Agile Learning Labs

Self-Organizing Orchestra

The traditional roles on a scrum team are: Product Owner, Developer, and Scrum Master. Noticeably absent is the role of Team Leader; the team is expected to self-organize. Similarly, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has dispensed entirely with the role of conductor in favor of a process where leadership is shared and decisions are made by the team. The result has been to create one of the world's most renowned chamber orchestras. Along the way, they have learned lessons and ways of working together that any Scrum team can benefit from.

Read the full story here.

Cheers,

Chris

Meeting Agenda Template

Looking for a good starting place for the agenda for your next meeting? Here is an Excel file that you can use. There is more here than you will likely need for any given meeting, so just remove the extras that you don't use.

At the top you will find:

Goal
The most important thing to know about your meeting: what do you hope to achieve?

Location, Date, and Start Time
OK, pretty obvious.

End Time
This gets calculated auto-magically for you.

Owner
Who is calling this meeting?

Facilitator
If this meeting will have a facilitator (a very good idea), who are they?

Scribe and Time Keeper
Other roles that may be helpful

The bottom of the agenda is where you put your agenda items. There are six columns:

What
Well, what is the agenda item anyway? Give it a short description.

How
What process will the group use for this item? Possibilities include: brainstorming, discussion, voting, or perhaps group wisdom without groupthink.

Goal
Why are you discussing this anyway?

Who
Who will own this agenda item?

Time Allocated
This column is useful when creating the agenda, as it lets you figure out how much time you will need.

Start Time
This value calculates automatically based on the start time of the meeting and the length of all of the agenda items before this agenda item. This is really useful to have during the meeting, so that you can tell if you are running on time.

Download it now!

Leave a comment to let me know if you find it useful, or to share any suggestions or tips.

Cheers,

Chris

Presentation Tips and Tricks

Photo courtesy of markhillary

At the April meeting of the Bay Area Engineering Managers Support Group, I did a presentation on doing presentations. Here are the slides. You might also want to checkout these past posts about presenting.

Cheers,

Chris

One-on-Ones: Agenda Item One

I promised more detail about One-on-Ones. Over time, I'm planning to cover each item on my One-on-One agenda. As a refresher, here is my agenda for a half-hour One-on-One meeting:

• How are things going personally?
• How are things going at work?
• Action Item Report: Manager
• Action Item Report: Report
• Feedback (+ and/or -)
• Annual Review Goals
• Personalized News (down-flow)
• Anything Else?
• Action Items for Next Time

Let's have a look at the first item: How are things going personally?

You manage people, not 'resources'. Make a point of knowing the names of spouses, children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, pets, or whom-ever is important in their lives. Do they have hobbies? Are they involved in charity work? Do they follow baseball? Badminton? Be ready to share this type of information about yourself as well.

If you haven't had these types of conversations before, you can initiate one something like this:

"Bob, I realized that we don't know much about each other, apart from work, and I'd like to change that. I would like you know more about who I am, and I'm interested to know more about you.

My wife, Sue, and I have two kids. Jimmy is 14 and Tammy is 12. They both play basketball, and their pretty good too! Last year, Jimmy's team went to State, and had a real shot at the title.

If you don't mind sharing, I'd like to know a bit about your life outside of the office."

Most people will be thrilled that you are interested. If you happen to have a direct report who really wants to keep their personal life private, respect their wishes, of course. If you find that several of your reports are resistant, this may be an indicator of deeper trouble in your relationships with them.

Over time, you may want to ask questions like:

• Where did you grow up?
• Where did you go to college?
• What are your plans for the weekend?
• How was your weekend?
• How is your son Bobby doing in school?
• Do you follow any sports?
• Are you involved in any organizations?

You get bonus points if you ask follow-up questions about things that came up last time:

• How did Bobby do in the spelling bee?
• Is your mother feeling any better?
• Did the dealership ever figure out what was wrong with your car?
• How did Fluffy do at doggy day-care?
• Did Brenda get the job?

Take it slow. Be genuine.

Have some insights or experiences to share? Leave a comment!

Cheers,

Chris

Active Listening Techniques

The workshop topic from last night's Bay Area Engineering Managers Support Group was Active Listening. Here are the various techniques that were discussed, as well as a few bonus ideas as well.

101 - The Basics

Focus your attention
Focus your attention on the speaker. Don't look at the pink elephant dancing behind them! Encouraging statements or sounds "Hmmm." "Umm Hmm." "That's interesting." "I didn't know that." "That's a surprise!" "I see."

Take notes
This allows you to capture ideas that you may want to ask about or have clarified, without the need to interrupt. It also indicates to the listener that you are paying attention and value what they are saying.

Paraphrasing
Use paraphrasing to confirm that you really do understand what they just told you. Repeat back, in your own words, what you have just heard. Doing so will give you a chance to confirm to both the speaker and yourself that you do understand.
"So I think you are saying..."
"It sounds to me like..."
"I think I understand, but I want to make sure."

Summarizing
After a long discussion, it can be useful to try to summarize what you think the speaker's main points were. The summary is similar to paraphrasing, with the exception that you are trying to cover just the main points, not everything the speaker said.

