Discovery Session for Agile 2006
Title
Techniques, Tactics and Strategies for Interacting with Customers: Applying the "Rules of Engagement"
Presenters
Zhon Johansen, Oakley Networks, zhon@xputah.org
Jeff Grover, Oakely Networks, jeff.grover@oakleynetworks.com
Topic
Pivotal to all agile methods is the notion that customers work closely with the development team. Regardless of the excellent customer interaction techniques you've learned elsewhere, establishing a working relationship is the key to success. If you attended our session us last year, you were there when we established the "Rules of Customer Engagement". If not, we'll bring you up to speed very quickly, expanding and synthesizing this information to make your customer interaction safe and highly productive.
Last year we answered concerns like, Developers and customers talking, isn't that dangerous? With responses like: Why yes, that might be dangerous.
We then proceeded to interactively formulate rules of behavior to allay our fears.
In this workshop, we will catagorize and extrapolate what we learned last year into techniques, tactics, and strategies for customer interaction.
- What do you want from this customer interaction? (Strategy)
- What actions and reactions should you use? (Tactics)
- What skills and knowledge do you have or need? (Techniques)
Endowed with this knowledge, you can continuously pratice and hone your techniques... in order to confidently charge into opportunities for interaction expecting fame, victory, money -- and happy customers.
Length
90 minutes
Audience
- Those who interact with real customers.
Those who should be interacting with customers. <help> on this one
- Those who what more out of their customers.
Goal
The attendees of this workshop will leave confident in having understood their strategies, worked out their tactics, and having drilled each other on a number of techniques in customer collaboration sessions. All who attend the conference can share in the information gleaned from the group, as the three categorized lists will be posted for everyone to read and practice.
Process
1. Introduction,
2. Brainstorm positive customer interaction stories on to 3x5 cards
3. Refine and focus brainstorming ideas to reveal the most salient stories.
- Divide into groups of 2. Each person reads and explains the context of their cards to the other. Together they choose the top 3 cards.
- Groups of 4-6 are formed by combining 2-3 pairs. Top 3 cards from each pair are read and explained to the group. Duplicates are eliminated, and the top 3 from the group are chosen. A presenter is chosen to elaborate on these 3 cards to all participants in the session. Again, the group chooses the top 3 from among those presented.
- Each presenter presents the top 3 cards to the group.
4. As the stories are read, Techniques, Tactics, and Strategy are recorded to three large "sticky" sheets of paper. After all are presented, duplicates are consolidated, questions are fielded and the lists are congealed.
5. Review and catagorize the pitfalls and safety rules discoverd in last year session, "Stop Interacting With the Customer...Until You Know the Saftey Rules". Compare and contrast ideas generated by the two sessions.
6. Share the "Strategies, Tatics, and Techneques" learned
7. In the groups of 4-6, role play a typical customer interaction.
8. Perform an "Agile Round Up"
- Each participant is given 30 seconds or less to share what concept or insight was most important to them.
Session leader qualifications
Zhon Johansen has taught Techniques, Tactics and Strategy to fencers for over 20 years. He has studied, practiced, taught, and influenced companies adopting Extreme Programming since early 1999. He helped coach "XP for a Day" at the first XP/Agile Universe. He presented "Extreme Fishbowl" at several conferences including XP/Agile Universe 2002, "Making money with (or without) software" at Agile 2004, and "Stop Interacting with the Customer!" at Agile 2005. with Jeff Grover.
Jeff Grover is currently works with Zhon as a Senior Software Engineer at Oakley Networks. He sat on the Agile Experiences panel of XP/Agile Universe 2002, and has lead and facilitated customer interaction in a variety of settings ranging from application service providers and large enterprise software companies down to small independently-owned businesses, start-ups, and non-profit organizations.
Notes
ReallyScatteredIdeasAboutAgileCommunication
http://wiki.agile2005.org/wiki/published/StopInteractingWithTheCustomerUntilYouKnowTheSafetyRules
Dear Zhon and Jeff,
=========================================================================== To correct or update your submission, use the following URL:
http://cyberchair.acm.org/agilediscovery/submit/
and click the "Check and/or update your submission" link.
At the appropriate places fill in the following:
Login: zhon@xputah.org Password: Agi-1524587593
(Note that this can only be done until the deadline.) ===========================================================================
You have submitted the following data for the track Discovery Sessions of Agile 2006:
Title: Techniques, Tactics and Strategies for Interacting with Customers
Presenter 1:
- Name: Zhon Johansen Affiliation: Oakley Networks Country: USA
Email: zhon@xputah.org Phone and address:
- (801)766-1192 722 W 2450 N Lehi, UT 84043
Presenter 2:
- Name: Jeff Grover Affiliation: Oakley Networks Country: USA
Email: jeff.grover@oakleynetworks.com Phone and address:
- (801)763-7627 x4049 1130 Pebble Hills Dr. Sandy, UT 84094
More presenters: No
Abstract: Pivotal to all agile methods is the notion that customers work closely with the development team. Regardless of the excellent customer interaction techniques you've learned elsewhere, establishing a working relationship is pivotal to success. If you attended our session last year, you helped establish the "Rules of Customer Engagement". If not, we'll bring you up to speed very quickly, expanding and synthesizing this information to make your customer exchanges safe and highly productive. Last year we answered concerns like, Developers and customers talking, isn't that dangerous? With responses like: Why yes, that might be dangerous. We then proceeded to interactively formulate rules of behavior to allay our fears. In this workshop, we will categorize and extrapolate what we learned last year into techniques, tactics, and strategies for customer interaction. Well vet each story by asking these questions: What do you want from your customer? (Strategy) What actions and reactions should you use? (Tactics) What skills and knowledge do you have or need? (Techniques) Endowed with this knowledge, you can continuously practice and hone your techniques... in order to confidently charge into customer melees expecting fame, victory, money -- and happy customers.
Expected Audience Level: Intermediate
Additional Audience Comments: [None Given]
Format details: Workshop
Duration: 90 minutes
Willing to shorten presentation to get it in the program: Yes
Maximum number of participants: 60
Scheduling Constraints: [None Given]
Other Related Submissions: [None Given]
Willing to repeat the presentation: Yes
Handouts on CD: You grant the right to Agile 2006 to distribute the presentation materials for the conference on a CD. You also grant the right to Agile 2006 to print copies of the presentation materials for the purpose of distribution at the conference. You retain any copyright.
Non-commercial agreement: You agree that your presentation information and materials will be limited to those directly relevant to the session topic, and will not promote in an overly commercial way my products or services or the products or services of any organization. It is acceptable to provide contact information and brief reference to any books, products, or services that are germane to the session topic.
PDF file: Techniques Tactics and Strategies.rtf File size: 27727 bytes
Remarks: [None Given]
If you have questions about this message, please contact Richard van de Stadt (agile2006-discovery-webadmin@borbala.com).
The message above is also sent to the following email address(es):