 

For example, if a software engineer has built a small web-based calculator application, we can say that the project effort was 200 man-hours. However, this does not give any information about the size of the software product itself. Conversely, we can say that the application size is 4,500 LOCs (Lines of Code), or 30 FPs (Function Points) without identifying the project effort required to produce it.

18. What is the backlog refinement or grooming session?

Backlog refinement or Grooming session is the Scrum Team activity of adding details, estimates, and prioritizing items in the Product Backlog. The primary purpose of a backlog grooming session is to ensure that the user stories in the product backlog are in a ready state for the next few sprints. This is an ongoing process in which the Product Owner and the Development Team collaborate to refine and add details of Product Backlog items. The Product Owner removes the user stories that are no longer relevant and creates new ones based on the Scrum Team's discoveries from the previous sprint. The backlog refinement meeting usually takes place towards the end of the current sprint. However, there is no set time limit for a backlog refinement session but it should not take more than 10% of the Sprint duration. The ScrumMaster facilitates the Backlog refinement or Grooming session.

19. What are the limitations of Agile?

While Agile has become a popular methodology for product development, it does have some limitations that are important to consider. Please see below a few limitations-

• Lack of Documentation: Agile emphasizes working software over documentation, which means that teams may not document their code or processes as thoroughly as they would in a traditional development process. This can make it difficult for new team members or stakeholders to understand the project's history or future direction.
• Uncertainty: Agile projects rely on iterative and incremental development, which can lead to uncertainty in project outcomes and timelines. This can make it challenging to estimate project costs and schedules, leading to potential delays or budget overruns.
• Over-emphasis on Team Collaboration: While Agile places a strong emphasis on team collaboration and communication, it may not be suitable for all team members. Some team members may prefer to work independently or may not be comfortable with the constant collaboration required in Agile projects.
• Difficulty with Large-Scale Projects: Agile is often best suited for smaller, more focused projects. Large-scale projects can become more challenging to manage, as multiple teams may need to work together, and coordinating efforts across teams can be difficult.
• Lack of Emphasis on Long-Term Planning: Agile is focused on delivering working software quickly and frequently, but it may not provide a clear roadmap for long-term planning or strategic decision-making.

Overall, Agile is a valuable methodology for many product development teams, but it's important to be aware of its limitations and to use it appropriately for each project's needs.

20. What are the day-to-day responsibilities of an Agile Transformation Coach?

As an Agile coach working on an Agile transformation initiative for a software client, some of the day-to-day activities you may engage in include -

• Collaborating with stakeholders: You'll work closely with stakeholders to ensure that they are aligned with the team's goals and that their feedback is incorporated into the development process.
• Monitoring and tracking progress: You'll track the team's progress toward their goals and ensure that they are meeting their commitments. You'll also help them identify and address any issues that may arise.
• Analyzing data and providing feedback: You'll analyze data and provide feedback to the team on their performance, highlighting areas for improvement and opportunities for growth.
• Continuously improving Agile processes: You'll work to continuously improve the team's Agile processes, including identifying areas for improvement, implementing changes, and evaluating the effectiveness of those changes.
• Facilitating Agile ceremonies: This includes facilitating daily stand-up meetings, sprint planning, sprint reviews, and retrospectives to ensure they are productive and aligned with the Agile framework.
• Conducting Agile training and coaching sessions: You'll be responsible for teaching Agile principles and practices to the development team, project managers, and stakeholders, and coaching them on how to apply these principles in their daily work.
• Providing Agile guidance: You'll be the go-to person for all things Agile. You'll answer questions, provide guidance on best practices, and help the team overcome any roadblocks they encounter while implementing Agile.

Overall, an Agile coach plays a critical role in helping software clients adopt and implement Agile practices and principles, and their day-to-day activities will focus on supporting the team in their Agile journey and ensuring that they are aligned with the Agile framework.

21. What is the step-by-step method for an Agile transformation project for a software company?

Agile transformation for a company can be a complex process that requires careful planning and execution. Please see below the step-by-step approach that can be used for Agile transformation for product development teams -

• Assess the current state: Before starting an Agile transformation, it's important to assess the current state of the organization's software development practices. This includes understanding the current development processes, identifying the pain points, and determining the current level of Agile adoption.
• Identify the Agile framework to adopt: Based on the assessment, identify the Agile framework that is best suited for the organization's needs. This may include Scrum, Kanban, or a hybrid approach.
• Develop an Agile roadmap: Create a roadmap that outlines the steps required to implement Agile across the organization. This should include a timeline for implementation, roles, and responsibilities, and the tools and training required.
• Define Agile roles and responsibilities: Define the roles and responsibilities for Agile team members, including the product owner, Scrum master, and development team.
• Implement Agile practices: Start implementing Agile practices, such as daily stand-ups, sprint planning, sprint reviews, and retrospectives. Ensure that all team members are trained on Agile practices and understand their roles and responsibilities.
• Foster collaboration: Foster collaboration between team members, stakeholders, and customers. Ensure that communication channels are open and that everyone is aligned on the project's goals and priorities.
• Monitor and adjust: Monitor progress and adjust the Agile implementation as necessary. Regularly review and improve the Agile processes and practices to ensure that they continue to meet the organization's needs.
• Continuously improve: Agile transformation is an ongoing process that requires continuous improvement. Encourage a culture of continuous improvement, where team members are always looking for ways to improve processes and practices.

