A session I gave at WCLAX 2016 on how I've applied Agile techniques to WordPress in an agency setting

1. Agile Methodology for
WordPress Development
WCLAX 2016

2. Who is this person, anyway?

3. Who is this person, anyway?

4. Certified Scrum
Product Owner
• Product Owner, Scrum Master,
Scrum Team
• Responsible for ROI of a product
• Conveys vision for the product to
the rest of the team
• Manages the product backlog in
the context of their understanding
of the goals of the product
• Responsible for answering the
question “Which development
activities will have the biggest
impact on the ROI”?

5. What is
?

6. Agile is…
• A workflow methodology founded in 2001 specifically
for software development
• Promotes incremental and continuous delivery of
working software
• Relies on small, cross-functional teams
• Encourages self-management and knowledge-sharing
within teams
• Places tremendous value on collaboration and iteration

7. Agile is…

9. Agile Manifesto
• Individuals and interactions over processes
and tools
• Working software over comprehensive
documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract
negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

10. 12 Agile Principles
Customer satisfaction by early and continuous delivery of valuable software
Welcome changing requirements, even in late development
Working software is delivered frequently (weeks rather than months)
Close, daily cooperation between business people and developers
Projects are built around motivated individuals, who should be trusted
Face-to-face conversation is the best form of communication (co-location)
Working software is the principal measure of progress
Sustainable development, able to maintain a constant pace
Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design
Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential
Best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams
Regularly, the team reflects on how to become more effective, and adjusts accordingly

11. Agile & WordPress

12. All About
Epics

13. All About
Epics

14. Your Project: Day 1

15. 2
Welcome changing requirements,
even late in development…
(even it may be annoying AF)

17. Articles submitted directly
by authors
Custom user roles to
reflect editorial roles
Display and search for
events
Buy tickets for events
directly from the event
listing
Develop Epics from your WordPress UI

18. Product Backlog
Articles submitted
directly by authors
Display and search for
events
Buy tickets for events
directly from the event
listing
Custom user roles to
reflect editorial roles
Using posts
Using Events Calendar
Pro
Using ECP
Modify WP user roles to
reflect specific needs of
editorial staff
Front Back

19. User Stories

20. As a __________ I need to ___________
so I can _________

21. As a project manager I need to select which team members are
included on a message so I can communicate with people
individually or as a group

22. 10
Simplicity--the art of maximizing the
amount of work not done--is
essential.

23. 10
Simplicity is essential.
(duh…)

24. As a __________ I need to ___________
so I can _________
(Why?)

25. Product Backlog
Articles submitted
directly by authors
Display and search for
events
Buy tickets for events
directly from the event
listing
Custom user roles to
reflect editorial roles
Sprint Backlog
As a publisher I need to be able to publish all
articles but do not have editorial permissions
As an editor I need to edit draft posts inline so they
can be sent back to authors for revision
As a publisher I need to be able to publish all
articles but do not have editorial permissions

26. Sprints
Let’s Talk About

27. Sprint Facts
• 1, 2 or 4 week periods of development.
• Begin with a sprint planning meeting in
which issues are drawn from the product
backlog to become action items in the
sprint backlog
• Conclude with a sprint retrospective in
which the team discusses what went well
and what could be improved in the future
• It is expected that a component of
complete software will be delivered at
the conclusion of a sprint

28. 12
Regularly, the team reflects on how to
become more effective, and adjusts
accordingly.
(grasshopper…)

29. Good/Bad/Better/Best
Good Bad
Better Best

30. AgileWaterfall
Spectrum

31. Thank you!
Email: libby@hmn.md
Twitter: @esb1244