Granikos Technology Blog

What is agile?

Today we start with our  short series about agile Project Management with this first article.

Agile Project Management - The "evil dark method" which opposes the good old Waterfall Model!

Nowadays almost everyone (at least in IT environments) talks about agile project management methods.
Some already checked them out, but often enough there are some counter positions to these methods which are related to some unclear things within the methodology.

This small series will try to describe in detail what agile project management is and what are the success factors.

First of all: agile project management is a methodology and a mindset! It is NOT a strictly designed process, which will solve problems magically.
Key points of "agile" are:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

• Working software over comprehensive documentation

• End User collaboration over contract negotiation

• Responding to change over following a plan

Agile Project management works iterative, the product AND the process will be reviewed and optimized after each iteration

The highly collaborative structure focuses on teamwork and end user transparency as in showing actual project progress or problems which slowed down the progress

At the end of each iteration there will be a product increment which can be used by the customer, this creates actual value and ROI even before the end of the project

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

  • Changing requirements & environment
  • Misunderstanding of requirements
  • Scope creep
  • Change of resources
  • Lack of communication between End User and IT

    
Agile Project management can be used in nearly all custom development projects.

However there are certain scenarios where agile might not be the to-go option:

    
If your project has 100% fixed requirements, which will surely not change during the project (by the way...just because they are written down, it does not mean they are fixed!)…

If you roll out "commercial off-the-shelf" software, which is already packaged and automatically distributed (think about MS Office for example)...
If your project deals with upgrading or patching a system…
 
… then agile might not be the right approach.
 
If you are thinking about doing your own agile project it is highly recommended to involve an already agile-experienced colleague as an "Agile-Coach".
He can help you to set up the process and working mode and help to get a clear understanding what agile is about.
 
Here are some doubts which are quite common regarding agile methods:
 

A project manager or End User might say:

• "Agile is chaos! The outcome and the goal of the project is not clear!"
  • The working mode is actually very structured and strict. There is a vision for each iteration and the project itself. This vision is the basis for the outcome of the iteration or project.
• "I am unsure about what do i get when?"
  • After each iteration there will be a product increment which can potentially be used by the customer. It contains the most important functions, as they are implemented according to the prioritization.
• "I am already doing agile projects all the time!"
  • Today's requirements to IT basically can't be served by following the waterfall model. This might be the reason you are already agile in a way. It still might be useful to include more agile working methods, to actually work agile and not "pseudo-agile".

The QM-People might say:

• "Where is the documentation?"
  • Each project creates their own "Definition of Done", which has to be completed for each requirement. This also includes necessary documentation of what was actually done. Furthermore the current project management process is in rework. After the rework it will also include agile projects and therefore also give requirements for documentation.

The developer might say:

• "There are too many meetings!"
  • If you don't think that the meetings benefit to your project - just don't do them. Agile is based on customizing and optimizing the process. If you realize later on that the meetings were actually useful - just do them again. It is YOUR agile way of working, not a "set-in-stone" process.
• "I can't commit my workload for the next two weeks!"
  • If you can't commit your workload for just two weeks, then how can you commit on a project which has a duration of multiple months?
  • If you are not able to commit on your work, this might also show the organization in which areas there are resources missing.

The team lead might say:

• "This won't fit to my area"
  • Discuss the approach with your customers or try it out if possible. If the customer and developer satisfaction is lower than usually, or the efficiency of the project was lower - stick to what works best for you.
  • By trying out we mean that you try the approach in a smaller project, to see if it makes sense for you. It is highly recommended to include an "Agile-Coach" who helps you to set up the project and to integrate agile methods into your work.

This was the first part of our small Series about Agile Project Management. Look out for the next part which we are going to publish soon called "Agile Project Management – What is SCRUM"

The whole Series contains 4 pieces:

Agile Project Management – Basics (Part1)
Agile Project Management – What is SCRUM (Part2)
Agile Project Management – Agile Project Management in real Life (Part3)
Agile Project Management – Agile on the next Level – Program Management (Part4)

If you have any comments on our Articles, your Feedback is highly welcome.

The Program:

• Implementation/migration of round about 25 instances with a Specific Laboratory Software, supporting ~30 laboratories world-wide

• Reduce support cost per instance by standardization (for existing and added instances)

• Development of a template ("foundation") containing common functionality which can be influenced by configuration. Integration of the foundation into all instances. Provide all instances in operation with the current version of the foundation on a regular basis.

