wiki.accu.org

Back to 2015-proposals

Title: TDD for Business Strategy: Developing Agile Business Strategies Test-First
Proposer: Tom Sedge
Type: Tutorial
Duration: 90 mins
Description:
Many organisations struggle to cross the “strategy chasm” between their business goals and their product pipelines. What should we do and how should we do it? How do we make sure that we don’t simply use Agile to deliver the wrong thing well?

Business strategies are rarely anchored in any meaningful methodology, seldom driven by data and almost never testable until it is too late; becoming the dysfunctional child of highly-paid people’s opinions pursued with a strident bet-the-farm zeal belying true levels of risk.

This is a path to ruin. But it is not the only path.

It is possible to develop business strategies using a test-driven approach. Done well, this yields similar benefits to those we find in software: tight iterations, fast feedback, quality built in, early detection of problems, and progressive refactoring opportunities. Strategy should never be static and needs the feedback of real experience to improve and shape it. It is crucially important to underpin it with a meaningful mission, clear vision and quantifiable goals.

Through a series of case studies, examples and simple practical tools, we explore how to develop effective business strategies through the application of test-first principles. For those who don’t get to set strategy in their organisation, we’ll also cover how approach the conversation with sceptical leaders.

This is a useful and thought-provoking session for leaders, managers, developers and testers alike - even if you don’t have a role shaping strategy in your workplace you can have a role in seeding the mindset of change and shaping the thinking of those around you. Business strategy is too important to get wrong.