Agile Contracts

Topic Overview:   How do you define contracts (formal or informal) with your 'customers' that do not force an initial waterfall?

Convenor or Lecturer:    Peter Watkins

Participants:  Ann Sofie Bille

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Session Notes:

 The general answer given when discussing this topic is that "trust is required".  Trust is typically something that is developed over time.  In attempting to set up an contract with a customer that does not yet have that trust, they typically want to know exactly what they are going to get for the money the contract says they are going to pay.

There was a general discussion on some of the issues:  particularly when dealing with large banks who are typically risk averse.  In most cases, these organizations also have a separate purchasing department who handle the legal aspects of the contract and seek minimum ambiguity in what will be delivered.

One approach discussed was ensuring every one (including, maybe especially, sales people) have a good understanding of agile techniques and are committed to selling the advantages of agile to the customer.  This ensures there is a desire on the customers behalf to accept a more loosely defined functional scope in exchange for the ability to modify requirements during the project without a heavy change control procedure.

Jeff Sutherland's work comparing CMM level  5 v's Agile was mentioned as a good selling tool to combat organizations desire for detailed upfront planning / design.