The Heart of Data Modeling: 7 Ways Your Agile Project is Managing Data Wrong

Karen Lopez@DATACHICK

Feb 2015

www.dataversity.netwww.datamodel.com 1

Karen Lopez @datachick #HeartData

Heart of Data Modeling7 Ways Your Agile ProjectIs Managing Your Data Wrong

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Feb 2015


Karen López

Karen has 20+ years of data and information architecture experience on large, multi-project programs.

She is a frequent speaker on data modeling, data-driven methodologies and pattern data models.

She wants you to love your data.

Data Modelers are people, too....so let’s get to know you….


Feb 2015


POLL: Who Are

You?

What Have You Worked on?

Aug 2014


Feb 2015


Attendees, be part of the webinar

Use Q&A for formal questions

Use chat to discuss with each

other

Plan for Today

What is Agile? What isn’t Agile?What is Agile? What isn’t Agile?

Where does data modeling fit in Agile?Where does data modeling fit in Agile?

What role should a data modeler fill?What role should a data modeler fill?

7 data modeling mistakes on Agile projects7 data modeling mistakes on Agile projects

10 Tips for making Agile + Data Modeling work10 Tips for making Agile + Data Modeling work


Feb 2015


Agile MethodsWhat are they? What else are they?Plus at little bit of SCRUM

I love working on

Agile projects


Feb 2015


It’s FRAGILE

projects I hate.

Agile Manifestohttp://www.agilemanifesto.org/


Feb 2015


Agile Principles…readable copy coming next…

Principles Behind the Agile Manifesto

1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.

2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.

3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with preference to the shorter timescale.

4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.

5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.

6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.


Feb 2015


Principles Behind the Agile Manifesto

7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.

8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.

9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.

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

11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.

12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

Manifesto for Agile Software Development


Feb 2015


Agile “Extensions”…

Everyone is a generalist

Agile Blocking

Excluded titles

•Administrators

•Architects

•Managers

Test Driven Development

No BMUF/BDUF

Paired programming

Did I say Blocking?

Agile Blocking & Data Modeling

The blockers effectively implement a “process façade” around your team that makes it appear to the rest of the organization that your team is following their existing procedures. This satisfies the bureaucrats, yet prevents them from meddling with the people that are doing the real work. Although it sounds like a wasted overhead, and it is because it would be far more effective to divert both the blockers and bureaucrats to efforts that produce something of value, the advantage is that it enables the rest of the team to get the job done. The role of blocker is often taken on by your team’s project manager or coach, although in the past I have let this be a revolving role on the project so as to spread out the pain of dealing with the paper pushers.

http://www.agiledata.org/essays/adopting.html#sthash.gvFL7Hd4.dpuf


Feb 2015


Scrum Values

Focus

• Because we focus on only a few things at a time, we work well together and produce excellent work. We deliver valuable items sooner.

Courage

• Because we work as a team, we feel supported and have more resources at our disposal. This gives us the courage to undertake greater challenges.

Openness

• As we work together, we express how we're doing, what's in our way, and our concerns so they can be addressed.

Commitment

• Because we have great control over our own destiny, we are more committed to success.

Respect

• As we work together, sharing successes and failures, we come to respect each other and to help each other become worthy of respect.

- https://www.scrumalliance.org/why-scrum/core-scrum-values-roles#sthash.RgaO3uIK.dpuf

All work performed in Scrum needs a set of values as the foundation for the team's processes and interactions. And by embracing these five values, the team makes them even more instrumental to its health and success.

Agile/Scrum Concepts

Parking Lots

Backlogs

Scrum Masters

Self Organizing

Teams

Daily Scrum

(stand ups)

Stories

Sprints


Feb 2015


https://www.scrumalliance.org/why-scrum

Agile/Scrum development project

22


Feb 2015


Typical Sprint

Sprint Planning

Backlog Stories

START

READING DEVELOPMENT DELIVER

END

Where the hell

is our

database?

