This article is part of my work on Conversation Patterns for Software Professionals
After Cynefin workshops with Dave Snowden I have some ideas how this model might help to work with stakeholders during a conversation on business domain, requirements or something else. BTW: Mariusz's article is a great introduction to the Cynefin framework.
Recognising the Cynefin's quadrant
As Scrum is a method to move work from Complex to Complicated quadrant, Conversation Patterns move conversation flow to Complicated or Simple quadrants.
Let's take a look on Cynefin's quadrants from conversation point of view.
Simple/Ordered quadrant
Order doesn't exit in the nature. This is the law and Dave Sowden words:). You are in the Simple quadrant of a conversation when you talk about facts. Howover the 'fact' word is very tricky. We often think we talk about facts, but in fact we talk about opinions, points of view and narratives.Techniques to move conversation flow to the Simple quadrant.
- Specification By Example
- because an example is a single source of truth
- Downward Specification Pattern
- discovers specific criteria behind a stakeholder need walking down the conversation structure
- Paraphrase Pattern
- verify your understanding of what was said
- Term Structure
- strictly defines given term in the given context
Complicated quadrant
This is a place where we need to analyse the input to decide what to do next. Most well-arranged conversations happen inside this quadrant. Typically when all Complicated things are addressed we move the conversation flow to the Simple quadrant.Techniques to use here:
- User Story Mapping
- gives a big picture for the product, epics, stories and its details
- Conversation Structure
- is an mental view of conversation steps, which helps to navigate through a conversation flow, staying focused on the subject and objectives
- Downward Specification Pattern
- discovers specific criteria behind a stakeholder need walking down the conversation structure
Complex quadrant
You are here where you don't know what to do. Tips given by Snowden here are:- don't predict the future, make decisions in the present
- do some (not to much) experiments which are: coherent, save-to-fail, finely grained
- include 'naive' approaches
- include few high risk/high return options
- Need Structure
- defines well known but fuzzy term 'stakeholder need'
- Upward Generalization Pattern
- looks for the unmet needs behind the one's expectations
- Transform Benefit into Problem Pattern, Transform Problem into Benefit Pattern
- these explore a stakeholder needs in many directions
- Questions for Setting Priorities
- this is sequence of techniques to filter out less important requirements or wants
- Business Value Games
- look for values for a market
- All reframing techniques
- try to change of your perspective to see differently or to see more
Chaotic and Disorder quadrants
You lands here where something happens what make the conversation unpredictable. These might be: strong negative emotions, talking about not important things, arguments.Being here you better suspend your conversation goals and focus on moving the conversation out of this quadrant.
Techniques working here are:
- Giving an empathy to a introlocutor
- these are a bunch of techniques and mindset which assume that being in contact is the most basic need for a human being
- Positive Intention Pattern
- this is soft reframing technique which gives a suggestion that an intention behind strange behaviour was positive
- All pattern interrupt or state change techniques
- set of interventions to rapid change a negative emotional state; these are widely used by coaches, trainers or therapists
- Oblique games
- (do you know better name for this?:)) this kind of games where participants are involved in a game (a context is important but not so much) but the narration (so called 'structure') leads participat toward wanted results e.g. conflict resolution; and example of that games is Multitasking Game by Henrik Kniberg
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