201 - Questions

Prefer open-ended questions
Ask open-ended questions to get the speaker to elaborate. An open-ended question is one that invites an elaborate response, as compared with a closed-ended question, which can usually be answered with a word or two. Open: "What did you think of the workshop?" "How are things going with the new team?" Closed: "Did you like the workshop?" "Is the team getting along?"

Clarifying questions
"What do you mean by...."
"When you say... do you mean like...?"
"Like a ....?"
Be careful with these! Make sure that your question is really aimed at clarifying your understanding, and not challenging the speaker's points or point of view. Avoid indicating your own preferences, judgments, or expectations in the form of questions. There is a big difference between:
"Interesting, how did you go about creating that?"
and
"Did you use the approved process to create that?"

Ask for more information
"That's interesting; tell me more about that."
"What else?"

Ask for their opinions and analysis
"Why do you think that is?"
"What do you think was going on?"

When you aren't getting it, let the speaker know
"I'm not understanding."
"Can you explain that part again?"
Temper this with some patience and good note taking. Often, something that isn't clear now will clear up in a few sentences. Prefer not to interrupt, but don't let the speaker go on too long if you really don't understand what they are saying.

Listen all the way to the end
Attempt to listen all the way to the end. When you think they are done, it is often useful to ask:
"Is there anything else?"

301 - Nuance

Use silence
After the other person has finished their thought, wait a while and don't say anything. This gives them an opening to tell you more. Silence can make people uncomfortable, so they tend to fill the void - the only way they can, by talking more. You want to give people, including yourself, time to think.

Body language
Use body language to indicate that you are listening. The occasional head nod or smile can let your speaker know that you are engaged. People tend to trust body language over the actual words we say.

Acknowledge, and ask about emotions
"It seems like this has you pretty upset."
"Are you frustrated by that?"

Validate concerns
If the speaker doesn't feel that you understand their concerns, and treat them as valid concerns, they are not going to be receptive to your attempts to put them at ease.
"I can see why you would be worried about that."
"That's a real concern."

Verify assumptions
We make a lot of assumptions in order to facilitate talking about complex things without getting bogged down in the details. Sometimes this leads to misunderstanding. Be on the lookout for these situations. A question or comment to verify this type of assumption will clear up any particular misunderstanding as well as reassure the speaker that you are familiar with the domain.

We often make other types of assumptions as well, like knowing which 'Sue' the speaker is referring to. Verify these assumptions as well.

401 - Advanced Topics

Be Zen!
Be Zen! Be fully present in the moment. Notice everything about the speaker, their words, their tone, and their body language. Do not let your own emotions, or emotional attachment to the conversation, the topic, or the person, take your focus away from the present moment. If you notice yourself reacting emotionally, acknowledge it internally "I'm getting upset" but don't dwell on it.

Create a safe space
Create a safe 'space' for the speaker to express themselves. They need to trust you and the situation, if they are going to really open up and share. When it is your turn to talk, be honest, and respectful. You need not agree with what the speaker is saying, but it is important to honor and respect their thoughts, ideas, and feelings.

Cheers,

Chris

Engineering Managers Support Group Tonight!

The Engineering Managers Support Group is meeting tonight!
Our topic: Active Listening.

Of course, we will also have our round-table discussion session, where you can get input from your peers on the challenges you are facing managing engineers. There will be yummy Thai food, and the usual assortment of beverages. All this, and it's still free!

Sponsored by:
The Technical Management Institute
and
Rearden Commerce

Full details, and RSVP here

Cheers,

Chris

IEEE Silicon Valley Technology Management Council - February Notes

At the February IEEE Silicon Valley Technology Management Council meeting the group did an exercise to generated practical suggestions for implementing four management ideals. The group broke up into 4 teams; each considered one management ideal, and then reported their suggestions for implementing the ideal back to the whole group. The whole exercise took 30 minutes and included networking as well as idea generation.

Here are my notes on the ideas that each team generated. Clarifications and additions are welcome!

Clear Communication
This team decided to focus the topic more tightly to: 'clear communication with a remote team.' Here are some of their suggestions.

Prefer written communication to verbal.
Write in a simple, understandable style.
Take the time to verify that that each side of a communication really understands the meaning.
Acknowledge each communication.
Take the time to learn about the cultural differences.
Have a master schedule.
Anything that increases visibility is good.
Make use of structured system for communication.
Make use of chaotic informal communication channels.
Establish shared vision and goals, and get the buy-in of all team members.
Use visual elements to enhance communication.

Appreciates the Service of Others
Be generous with rewards.
Verbally praise people when they do good work.
Take the person to lunch or dinner.
Provide ongoing feedback, both positive and negative.
Don't forget to appreciate the work of junior people.
In high-pressure situations, take the time to listen to people, and appreciate their input.