Managing Data Wrong - One

Expecting data modeling & database design to be completed in an instant at the beginning of a sprint


Feb 2015


Managing Data – Fix it

Sprint Planning

Backlog Stories

START


END

Managing Data – Fix it Better

Sprint Planning

Backlog Stories

SART

READING DEVELOPMENT

START


END

Sprint Planning

Backlog Stories

START

READING


Feb 2015


Enterprise Applications are Complex

27

Enterprise data

Enterprise Solutions involve complex applications & databases

• Data Modelers understand the data

• Metadata is available

• Enterprise tools are complex

• Vendor packages are used

• External data is used

• NoSQL data & tech are used


Feb 2015


Metadata

Security Requirements

Privacy Requirements

Stewardship

Quality Requirements

Semantics of data

Managing Data Wrong - Two

Thinking that “Just Enough Documentation”

means “Don’t USE EXISTING MODELS”

Let me go get a

pen and paper

Where do we

start?


Feb 2015



There is data wealth in the enterprise. Use it.

Use data professionals who know where it is,

how to use it.

Enterprise Projects are Integration Projects

32


Feb 2015


Managing Data Wrong - Three

Expecting Enterprise data modeling &

database design to be completed Quickly, By Generalists

I don’t want to

do the

database…let’s

get mickey. Hey

Mickey!

It’s your turn

to do the

database

Managing Data Wrong - Four

Doing Sprint Planning without data professionals

Let’s start with

Payroll. It’s just

reading some

data

Where should

we start?


Feb 2015


Sprint Planning

Backlog Stories

All kinds of other infrastructure

things

Managing Data Wrong - Five

Thinking of data models & DDL as just more code orJust Documentation

I don’t have time

for

documentation

right now

When are you

going to get

writing the

data model


Feb 2015



Data models are just enough

documentation, if done by

professionals.

Use data professionals who know where it is,

how to use it.

Build better databases with

existing data models

Build faster with existing data

models

Sprints

Agile Sprints

1-3 weeks

2-3 back-to-back sprints

Recovery Sprint

Special sprints

Like running intervals

Jim Galloway Sprints

- http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/run-walk/#sthash.Uv8cdU3R.dpuf


Feb 2015


Managing Data Wrong - Six

Expecting data Modelers to Sprint a Marathon

I heard maybe

sometime next

year

When is our

Recovery

Sprint?

Managing Data Wrong - Seven

Embracing iterative

development for everyone ELSE.

Yeah, let’s go

find some

waterfalls to

play in

Um, no more

changes to the

database,

m‘Kay?


Feb 2015



Iterations are awesome…

…Except for those that are iterated upon.

Don’t make gratuitous changes

Collaborate on changes that do need to be made

Plan for delivering the change.

Why is there a conflict?Most people have been taught data models are documentation.

Most people understand data models as ONLY mechanisms to generate DDL

Most data modelers are stuck to traditional development methods. Overly stuck to them.

Most people think software is the most important, most complex part of IT

Most people think data models are boxes and lines

Most people have never seen productive, iterative, responsive, flexible model driven development


Feb 2015


10 Tips for Data Modelers

1. Stop using the word Documentation when talking about data models

2. Get Scrum training. Get certified even

3. Learn the lingo.

4. Use the lingo

5. Push, advocate, lobby, educate, rant until others understand that data models are gold-filled resources for agile teams.


6. Get data models and DDL tasks moved sprints ahead

7. Don’t get pushed into sprinting a marathon

8. Don’t back off from Agile teams, even if they are hostile.

9. Don’t be a roadbock. Get ahead of the sprints


Feb 2015



10. Practice Agile techniques on your own deliverables

• Paired modeling (whiteboard, paper)

• Test driven development

• Backlogging

• Parkinglotting

• Continuous delivery

Plan for Today

What is Agile? What isn’t Agile?What is Agile? What isn’t Agile?

Where does data modeling fit in Agile?Where does data modeling fit in Agile?

What role should a data modeler fill?What role should a data modeler fill?

7 data modeling mistakes on Agile projects7 data modeling mistakes on Agile projects

10 Tips for making Agile + Data Modeling work10 Tips for making Agile + Data Modeling work


Feb 2015


http://edw2015.dataversity.net

AM8: Architecting and Modeling Columnar Data Stores

ER/Studio and Data Modeling Special Interest Group

Data Modeling and Design Throwdown (Double Session)

…and likely some other fun things!

Thank you, you were great. Let’s do this next month!

Karen Lopez @datachick

#heartdata

The Heart of Data Modeling: 7 Ways Your Agile Project is Managing Data Wrong

Technology

Transcript of The Heart of Data Modeling: 7 Ways Your Agile Project is Managing Data Wrong