The challenges:

• 2-3 implementation projects parallel
  • Full scope not clear in the beginning

• Increasing number of instances in operation
  • Regular update of foundation version necessary to keep them streamlined in order to reduce support cost
  • Requirements and bugfixes from systems in operation have to be included into foundation development process

• Many and changing team members, part-time availability
  • Round about 12 team members (incl. development and support)
  • Changes due to boundary conditions triggered by external influences
  • 80% of people only part-time available for the program

• High interdependency between ongoing projects and Systems which are already in in operation due to foundation development and shared resources.

• Organization of communication process between projects and operation

• Balancing individual business needs on one hand versus streamlined standard software on the other hand

Why agile:

• Manage individual projects (introduction of new Software)
  • Decision for projects taken during run-time of the program
  • Sequence of projects changing

• Manage user stories across projects (details not available at start of the program)
  • Each new project delivers a slightly differentiating list of user stories
  • Each instance in operation delivers additional stories

• Manage process
  • Change process quite complex, adaptions to the process must be quickly implementable
     

The agile setup - how did we handle the challenges:

• In fact the program has been setup before we got in touch with the standard Scrum process (See our blog: What is Scrum?). So we used other role names, but some of them have exactly - amongst others - the tasks defined for the standard Scrum roles.

Orange = Business, Green = IT

• Scrum Master ~ Development Coordinator / Program QA

• Product Owner
  • Program Manager
    • Overall Product Owner
  • Project Manager and Application Managers
    • Product Owner for particular instances -> Prioritization and review / testing of stories
    • Write User Stories
    • "Imitate" the end user for sprint releases

• Global Change Manager
  • Scope definition for the foundation
  • Release management of the foundation
  • Organization of SME-Board
  • Prioritization
  • Product Owner for foundation

• Architect
  • Knowledge of implementation framework
  • Sets up development guidelines and general implementation approach
  • Gives first estimation of requirements with a technical view
  • Better management of the large product backlog, due to technical understanding, prioritization estimation

• Program QA
  • Set up of change management process for the program
  • Regular overall review of change management process
     

• Additional meetings
  • Subject Matter Experts Board (SME) (bi-weekly)
    • Participants: Whole team
    • Reviews the requirements from a technical and functional point of view
    • Gives implementation recommendations as decision memo for the CAB (Change Advisory Board)
    • Discusses additional technical issues
  • Process Review Meeting (quarterly in the beginning, currently twice a year)
    • Participants: Whole team 

The experiences:

• User stories: Definition of user stories dependent on target group, developing a template of user story definition fitting for all team member in different roles, with different views and different backgrounds is a time consuming task

• Testing: Developing awareness for testing right after delivering of implemented user story took also lot of time and patience 

• Definition of project related sprint releases is useful to get quick feedback and reduces the effort for project managers (not every project manager has to test each increment)

• A clear definition of product ownership incl. responsibility for successful product delivery is important for a successful project

This was the last part of our small Series about Agile Project Management

The whole Series contains 4 pieces:

Agile Project Management – Basics (Part1)
Agile Project Management – What is SCRUM (Part2)
Agile Project Management – Agile Project Management in real Life (Part3)
Agile Project Management – Agile on the next Level – Program Management (Part4)

If you have any comments on our Articles, your Feedback is highly welcome.

SCRUM as a method in Agile Project Management

In the preparation of this article, we discussed several ideas, how to introduce Scrum to you. In search of inspirations we have found the introduction video from the Scrum alliance.

In the end, this is a pretty short 80-seconds introduction to Scrum, which we would like to show to you, instead of reinventing the wheel again.

In addition to the video we would like to share more information:

Expectations to Scrum:

Scrum is very good when it comes to establishing agile methods into an organization. By providing a simple approach it can easily be picked up and enhanced. Also Scrum is very well known and there are lots of experienced Scrum Coaches in the outside world of Covestro.

Scrum is a framework which provides a basis of 3 roles, 4 activities and 3 artifacts, which will now be explained in detail.

Each Scrum implementation is different though. Depending on the project or the organization there will be additional roles or activities. Scrum focuses on communication and collaboration by discussing requirements and short feedback cycles, which is the most important thing to keep in mind.

In the following we want to explain the different roles, activities and artifacts. Furthermore we want to provide you a check list what you have to prepare for your first Scrum project.

Terms:

Roles:

• Product Owner
  • Manages the product backlog and overviews all user stories
  • Drives the product vision
  • Represents the project stakeholders and gathers requirements and feedback from them

• Scrum Master
  • Establishes the Scrum process and makes sure that the process is followed
  • "Coach" of the Dev. Team

• Development Team
  • Self-organized and cross functional (tester, designer, architect, developer)
  • Realizes the user stories

Additional involved persons:

• Stakeholder
  • Involved in creating the requirements
  • Give feedback about the product increment
  • Examples: User, Application Owner, Application Manager, etc.

