Meeting a Need

Steve Messenger
Director DSDM Consortium

www.dsdm.org
 The Next Hour…

• History of Development
• Where DSDM fits in
• The Key Points
• It’s not all theory
• The bit in the middle
• Offshore

www.dsdm.org
 Development is as Easy as ABC!

Choose Vendor Throw Over the Wall

Create
Specification

Receive Perfect System

www.dsdm.org
 As Easy as ABC?

No User Involvement

Poor Collaboration
And Cooperation

Systems That don’

don’t
meet Requirements

www.dsdm.org
 What is actually being used?

13% 7%

Ne ve r us e d
16%
R are ly us e d

S o m e tim e s
us e d
O fte n us e d

19% 45% A lways us e d

Source: Standish Group Research Note, 1999

www.dsdm.org
 RAD – The Wild West
Your
Your
software’s
software’sonon
it’s
it’sway
waysir
sir

www.dsdm.org
 Enter… DSDM – 1993
• Deliver Business Value from
IT
• Recognized:
– Nothing built perfectly first time
– There will be business change
– People are key to success – involve all
stakeholders
– Can move forward as soon as enough is
known
• But managed
– Quality
– Control
– User Expectation
www.dsdm.org
 Manifesto for Agile Software
Development - 2001
We are uncovering better ways of developing
software by doing it and helping others do it.
Through this work we have come to value:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on
the right, we value the items on the left more.

www.dsdm.org
 Individuals and interactions over
processes and tools

• DSDM PRINCIPLES
– Active user involvement is imperative.
– DSDM teams must be empowered to make
decisions.

www.dsdm.org
 Working software over
comprehensive documentation

• DSDM PRINCIPLES
– Fitness for business purpose is the essential
criterion for acceptance of deliverables.
– The focus is on frequent delivery of products
– Requirements are baselined at a high level.
– Testing is integrated throughout the life-cycle.

www.dsdm.org
 Customer collaboration over
contract negotiation

• DSDM PRINCIPLES
– A collaborative and co-operative approach
between all stakeholders is essential.

www.dsdm.org
 Responding to change over
following a plan

• DSDM PRINCIPLES
– Iterative and incremental development is
necessary to converge on an accurate
business solution.
– All changes during development are
reversible

www.dsdm.org
Tenets of Project Management

• Frozen specs and the

abominable snowman are alike:
they are both myth and they
both melt when sufficient heat is
applied.

www.dsdm.org
 The DSDM Lifecycle
•Scope / Prioritise Requirements •Will Proposed Solution Satisfy?
•Outline Development •DSDM Suitable / Risks?
•Identify User Classes •Possible technical solutions
•Risks •Time / cost estimates
•Technical Basis

•Demonstrate / Agree Functionality •Deliver System

•Record Non-Functional Requirements •Train Users
•Operational Handover
•Determine future requirements

•Build in non-functional
requirements
•Make fit for delivery

www.dsdm.org
 Tenets of Project Management

• A user will tell you anything you

ask about and nothing more

www.dsdm.org
 The Semantic Gap

www.dsdm.org
 DSDM Project Organisation

www.dsdm.org
 Team Dynamics
• Tightly-Managed Teams
Self-Directed Teams
– Take Directions  Take Initiative

– Seek Individual Rewards  Focus on team Contributions

– Focus on Low-Level  Concentrate on solutions

Objectives  Cooperate
 Continually Improve
– Compete
 Take steps to prevent
– Stop at pre-set goals
emergencies
– React to emergencies

Roles
www.dsdm.org
 Tenets of Project Management

• You can con a sucker into

committing to an unreasonable
deadline, but you can’t bully him
into meeting it

www.dsdm.org
 The DSDM Philosophy

Prioritisation
www.dsdm.org
 The DSDM Philosophy

Time fixed

Timebox Implementation

DBI
Time fixed
FMI

Increment n
Increment m
Time fixed
Increment 1

Project

Time fixed
www.dsdm.org
 Prioritisation Using MoSCoW
• Must – has to be done
– C. 60%, < 75%
• Should – important but may
be worked around short-term
– 20%
• Could – may be left out if
necessary
– 20%
• Won’t – add to list to be done
next time
www.dsdm.org
 The 3-Iteration Model

www.dsdm.org
The Tenets of Project Management

• What is not on paper has not

been said

www.dsdm.org
 Quality

• “Conformance to
Requirements”

www.dsdm.org
 Quality

• “Conformance to
Requirements”

www.dsdm.org
 The Quality Dilemma

www.dsdm.org
 Quality in DSDM
• Quality Planned from start
– Product Quality Criteria
• Facilitated Workshops
• Continuous Focused User Involvement
• Reviews
– Prototypes
– Supporting Documents
• Testing Throughout Lifecycle
• Base-lined Requirements
• Configuration Management

