@gil_zilberfeld
Continuous Learning
The New ALM
Gil Zilberfeld
@gil_zilberfeld
Who am I?
Agile helper
Software improver
Author of “Everyday Unit Testing”
www.gilzilberfeld.com
www.everydayunittesting.com
@gil_zilberfeld
@gil_zilberfeld
ALM – What is it good for?
@gil_zilberfeld
We want to create successful
products!
@gil_zilberfeld
Define success!
@gil_zilberfeld
Product life-cycle
Research
Roadmap
BuildRelease
Validate
@gil_zilberfeld
Product life-cycle
Research
Roadmap
ALMRelease
Validate
@gil_zilberfeld
ALM Tools
Status
Metrics
Cross-reference
Constraints
Automation
@gil_zilberfeld
Building the thing right
@gil_zilberfeld
The Agile Manifesto
@gil_zilberfeld
What if the requirements are
wrong?
@gil_zilberfeld
“There is nothing quite so useless, as
doing with great efficiency, something
that should not be done at all.”
Peter F. Drucker
@gil_zilberfeld
ALM tools are optimized for
efficiency,
not effectiveness
@gil_zilberfeld
Building the right thing
@gil_zilberfeld
Analysis doesn’t work in
innovative development
@gil_zilberfeld
What we call requirements are
really assumptions
@gil_zilberfeld
“Uncertainty is an uncomfortable
position. But certainty is an absurd
one.”
Voltaire
@gil_zilberfeld
The cost of error
Roadmap
Feature
Requireme
nt
Story
@gil_zilberfeld
Cost
• Re-work
• Opportunity cost
• Fear
• Blame
• Attrition
@gil_zilberfeld
Feedback loops
• In-house customer
• Customer representative
• Alpha / Beta
• Release
@gil_zilberfeld
The antidote for uncertainty is
continuous learning
@gil_zilberfeld
Lean Startup
Build
MeasureLearn
@gil_zilberfeld
Continuous experimentation
@gil_zilberfeld
Product experimentation
Hypothesis
Acceptance
criteria
BuildValidate
Refine
@gil_zilberfeld
Experiment board
Problem Hypothesis Possible experiments Experiments in
Progress
Result
@gil_zilberfeld
The life cycle doesn’t end with CI
ready
@gil_zilberfeld
DevOps
@gil_zilberfeld
Productization
Build
StabilizeMonitor
@gil_zilberfeld
Continuous improvement is, well,
continuous
@gil_zilberfeld
Continuous learning requires
short feedback loops
@gil_zilberfeld
Short feedback loops require size
reduction
@gil_zilberfeld
Think small
Projects Teams Experiments
Code Build time Deploy time
@gil_zilberfeld
“The only way to win is to learn
faster than anyone else.”
Eric Ries
@gil_zilberfeld
ALM tools will some day support continuous
learning
• Portfolio level
• Product level
• Operations level
• Team level
@gil_zilberfeld
We’re not there yet
@gil_zilberfeld
Don’t wait for the tools.
Start learning now.
@gil_zilberfeld
Thank You!
Agile helper
Software improver
Author of “Everyday Unit Testing”
www.gilzilberfeld.com
www.everydayunittesting.com
@gil_zilberfeld

Continuous Learning - The New ALM