Look at agile starting
from thermodynamics
Agile Tour 2015 Hangzhou
Philip Wang
Second law of thermodynamics
Heat can never pass from a colder to a warmer body without some
other change, connected therewith, occurring at the same time.
It is impossible, by means of inanimate material agency, to derive
mechanical effect from any portion of matter by cooling it below
the temperature of the coldest of the surrounding objects.
Clausius statement
Kelvin statement
The entropy of the universe tends to a maximum.
Photo is from Martin Röll from Dresden, Germany
Maxwell’s demon
Structural Organizational Complexity Dynamic Organizational Complexity
Structural IT Complexity Dynamic IT Complexity
Structural Dynamic
ITOrganizational
A Conceptual Framework for ISD Project Complexity
Lee & Xia/A Measure of ISD Project Complexity
Structural Organizational Complexity Dynamic Organizational Complexity
No sufficient/appropriate staffing
The business environment of the end-users
changed rapidly
No sufficient commitment/support from the top
management
The end-users’ organizational structure
changed rapidly
Project manager did not have direct control
over project resources
The end-users’ business processes changed
rapidly
The end-users’ information needs changed
rapidly
Implementing the project caused changes in
the users’ organizational structure
Structural IT Complexity Dynamic IT Complexity
Multiple technology platforms
Information technologies that the project
depended on changed rapidly
Multiple software environments
IT infrastructure that the project depended on
changed rapidly
A lot of integration with other systems
IT architecture that the project depended on
changed rapidly
Multiple external contractors and vendors
Software development tools that the project
depended on changed rapidly
Real-time data processing
Structural Dynamic
ITOrganizational
A Conceptual Framework for ISD Project Complexity
Lee & Xia/A Measure of ISD Project Complexity
Structural Organizational Complexity Dynamic Organizational Complexity
Structural IT Complexity Dynamic IT Complexity
Structural Dynamic
ITOrganizational
A Conceptual Framework for ISD Project Complexity
Lee & Xia/A Measure of ISD Project Complexity
IT infrastructure
Data
Application
Software development tools
Uncertainty
Requirements
Business Processes
Organizational structure
Uncertainty
Stakeholders(
Users,
project team,
external contractors and vendors)
Variety
IT infrastructure
Data
Application
Technology
Variety
The Stacey matrix
Complex System
A system composed of a large number of
interacting components, without central control,
whose emergent “global” behavior---described in
terms of dynamics, information processing, and/or
adaptation.
http://www.complexityexplorer.org
Blah blah Blah Blah Blah
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

Blah blah blah blah blah

Blah blah blah blah blah

Blah blah blah blah blah
Blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Blah Blah
Blah Blah
Blah Blah Blah
Blah Blah
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Blah Blah
Blah Blah
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Blah Blah
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Blah Blah Blah
Blah Blah
Blah Blah
Blah Blah
Blah Blah
The origin idea is from Alexey Krivitsky's blog.
3 Pillars in Scrum
• Transparency
• Inspection
• Adaptation
–Martin Fowler
“XP has rejuvenated the notion of evolutionary design
with practices that allow evolution to become a viable
design strategy.”
“The best architectures, requirements, and designs 

emerge from self-organizing teams.”
–Ken Schwaber
“An ant colony, the brain, the immune system, a Scrum
team, and New York City, are self-organizing systems..”
https://6legs2many.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/ant-bridge/
http://gabrieltj.weebly.com/unit-3-all-about-the-brain.html
self-organizing system
characters
• distributed control
• continuous adaptation to a changing environment
• emergent structure from local interaction
• feedback, both positive and negative
• resilience due to the system’s ability to repair and
adjust
Sigi Kaltenecker and Peter Hundermark
What Are Self-Organising Teams?
Self-organizing Scrum Team
• Pulling work
• Solving conflicts internally
• Improving process by themselves
• Suggesting solutions
• Delivering value
Oleksandr Lutsaievskyi: How to build a superstar self-organizing team?
Build Self-organizing Team
• Set the common goal
• Give authority
• Enable knowledge-sharing
• Let team decide
• Set good metrics
Oleksandr Lutsaievskyi: How to build a superstar self-organizing team?
–Jim Highsmith
“At the heart of complex adaptive systems
theory’s relevance to software development is
the concept of emergence, and the factors
leading to emergent results. ”
References
• COMPLEXITY: THE EMERGING SCIENCE AT THE EDGE
OF ORDER AND CHAOS by M. Mitchell Waldrop
• THE NATURE OF COMPLEXITY IN IS PROJECTS AND
PROGRAMMES by Gregory Robert
• CONDITIONS FOR SELF-ORGANIZING IN HUMAN
SYSTEMS by Glenda Holladay Eoyang
• Toward a complexity theory of information systems
development by Hind Benbya and Bill McKelvey
• Leading a Self-Organizing Team by Mike Cohn