Activities:

• Daily Scrum
  • Dev. Team + Scrum Master
  • Daily stand up meeting: What did I do yesterday? What am I doing today? Anything that hinders my work?

• Sprint Planning
  • Product Owner + Dev. Team + Scrum Master
  • "Sprint Kickoff" - once per Sprint
  • Define Sprint scope, clarify last questions and estimate effort
  • Outcome = Sprint Backlog

• Sprint Review
  • Product Owner + Dev. Team + Scrum Master
  • Review product increment with stakeholders and collect their feedback
  • At the end of each Sprint

• Sprint Retrospective
  • Scrum Master + Dev. Team
  • Review the Scrum process
  • Identify optimizations for the Scrum Process and define tasks to realize the optimizations
  • At the end of each Sprint

Artifacts:

• Product Backlog
  • List of all requirements to the product, which are known so far
  • Prioritized and refined by the Product Owner
  • Requirements can be changed, added or removed from the backlog
  • Single source of requirements for changes to the product

• Sprint Backlog
  • List of all requirements which are planned to be realized in the next sprint
  • Cannot be changed during the sprint
  • Managed by the Dev. Team once the sprint started

• Product Increment
  • Result of each sprint
  • Can potentially be used by the customer

When you want to start your first Scrum project there are several tasks which should be completed upfront:

• Define your Scrum team (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Development Team)
• Explain Scrum to the project team and especially explain the roles
• Identify Stakeholders and involve them into the project setup

• Establish an agile mindset, explain reasons for Scrum and the agile approach, make sure the approach is understood and accepted
  • The initial set up is not carved in stone, it will evolve during the project together with the Scrum experience of the team mainly based on the Sprint Retrospective

• Decide on a Sprint duration

• Set up the meetings, reserve rooms and plan them ahead ideally for the whole project time

• If needed design additional roles/activities but do not overcomplicate the process

This was the second part of our small Series about Agile Project Management. Look out for the next part which we are going to publish soon called "Agile Project Management – Agile Project Management in real Life"

The whole Series contains 4 pieces:

Agile Project Management – Basics (Part1)
Agile Project Management – What is SCRUM (Part2)
Agile Project Management – Agile Project Management in real Life (Part3)
Agile Project Management – Agile on the next Level – Program Management (Part4)

If you have any comments on our Articles, your Feedback is highly welcome.

Problem

While trying to synchronize a new device with an Exchange mailbox, you receive an error with your new mobile phone partnership.

The Exchange Server 2010 Default Throttling Policy is configured to accept 10 ActiveSync devices per mailbox only.

You can validate this setting by using EMS

Get-ThrottlingPolicy def* | Select Name,EASMaxDevices

Solution

Use a scheduled PowerShell script to delete old ActiveSync Device partnerships that have not been used for a defined period of time.

Script

Find the most recent version on TechNet Gallery and Github, following the links provided in the Links section.

Modifiy the script path variables to fit your requirements. The variables are configured in the ### BEGIN Variables section.

Steps being executed:

1. Fetch all user mailboxes
2. Iterate through each user mailbox and determines the number of ActiveSync devices and the number of devices which have not synchronized since 150 days
3. Delete ActiveSync device registration, if a user has more than 4 devices in total and a minimum of 1 device that have not synced within 150 days

<#
    .SYNOPSIS
    Remove Exchange Server 2010 ActiveSync Device Partnerships 
   
   	Sebastian Rubertus / Thomas Stensitzki
	
	THIS CODE IS MADE AVAILABLE AS IS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. THE ENTIRE 
	RISK OF THE USE OR THE RESULTS FROM THE USE OF THIS CODE REMAINS WITH THE USER.

    Send comments and remars to: support@granikos.eu
	
	Version 1.0, 2015-04-09
 
    .LINK  
    More information can be found at http://www.rubertus.net/Blog/tabid/85/EntryId/41/Scripted-removing-of-ActiveSync-Device-Partnerships.aspx 
	
    .DESCRIPTION

    THis script removes ActiveSync device association from user mailboxes
    that have been inactive for more than 150 days.