www.dsdm.org
 Testing Principles
• Validation
– Product is Fit For Business Purpose
• Benefit Directed
– Concentrate testing on key areas
• Error Centric
– Purpose is to find errors
• Integrated Throughout the Lifecycle
– And users involved throughout
• Independent
• Repeatable
– Test Scripts / Testing tools
www.dsdm.org
Case Study – The Boston Globe
• 18 Months wasted
previously
• One Team – Grindel’s
Den!
• 2 Major Deliveries
– 8 Weeks
– 12 weeks
• Frequent Review
Sessions
• System also
implemented in
NYTimes

www.dsdm.org
Case Study – Insurance Claims
• Well Known City
Underwriter
• SSADM Project failed (2
years)
• Short Business Study
• Workshops
• One Team
• Split development
• New system
implemented in 9
months

www.dsdm.org
 Case Study – Pharmaceutical
Dispensing
• Heavily Controlled
Environment
• All principles of
DSDM Used
• Separate Testing
Phase
• System that Users
Own

www.dsdm.org
 DSDM and Validation
Validation
ValidationPlanning
Planning Validation
ValidationSummary
Summary
Reporting
Reportingand
andCertification
Certification
Response
Business
BusinessProcess
ProcessDefinition
Definitionand
and Performance
PerformanceQualification
Qualification
GMP Assessment
GMP Assessment
Verify Verify
refinement)
stepwiserefinement)

Cut over
PROTOTYPINGREVIEWS REVIEWS

Check
(afterstepwise

Evolving
EvolvingDesign
Design Installation
Installationand
andOperational
Operational
Qualification
Qualification
PROTOTYPING
Qualification(after

Verify
Verify
DesignQualification
Design

Bespoke
BespokeProgramming
Programmingand
and
Configuration
Configuration
Check
Prototyp
e and
www.dsdm.org Pilot
 DSDM and Validation
Validation
ValidationPlanning
Planning Validation
ValidationSummary
Summary
Reporting
Reportingand
andCertification
Certification
Response
Business
BusinessProcess
ProcessDefinition
Definitionand
and Performance
PerformanceQualification
Qualification
GMP Assessment
GMP Assessment
Verify Verify
refinement)
stepwiserefinement)

Cut over
PROTOTYPINGREVIEWS REVIEWS

Check
(afterstepwise

Evolving
EvolvingDesign
Design Installation
Installationand
andOperational
Operational
Qualification
Qualification
PROTOTYPING
Qualification(after

Verify
Verify
DesignQualification
Design

Bespoke
BespokeProgramming
Programmingand
and
Configuration
Configuration
Check
Prototyp
e and
www.dsdm.org Pilot
 Bridging the Gap

Starting Directing Controlling Managing Ending

a Project a Project a Stage Stage Boundaries a Project

Management Project
Controls
Business Change
Mgmt. Org. Tools Quality Case Control
MoSCoW
Prioritisation
Planning Risk Mgmt Architecture Timeboxing Estimating

Feasibility Study Business Study Development Implementation

Modelling Prototyping Configuration. Mgmt Testing Analysis

Facilitated
Workshops
Project Team Org
Refactoring Pair Programming
Delivery
Sustainable Continuous Collective Code Test-driven Simple Coding
Pace Integration Ownership Development Design Standards

www.dsdm.org
 DSDM and PRINCE
PRINCE DSDM

Business Case Project Mandate

Project
Plan

Acceptance
Project Brief Outline Plan
Start-up Criteria
Feasibilty Study
These control
documents are
prepared and
updated throughout Feasibility Report
the project as
required Communication
Plan
Project Business Study
Initiation
Initiation + Planning Document

Checkpoint Report Project Management

Approach Aspects
B.A.D.
OutlinePrototyping S.A.D.
Management Plan
Quality Log Aspects
Stage Plan
Stage 1+ Planning
End Stage Report

Risks / Issues /
Exceptions / Project may run to
Lessons Logs several stages Functional Model Functional Model
Work Packages /
Timebox Plans Iteration
Implementatinn
Strategy
Product Checklist Stage x + Planning Stage Plan

Requests for End Stage report Design and Build

Implementation
Change Iteration

Close End Project Report Project Review User

Delivered System Design Prototypes Tested System
Change Control Document Documentation
Log

Post Project Trained Users

Post-implementation Review

Specialist
Management
Mixed Product
Product
Product
www.dsdm.org
 Offshore

• Many offshore projects fail or are delayed

• Solution: DSDM Offshore
– Amended standard DSDM
– Only one team!
– Several extra roles needed
– Existing roles need additional tasks
– Additional risks
– Few additions to phases
• Communication is vital
www.dsdm.org
 There Is One Team!

New Roles

New Responsibilities for Existing Roles

www.dsdm.org
 Summary
• Framework for Agile
Development
• Flexibility with Control
• Users Integrated into the
process
• Defined Lifecycle
• Defined Products
• Defined Roles
• Quality not compromised
www.dsdm.org
• www.dsdm.org
 Questions?

www.dsdm.org