Look at agile starting from thermodynamics

  • 1.
    Look at agilestarting from thermodynamics Agile Tour 2015 Hangzhou Philip Wang
  • 2.
    Second law ofthermodynamics Heat can never pass from a colder to a warmer body without some other change, connected therewith, occurring at the same time. It is impossible, by means of inanimate material agency, to derive mechanical effect from any portion of matter by cooling it below the temperature of the coldest of the surrounding objects. Clausius statement Kelvin statement
  • 3.
    The entropy ofthe universe tends to a maximum.
  • 4.
    Photo is fromMartin Röll from Dresden, Germany
  • 5.
  • 6.
    Structural Organizational ComplexityDynamic Organizational Complexity Structural IT Complexity Dynamic IT Complexity Structural Dynamic ITOrganizational A Conceptual Framework for ISD Project Complexity Lee & Xia/A Measure of ISD Project Complexity
  • 7.
    Structural Organizational ComplexityDynamic Organizational Complexity No sufficient/appropriate staffing The business environment of the end-users changed rapidly No sufficient commitment/support from the top management The end-users’ organizational structure changed rapidly Project manager did not have direct control over project resources The end-users’ business processes changed rapidly The end-users’ information needs changed rapidly Implementing the project caused changes in the users’ organizational structure Structural IT Complexity Dynamic IT Complexity Multiple technology platforms Information technologies that the project depended on changed rapidly Multiple software environments IT infrastructure that the project depended on changed rapidly A lot of integration with other systems IT architecture that the project depended on changed rapidly Multiple external contractors and vendors Software development tools that the project depended on changed rapidly Real-time data processing Structural Dynamic ITOrganizational A Conceptual Framework for ISD Project Complexity Lee & Xia/A Measure of ISD Project Complexity
  • 8.
    Structural Organizational ComplexityDynamic Organizational Complexity Structural IT Complexity Dynamic IT Complexity Structural Dynamic ITOrganizational A Conceptual Framework for ISD Project Complexity Lee & Xia/A Measure of ISD Project Complexity IT infrastructure Data Application Software development tools Uncertainty Requirements Business Processes Organizational structure Uncertainty Stakeholders( Users, project team, external contractors and vendors) Variety IT infrastructure Data Application Technology Variety
  • 9.
  • 10.
    Complex System A systemcomposed of a large number of interacting components, without central control, whose emergent “global” behavior---described in terms of dynamics, information processing, and/or adaptation. http://www.complexityexplorer.org
  • 11.
    Blah blah BlahBlah Blah Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
 blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.
 Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
 Blah blah blah blah blah
 Blah blah blah blah blah
 Blah blah blah blah blah Blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
 blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah The origin idea is from Alexey Krivitsky's blog.
  • 12.
    3 Pillars inScrum • Transparency • Inspection • Adaptation
  • 13.
    –Martin Fowler “XP hasrejuvenated the notion of evolutionary design with practices that allow evolution to become a viable design strategy.”
  • 14.
    “The best architectures,requirements, and designs 
 emerge from self-organizing teams.”
  • 15.
    –Ken Schwaber “An antcolony, the brain, the immune system, a Scrum team, and New York City, are self-organizing systems..”
  • 16.
  • 17.
  • 19.
    self-organizing system characters • distributedcontrol • continuous adaptation to a changing environment • emergent structure from local interaction • feedback, both positive and negative • resilience due to the system’s ability to repair and adjust
  • 20.
    Sigi Kaltenecker andPeter Hundermark What Are Self-Organising Teams?
  • 21.
    Self-organizing Scrum Team •Pulling work • Solving conflicts internally • Improving process by themselves • Suggesting solutions • Delivering value Oleksandr Lutsaievskyi: How to build a superstar self-organizing team?
  • 22.
    Build Self-organizing Team •Set the common goal • Give authority • Enable knowledge-sharing • Let team decide • Set good metrics Oleksandr Lutsaievskyi: How to build a superstar self-organizing team?
  • 23.
    –Jim Highsmith “At theheart of complex adaptive systems theory’s relevance to software development is the concept of emergence, and the factors leading to emergent results. ”
  • 24.
    References • COMPLEXITY: THEEMERGING SCIENCE AT THE EDGE OF ORDER AND CHAOS by M. Mitchell Waldrop • THE NATURE OF COMPLEXITY IN IS PROJECTS AND PROGRAMMES by Gregory Robert • CONDITIONS FOR SELF-ORGANIZING IN HUMAN SYSTEMS by Glenda Holladay Eoyang • Toward a complexity theory of information systems development by Hind Benbya and Bill McKelvey • Leading a Self-Organizing Team by Mike Cohn