Watch AGL Live: “Battle of the Frameworks: Choosing Agile Approaches for Government Projects”

SAFe, Scrum, Kanban, or something else?

In the latest AGL Live, experienced leaders of agile government projects explain how to choose the right approach for your team size and project type — starting with a beginner-level overview of each framework.

Participants

• Brent Weaver | Implementation Director, U.S. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• Joey Spooner | Kanban Trainer, TriTech Enterprise Systems, Inc.
• Jon Stone | Agile Coach/Director, The Private Sector Group LLC.
• Dave Witkin | Principal, Packaged Agile

Watch now

Discussion Highlights

• Why are there so many ways to “do” agile, and what are they? (6:00)
• Overview of Scrum in government (9:15)
• Overview of Kanban in government (13:30)
• Overview of SAFe in government (18:45)
• Fitness for purpose: how to decide what framework to use (23:30)
• When Scrum is commonly used in government and the types of problems it helps solve (29:45)
• When Kanban is commonly used in government and the types of problems it helps solve (31:26)
• When SAFe is commonly used in government and the types of problems it helps solve (34:24)
• How to take a framework and move to a realistic implementation based on your needs (37:35)
• How to implement a complicated framework like SAFe in a government agency (38:22)
• In Kanban, how do you engage the customer? (40:08)
• In Scrum, how do you empower a PO who is a couple of levels removed from the end users, as often happens in government? (42:26)
• Do these different approaches affect agile acquisitions? (46:13)
• Perspective from a government agency (CMS) on the movement towards agile contracting (51:39)
• Common pitfalls of Scrum to look out for (53:01)
• Common pitfalls of SAFe to look out for (55:42)
• Common pitfalls of Kanban to look out for (56:50)

Resources

• Video: Kanban implementation at the Dept. of Labor
• Book: Essential Scrum
• Book: Scrum Shortcuts Without Cutting Corners
• Book: The Phoenix Project
• Article: 5 Myths About Scaling Agile in Government
• SAFe training from Jon’s company
• Agile Team Facilitation for Scrum Masters
• Kanban books and materials from Joey (use discount code JoeyKMM for a deal!)