Overall, Agile transformation for a software company requires a disciplined and structured approach that involves collaboration, communication, and continuous improvement. Following these steps can help ensure a successful Agile transformation that delivers value to the organization and its customers.

22. What are the major challenges faced by an Agile Coach during Agile Transformation for any company?

Agile transformation can be a challenging process for any organization, and Agile coaches may face several challenges while leading the transformation. Here are some of the major challenges that Agile coaches may encounter:

• Resistance to change: One of the biggest challenges of Agile transformation is resistance to change. Employees may be comfortable with their current processes and reluctant to embrace Agile practices. The Agile coach must help employees understand the benefits of Agile and create a culture of openness and willingness to change.
• Lack of buy-in from senior management: Agile transformation requires buy-in from senior management to be successful. Without this support, it can be difficult to implement Agile practices across the organization. The Agile coach must work closely with senior management to help them understand the benefits of Agile and the importance of their support.
• Lack of understanding of Agile: Some team members may not have a clear understanding of Agile or may have misconceptions about it. The Agile coach must provide education and training to ensure that everyone on the team understands the principles and practices of Agile.
• Lack of alignment with business goals: Agile transformation must align with the organization's business goals to be effective. The Agile coach must ensure that the Agile practices being implemented are aligned with the organization's goals and priorities.
• Inadequate communication: Effective communication is essential for Agile transformation. Lack of communication can lead to misunderstandings and delays. The Agile coach must ensure that communication channels are open, and everyone is kept informed of project status and any changes.
• Over-reliance on Agile practices: Agile is a framework, not a one-size-fits-all solution. The Agile coach must avoid over-reliance on Agile practices and adapt them to the organization's needs.
• Lack of continuous improvement: Agile transformation is an ongoing process that requires continuous improvement. The Agile coach must encourage a culture of continuous improvement, where team members are always looking for ways to improve processes and practices.

Overall, Agile coaches must be prepared to navigate these challenges and work collaboratively with team members, stakeholders, and senior management to drive successful Agile transformation.

23. What are the KPIs being used by the Agile coach for tracking the progress of Agile Transformation?

Agile coaches use several Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track the progress of Agile transformation. Here are some common KPIs that Agile coaches may use:

• Cycle Time: Cycle Time is the time it takes to complete a task or user story from start to finish. Agile coaches use Cycle Time as a KPI to measure the efficiency of the development process and identify areas for improvement.
• Lead Time: Lead Time is the time it takes to complete a task or user story from the time it is requested to the time it is delivered. Agile coaches use Lead Time as a KPI to measure the speed of the development process and identify bottlenecks.
• Sprint Velocity: Sprint Velocity is the amount of work completed by the team during a sprint. Agile coaches use Sprint Velocity as a KPI to track progress over time and identify areas where the team is struggling to meet its commitments.
• Burndown Chart: A Burndown Chart is a visual representation of the amount of work remaining in a sprint. Agile coaches use Burndown Charts as a KPI to track progress and identify any potential delays or issues.
• Customer Satisfaction: Customer Satisfaction is a KPI that measures how satisfied customers are with the product or service being delivered. Agile coaches use this KPI to ensure that the team is delivering value to the customer and meeting their needs.
• Agile Maturity Index: The Agile Maturity Index is a KPI that measures how mature an organization's Agile practices are. Agile coaches use this KPI to assess the organization's level of Agile adoption and identify areas for improvement.
• Retrospective Action Items: Retrospective Action Items are tasks identified during a retrospective that the team agrees to complete in the next sprint. Agile coaches use this KPI to track progress on these items and ensure that they are completed in a timely manner.

Overall, Agile coaches use these and other KPIs to measure progress and identify areas for improvement during Agile transformation.

24. What is Agile Maturity Matrix? Can you share some examples?

The Agile Maturity Matrix is a tool that helps organizations measure their level of maturity in Agile adoption. The matrix typically consists of several levels of maturity, each with specific characteristics and practices that organizations can use to assess their progress. Here are some examples of the Agile Maturity Matrix levels and their characteristics:

• Level 1 - Ad Hoc: In this level, Agile practices are not formalized, and teams operate in an ad-hoc manner. There is little consistency in practices, and teams may not follow Agile principles.
• Level 2 - Developing: In this level, Agile practices are being developed and implemented, but they are not yet fully adopted across the organization. Teams may have some consistency in practices, but there is room for improvement.
• Level 3 - Practicing: In this level, Agile practices are being consistently applied across the organization. Teams are using Agile principles to guide their work, and there is a culture of continuous improvement.
• Level 4 - Scaling: In this level, Agile practices are being scaled across the organization, and there is a focus on collaboration and alignment. Teams are working together to deliver value to the customer, and there is a strong emphasis on continuous improvement.
• Level 5 - Optimizing: In this level, Agile practices are fully optimized across the organization. Teams are continually improving processes and practices, and there is a culture of experimentation and innovation.