Know each team members strengths and weaknesses
Read the resume and personnel file of each person on your team.
Communicate regularly and take notes.
Focus on personal goals and aligning those with the team and company goals.
Ask them what their strengths and weaknesses are!
Assign them a variety of tasks, requiring different skills, and note the results.
Study how volunteer organizations work, as many are excellent at making the best use of the strengths of their volunteers.
Do a group exercise to discuss the strengths and weakness of the team.
Do a review after each milestone.
Decide if it is better to strengthen weaknesses or play to strengths.
Don't forget to look at the strengths and weaknesses of the team as a whole.

Be a team builder
Be sure to acknowledge the work of people on the team.
Give people clear objectives.
Listen first.
Choose projects that will be successful.
Provide realistic and well-defined goals.
Talk things through calmly when there are conflicts.
Promote open communication.
Be the best leader that you can be!
Allow all to explore their ideas.
Support each other; keep your commitments to each other.
Verify assumptions.
Allow for creativity.

Engineering Managers Support Group - Active Listening

A manager who listens well...
- will be told more
- will be confided in
- will understand their people better
- will resolve conflicts easier
- will be listened to

When your people are talking to you, are you really listening, or are you starting to think about what you are going to say next? Even if you hear their words, are you sure that you understand their meaning? Language lends itself to misunderstanding as easily as understanding. This makes for great comedy, unless the joke is at the expense of you and your team.

This month the Bay Area Engineering Managers Support Group takes a good look at listening. Effective techniques will be presented and modeled. Then the real fun begins. Each participant will get to practice active listening skills by role-playing scenarios taken from the real world.

We will be starting at 6:30 PM, and will once again enjoy the hospitality of Rearden Commerce, as they provide us with great facilities and tasty food.

Engineering Managers Support Group - March Meetup
Wednesday, March 26th
Rearden Commerce World Headquarters
1051 E. Hillsdale Blvd
Foster City, CA 94404

6:30 - 7:00
Networking and food
Katie will be in the lobby to ferry folks up. If she's not there when you arrive, you can hail her at: 650.387.4551

7:00 - 8:00
We take a good look at listening.

8:00 - 9:00
Round-table discussion of your engineering management issues
Bring your questions and get ideas and feedback from your fellow engineering managers.

Sponsored By:
The Technical Management Institute
and
Rearden Commerce

RSVP Now!

One-on-Ones

The Bay Area Engineering Managers Support Group took a look at One-on-One meetings in February. I promised the group that I would publish my suggested agenda for a one-on-one as well some pointers to further reading. Here it is.

Here is a suggested agenda:

• How are things going personally?
• How are things going at work?
• Action Item Report: Manager
• Action Item Report: Report
• Feedback (+ and/or -)
• Annual Review Goals
• Personalized News (down-flow)
• Anything Else?
• Action Items for Next Time

Here are some links for further reading and listening:

Manager Tools. Mark Horstman and Michael Auzenne do a good podcast series on management, and one-on-ones are one of the four parts of their management trinity (Their name not mine!). Here is link to some of their stuff related to one-on-ones, including a template that takes a different approach than I do.

Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management I am lucky enough to know Johanna Rothman and Esther Derby, the authors of this book. There is some good stuff about one-on-ones in here.

How to Have Great One-on-ones, Leaders as Chief Conversation Facilitators

David Carlton on One-on-Ones.

TechRepublic asks if One-on-ones are a waste of time.

Ed Gibbs talks about his experience using one-on-ones.

Right here! Check back for more about one-on-ones in future posts.

Cheers!

Chris

Lunch With Joel Spolsky

I'm sitting in a Starbucks in the 'Multimedia Gulch' area of San Francisco, having just shared some fine San Francisco Burritos with Joel Spolsky. It's been a few years since we last chatted, and much has changed. Joel's company, Fog Creek Software, has more than doubled in size. They have mostly filled their recently expanded office space and Joel is busy figuring out how much space they should get to accommodate future growth. A new version of FogBugz has just been released and Joel is doing a demo tour. I think he still has space available in a few of his Bay Area demos. If you get a chance, check it out. I'll be there tomorrow morning in Mountain View.

We explored the question of how big can an engineering group get before it needs formal leadership and management structure. Fog Creek is still below the threshold. When I joined FactSet, we were just getting there. I remember fondly the time when all the projects where single-person affairs. It is a much more efficient way to work, as each person that gets added to the team adds exponentially to the communication overhead. OK, exponential is really more theoretical (think fully connected graph) than practical, but the point remains that as the team gets bigger, more time is spent communicating.

We posited that very often, a company bumps into the need for more 'management' or leadership when they take on the task of building the second product. While the company's original product may have evolved organically over time, starting as the brainchild and fruit of one person and growing head-count slowly, companies often try to accelerate the process with subsequent products. They have the bodies now, so they should be able to build out the product faster by assigning 10 or 20 people to the project from day one; right? Maybe, but such an effort takes leadership. Put 20 brilliant software developers in a room and tell them that the company needs them to build a snazzy new product and you will often get 20 radically different ideas about what that means how they should proceed. This is a perfect recipe for a bunch of thrashing, but not much progress toward a good product.

We sparred a bit over the value of agile development methods, especially Extreme Programming (XP), but that conversation quickly ended with us both agreeing that good teams can use such practices effectively and that dysfunctional teams can abuse them. In the end, it's the people that matter the most.