    .NOTES 
    Requirements 
    - Exchange Server 2010
    - Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2  

    Revision History 
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
    1.0     Initial community release 
    
    .EXAMPLE
    Remove-ActiveSyncDevicePartnership
    	
    #>

### BEGIN SnapIns -------------------------------------------------------------

# Add Exchange SnapIn if not already loaded
if ( (Get-PSSnapin -Name Microsoft.Exchange.Management.PowerShell.E2010 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) -eq $null )
{
    Add-PsSnapin Microsoft.Exchange.Management.PowerShell.E2010 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
   
    if ( (Get-PSSnapin -Name Microsoft.Exchange.Management.PowerShell.E2010 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) -eq $null )
    {
        Write-Host "Microsoft.Exchange.Management.PowerShell.Admin could NOT be loaded!" -ForegroundColor Red
        Write-Host "Verify that the Exchange 2010 Management is installed on this computer!" -ForegroundColor Red
    }
}

### END SnapIns ---------------------------------------------------------------

### BEGIN Variables | EDIT ACCORDING TO YOUR NEEDS ----------------------------

# ScriptPath
$scriptPath = "C:\Scripts\Remove-ActiveSync-Devices\"

# Logfile
$logfile = "C:\Scripts\Remove-ActiveSync-Devices\Logs\$(get-date -format yyyy-MM-dd___HH-mm-ss)___Logname.log"

### END Variables -------------------------------------------------------------


### BEGIN Functions -----------------------------------------------------------

Function Log
{
   Param ([string]$logstring)
   Add-content $logfile -value "$(get-date -format yyyy-MM-dd___HH-mm-ss) $logstring "
}

### END Functions -------------------------------------------------------------

### BEGIN Main ----------------------------------------------------------------

# Create a new log file
Write-Host
Write-Host "Script started, creating Log File."
Log "Script started."
Write-Host

# Query User Mailboxes and Device Statistics
Write-Host "Querying User Mailboxes, please wait a few seconds..." -ForeGroundColor green
Log "Querying User Mailboxes."
Write-Host
$Mailboxes = Get-Mailbox -RecipientTypeDetails UserMailbox -ResultSize Unlimited -WarningAction SilentlyContinue
$NumberOfMailboxes = $Mailboxes.count
Write-Host "Number of Mailboxes: $NumberOfMailboxes "
Log "Number of Mailboxes: $NumberOfMailboxes "
Write-Host

# Iterate each User Mailbox
ForEach ($Mailbox in $Mailboxes)
{
    $MailboxAlias = $Mailbox.Alias
    Write-Host
    Write-Host "================================================================================="
    Write-Host
    Write-Host "Getting ActiveSync Devices from user $MailboxAlias..."
    Log "Getting ActiveSync Devices from user $MailboxAlias. "
    $AllDevicesFromSpecificUser = Get-ActiveSyncDevice -Mailbox $MailboxAlias -Result Unlimited  -WarningAction SilentlyContinue | Get-ActiveSyncDeviceStatistics -WarningAction SilentlyContinue
    $AllDevicesFromSpecificUserNotSynchronizedSince150Days = Get-ActiveSyncDevice -Mailbox $MailboxAlias -Result Unlimited  -WarningAction SilentlyContinue | Get-ActiveSyncDeviceStatistics  -WarningAction SilentlyContinue | Where {$_.LastSuccessSync -le (Get-Date).AddDays("-150")}
    Write-Host
    $CountAllDevicesFromSpecificUser = $AllDevicesFromSpecificUser.Count
    $CountAllDevicesFromSpecificUserNotSynchronizedSince150Days = $AllDevicesFromSpecificUserNotSynchronizedSince150Days.Count
   
    If ($CountAllDevicesFromSpecificUser -lt 5)
    {
        Write-Host "User $MailboxAlias has only $CountAllDevicesFromSpecificUser ActiveSync Devices. Nothing to delete!" -ForegroundColor Green
        Log "User $MailboxAlias has only $CountAllDevicesFromSpecificUser ActiveSync Devices. Nothing to delete!"
    }
   
    If (($CountAllDevicesFromSpecificUser -gt 4) -and ($CountAllDevicesFromSpecificUserNotSynchronizedSince150Days -gt 1))
    {
        Write-Host "User $MailboxAlias has $CountAllDevicesFromSpecificUser devices. $CountAllDevicesFromSpecificUserNotSynchronizedSince150Days have not synced for more than 150 days." -ForegroundColor Red
        Log "User $MailboxAlias has $CountAllDevicesFromSpecificUser devices. $CountAllDevicesFromSpecificUserNotSynchronizedSince150Days have not synced for more than 150 days."
       
