Siebel Agile

Release
Process Improvements
Workout

Agenda

Duration in
min

Summary of the workout

15

Report out on Kaizen Areas

Configuration Management
Installation Qualification
Testing & Approvals during Hardening Sprint
OPS & Agile

60 (15min
each)

Kaizen Plan & Next steps

15

Current State VSM

All stories from Sprint-1
queue up here for 2
weeks. Not valid for
Sprint-2 stories
Hardening Sprint (Validation
Testing). Note: Data here is for all
Rel-1 stories together

Development Sprints
(Development & testing)
Reduce NVA and
ENVA times
for testing

Develop
ment in
local m/c

1
4
1
0

Test Env
1 compile

Unit test
in Test
Env 1

18

1
1

System
test in
Test Env
2.

Test Env
2 compile

UAT and
Regressio
n in Test
Env 4

Test Env
4 compile

18
8

1
1

Reduce cycle time

for IQ

IQ

240
20

13
2
60

Reduce waste in
hardening sprint

T2
approvals

FCCC
approvals
& Go-live

Testing

13
6
5
6

12
0

60
6
0

Velocity per team: ~30 story points (6 weeks) Hardening CT: 5weeks
Release CT: 11 weeks
Value Creation time:
73hrs

NVA (Non value add):

408hrs

Time spent on creating

business value (working
s/w)

Waiting time

ENVA (Essential NVA): 491

Activities essential but do not create
business value (working software)

We need to CHANGE

Value
creation %
=8

Future State VSM (Rel-3)

Hardening Sprint (Validation
Testing). Note: Data here is for all
Rel-1 stories together

Development Sprints
(Development & testing)
Reduce NVA and
ENVA times
for testing

Develop
ment in
local m/c

1
4
1
0

Test Env
1 compile

Unit test
in Test
Env 1

1
1

System
test in
Test Env
2.

Test Env
2 compile

1
1

UAT and
Regressio
n in Test
Env 4

Test Env
4 compile

2
8

1
1

IQ

240
20

Reduce cycle time

for IQ

Reduce waste in
hardening sprint

T2
approvals

All
Approvals
& Go-live

Testing

54

64

42

3
2

72

60
6
0

Hardening CT: 4 weeks **

ocity per team: ~30 + X story points + 0.5 sprint (7 weeks)
20%

Release CT: 11 weeks

** Opportunity of 1 more week
reduction subject to closure with
QA, ITC and VM

Pass 1 week from Hardening (NVA) to Development

Future State VSM (Beyond Rel-3)

Hardening Sprint (Validation
Testing). Note: Data here is for all
Rel-1 stories together

Development Sprints
(Development & testing)
Reduce NVA and
ENVA times
for testing

Develop
ment in
local m/c

1
4
1
0

Test Env
1 compile

Unit test
in Test
Env 1

1
1

System
test in
Test Env
2.

Test Env
2 compile

1
1

Reduce cycle time

for IQ

UAT and
Regressio
n in Test
Env 4

Test Env
4 compile

2
8

IQ

240
20

Velocity per team: ~50+ story points (8 weeks)

Reduce waste in
hardening sprint

T2
approvals

All
Approvals
& Go-live

Testing

54

64

42

3
2

72

60
6
0

Hardening CT: 3 weeks **

25%

Release CT: 11 weeks

** Potential 2X improvement with the

same team size subject to kaizens being
closed

Line of sight for 2X** improvement per

Configuration Mgmt Top 3 Actions identified

Environment build issues
cause delay in code
movement
- Code movements are on
demand
- Compiles fail & cause delay
from 4 hours to 1 day
CM team bandwidth
consumed with issue
resolution and build
activities
- Limited time to focus on Agile
process improvements
Reduced cycle time
- Closer to continuous
integration
- 10% reduction in compile
time
- Reduction in build failures

Expected Benefits

Resource retention and

operational excellence

1. FMEA analysis on code compile

failures
2. Resources hire resources with
problem management and Siebel
Admin skills. Resources
interviewed by Scrum team
3. Best practices
1. Automate code compiles
2. Automation to generate
software build scripts
4. Instance planning workout

Help needed
1. 2012 Plans deployment
timelines, POCs, Pilots, program
scope
2. Resources Siebel experts to help
drive automation (may require
funding)
3. CM Team co-location with Scrum
Team

Q Cycle time Reduction

Top 3 Actions identified
First two Agile releases had a
much longer than desired IQ
cycle time due to many
activities performed
sequentially as well many nonvalue add activities.

Expected Benefits
1. Reduction in the overall IQ cycle
time by at least 4 calendar days
2. Level loading/prioritizing of VM
bandwidth

1. No DRS (pre-requisite) from Rel3

onwards.
2. SBS Approvals and post-IQ
approvals by Project VMs from India
itself.
3. IQ Execution - CM team to stagger
shifts to complete the entire IQ in 3
days. This includes the approvals
also.

Help needed
1. Support from the Scrum and
other support teams (DB/TSO,
for ex) during IQ execution
2. Need Certified VM in Bangalore

Testing

Agile Testers capacity blocked owing

to Hardening Sprints

Manual Regression Testing

Consumes Time, Effort, Cost

Test case Design Duplicate efforts in

Test documentation & execution in the
current
UAT vs. STS model

Expected Benefits
Release 3 benefits

Enables Agile Testers to focus

continuous sprints

Top 3 Actions identified

Fixed Bid Team to support entire

Hardening Sprint

Identify Test suite from Functional

Teams to Automate

Design Test cases that unify UAT & STS

approaches

Help needed
Test Automation

T&M Resources to
i) Identify Production Test cases
ii) Document Test cases
( $14K : 1 T&M for ~70 days)

Support from Functional Team

- Long term : 10 days freed up. Additional 1 sprint

can be added
- Release 3 : 3 days reduced from 10 days
Hardening sprint cycle

Faster Test execution, Repeated cycles

with less cost Future Releases
- 2 days saved from entire Hardening sprint

Saves Cost & Time More capacity for

Agile Testers + Robust Regression
Stack Release 3

Ops & Agile Team Top Actions identified

-

Multiple Code/development
Streams feeding Production.
Frequent Code conflict issues with
multiple development teams.
More overhead w/ multiple project
& team leaders with different
objectives.
Environment contention, including
refreshes (Ex. Stage)

Expected Benefits
-

Reduced code/migration errors to

production.
Centralized development with
clear priorities.
Reduced contention on
environments.
Fewer code versioning issues.
KT simplified due to team synergy
Better utilization of total resource
pool

As a Pilot, Merge the Agile & Ops

team
Understand Operational &
Contractual gaps
Business Agreement on Break fix
cycle times

Help needed
-

Business buy in on cycle time

Secure OPs support
Contract Review

Next Steps

Update Kaizen plan

Weekly status update on Kaizens
Update to GMT in a month
Identify key roles to be added