Please see below some examples of how organizations have used the Agile Maturity Matrix -

1. A software development company used the Agile Maturity Matrix to assess its level of Agile adoption and identify areas for improvement. Based on the assessment, the company created an action plan to increase consistency in Agile practices and promote a culture of continuous improvement.
2. An IT department within a larger organization used the Agile Maturity Matrix to assess its level of Agile adoption and identify areas where it could scale Agile practices across the organization. The department used the matrix to align its Agile practices with the organization's strategic goals and improve collaboration with other departments.

25. One of my team is following Kanban for bug fixing kind of activities. So, what are the KPIs we should use for my team and why should I use those KPIs?

When measuring the performance of a team following Kanban for bug fixing activities, it is important to select Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that align with the goals and objectives of the team. Here are some KPIs commonly used in Kanban for bug fixing, along with their benefits -

• Cycle Time: Cycle time measures the time taken to complete a single bug fix, starting from the moment it is reported until it is resolved. This KPI provides insights into the team's efficiency and helps identify bottlenecks in the bug fixing process. By tracking cycle time, you can set realistic expectations for bug resolution and continuously work on reducing it.
• Lead Time: Lead time measures the total time taken from when a bug is reported until it is fully resolved and deployed. It includes the time spent on analysis, development, testing, and deployment. Lead time helps in understanding the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the bug fixing process. By tracking lead time, you can identify opportunities for process improvements and optimize the bug fixing workflow.
• Throughput: Throughput measures the number of bugs or issues resolved within a specific time period, such as a week or a month. It indicates the team's capacity to handle and resolve bugs. By tracking throughput, you can assess the team's productivity and make informed decisions about resource allocation and workload management.
• Escalation Rate: The escalation rate measures the number of bugs that get escalated to higher levels of support or management due to unresolved issues or customer dissatisfaction. This KPI indicates the team's ability to resolve bugs effectively and maintain customer satisfaction. Tracking the escalation rate helps in identifying recurring issues, improving bug-fix quality, and minimizing the need for escalations.
• Defect Aging: Defect aging measures the length of time a bug remains unresolved. It helps identify bugs that have been open for an extended period, which may indicate bottlenecks or inefficiencies in the bug-fixing process. By monitoring defect aging, you can ensure that bugs are addressed promptly and prevent a buildup of unresolved issues.
• Customer Satisfaction: Customer satisfaction measures the level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction of customers with the bug fixes provided. This can be measured through surveys, feedback forms, or ratings. Tracking customer satisfaction helps in evaluating the quality and effectiveness of the team's bug-fixing efforts. It provides insights into customer needs, identifies areas for improvement, and helps prioritize bug fixes based on their impact on customer experience.

KPIs are tailored to your team's specific objectives and context. So, it is important to regularly review and analyze the selected KPIs to drive continuous improvement and make data-driven decisions to enhance your team's bug-fixing process.

26. What is a product roadmap?

A product roadmap is a high-level visual representation that outlines the strategic direction and future plans for a product. It provides a timeline view of the product's evolution, including key features, enhancements, and initiatives that are planned or being considered.

A product roadmap serves as a communication tool to align stakeholders and teams on the product vision, goals, and priorities. It helps to illustrate the product's trajectory, indicating what will be worked on in the near term, as well as providing a broader perspective of the long-term vision. Please see below some key aspects of a product roadmap -

• Strategic Alignment: The product roadmap aligns with the overall business strategy, considering market trends, customer needs, and organizational goals. It provides a clear path for how the product will contribute to achieving strategic objectives.
• High-level View: It presents a high-level overview of the product's evolution over time, typically divided into quarters, semesters, or other timeframes. It allows stakeholders to see the big picture and understand the product's direction without going into detailed implementation plans.
• Prioritization and Trade-offs: The roadmap helps in prioritizing features and initiatives based on their strategic value and potential impact. It facilitates decision-making by providing a framework for evaluating trade-offs and making informed choices.
• Flexibility and Adaptability: Agile product roadmaps are designed to be flexible and adaptable to change. They are not set in stone but rather serve as a guide. As new information emerges, priorities shift, or market conditions change, the roadmap can be adjusted to reflect evolving needs and priorities.
• Collaboration and Communication: The roadmap is a valuable communication tool to align stakeholders, development teams, and other business functions. It facilitates discussions around the product's direction, gathers feedback, and fosters collaboration among cross-functional teams.
• Transparency: An agile product roadmap promotes transparency by sharing the product strategy and direction with all relevant stakeholders. It helps create a shared understanding of the product's trajectory and encourages collaboration and feedback from stakeholders.
• Iterative and Incremental Approach: Agile product roadmaps are often built iteratively and incrementally. They start with a high-level vision and evolve over time as more information becomes available, priorities are adjusted, and feedback is received.

It's worth noting that agile product roadmaps differ from traditional, more detailed roadmaps that may focus on specific features and their delivery dates. Agile roadmaps emphasize adaptability, collaboration, and flexibility to accommodate changing priorities and respond to market dynamics.