        ForEach ($Device in $AllDevicesFromSpecificUserNotSynchronizedSince150Days)
        {
            $DeviceType = $Device.DeviceType
            $DeviceFriendly = $Device.FriendlyName
            $DeviceID = $Device.DeviceID
            $DeviceFirstSyncTime = $Device.FirstSyncTime
            $DeviceLastSuccessSync = $Device.LastSuccessSync
            Write-Host
            Write-Host "ActiveSync Device 2 delete Properties: "
            Write-Host "-------------------------------------- "
            Write-Host "Type         : $DeviceType "           
            Write-Host "Friendly Name: $DeviceFriendly "
            Write-Host "ID           : $DeviceID "
            Write-Host "Last Sync    : $DeviceLastSuccessSync " -ForegroundColor Red
            Log "Removing Device $DeviceType with ID $DeviceID ..."
            Write-Host
            Write-Host "Removing Device $DeviceID ..." -ForegroundColor Red
            $Device | Remove-ActiveSyncDevice -WarningAction SilentlyContinue
        }
    }
}

# Script finished
Write-Host
Write-Host "Script finished!"
Write-Host
Log "Script finished!"

### END Main ------------------------------------------------------------------

Links

• Remove-ActiveSyncDevicePartnership Script at TechNet Gallery
• Remove-ActiveSyncDevicePartnership Script at GitHub

You need assistance with your Exchange Server setup? You have questions about your Exchange Server infrastructure and going hybrid with Office 365? Contact us at office365@granikos.eu or visit our website http://www.granikos.eu.

ENow has released version 7.0 of the ENow Management System (EMS).

Besides a major facelift of the OneView Dashboard new functionality has been added to the successful monitoring and reporting solution:

• New look to the One-look Dashboard
  Complete redesign of our interface background and menu options. New colors and styles with the same One-Look functionality
   
• New ENow Admin Console
  The new cutting edge look afforded to our EAC makes navigation a breeze, with the intuitive buttons and easy to read options configuring the product has never been easier.
   
• DAG Enhancements for Exchange 2013
  Added a new DAG Status indicator to the Namespace page for one-stop monitoring of all DAG Servers, the user no longer has to drill under the functionality of each PAM to see their status. The new indicator now shows all DAG Statuses under a single page for quick access.
   
• Remote Installation of New Agents
  With the addition of the new ENow Remote Installer the user never has to leave the webserver to install new agents. The user can now use this new GUI interface to select servers and roles and automatically push out new agent installs.
   
• New Enhanced Logfile Collector
  If you have an issue or general question and the Support team needs your log files, no more going to each server compressing the files and then emailing them to the team. This new GUI interface allows you to remotely grab the requested log files and automatically upload them to our FTP server for you.
   
• Revamp of whole Mailscape 365 Product Layout
  With the addition of so many new and enhanced Mailscape 365 features, we had to redo the whole layout of the indicators for an easier to navigate look and feel. It gives the admin the ability to troubleshoot that much quicker by correlating test show under specific indicators that show any breakdown in the tenant systematically.
   
• Remote Office 365 enhanced testing
  We have changed our remote monitoring to be more robust and mimic the normal tenant monitoring. This service allows the Admin to not only test his tenant from within the network but also utilize our Azure server to test the tenant remotely.
   
• Added Lync Online DNS monitoring
  As part of our push into the cloud, we are starting our Uniscope 356 monitoring with a simple Lync Online DNS test. Just configure the Domains you wish to test the DNS records of and we will verify the DNS records that are vital to your team.
   
• New Mailscape 365 reports
  We have added more admin related reports to allow the customer a more in-depth look into their tenant and the users they are administering.

Request your free 21-day trail today: http://www.granikos.eu/en/mailscape

Folge 12

Heute wurde die zwölfte Folge von Thomas' Tech Talk veröffentlicht.

Das Thema des Talks ist:

• Exchange Server Support Life-Cycle

Die unterstützten Version von Exchange Server sind das jeweils aktuelle und das vorherige kumulative Update (CU). Dies ist bereits seit den Anfangstagen von Exchange Server 2013 der Fall. Jedoch wurden im Frühjahr zahlreiche Unternehmen überrascht, als die Exchange Produktgruppe nur für diese kumulativen Updates Sicherheitsaktualisierungen veröffentlicht hat.

In diesem Tech Talk erkläre ich, was der Mainstream- und der Extended-Support sind, wie sich der Produktsupport mit Exchange Server vNEXT verändern wird und warum Sie einen Life-Cycle Plan für Ihre Exchange Umgebung benötigen.

Links

• Thomas' Tech Talk YouTube-Kanal
• Präsentation (SlideShare)
• Präsentation (PDF)
• Tech Talk Übersicht

Ressourcen

• Exchange Server build numbers and release dates
• Exchange Server 2019 - Microsoft Lifecycle
• Fixed Lifecycle-Richtlinie
• Updates für Exchange Server 2019
• Updates für Exchange Server 2016

Viel Spaß.