1

ISTM_6204

GoogleAdWords:TheArtofScrum&&QuintupleConstraint

AlexanderJ.Singleton
TheGeorgeWashingtonUniversity
SchoolofBusinessMSIST

10/25/2015

TableofContents
1.
2.
3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.
9.
10.

ProjectAbstract
...3
StrategicObjectives
.......3
ProjectObjectives
...4
3.1.
ScrumprojectmanagementexperimentationfortwoprojectreadyGADWapplications
..4
3.2.
DebriefandevaluateofScrumadministration,oranyadjustments
..4
3.3.
Implementationtherefore,includinganyvariationsforthegreatergoodofGoogle,....................4
companywide,asthebonafidedeliverable
..4
ParticipatingOrganizations
...5
4.1.
GoogleCorporate
..5
4.2.
GoogleAdWords
.........................5
ProjectBeneficiaries&Stakeholders
........................5
5.1.
ScrumTeam
............................6
5.2.
ScrumManager
...........................7
5.3.
Deliverables
.............................7
Strategy,Structure&Execution|ProjectActors,Inputs&Components
..........7
6.1.
ProjectFinancing
.............................7
6.2.
ProjectImplementationStructure,StructureExecution
..............7
6.3.
ReleaseBacklog&ExpressionofProjectStoryPoints
..............8
6.4.
SprintExecution&BurndownChart
......................9
6.5.
Commencement/Evaluation
......................9
6.6.
Execution
..................................9
6.7.
Observe|ProjectSupervision,ReportingandMonitoring
.............9
6.8.
Orient|Decide
...........................10
6.9.
Decide|AngleofAttack
........................10
6.10.
Act|Obstacles
...........................11
6.11.
Schedule|ProjectScopeExtension
....................11
6.12.
Google&&Scrum|TheNextIteration
....................12
ProjectOutcomes
...............................14
7.1.
AchievementofProjectObjectives&OverallProjectRating
...........14
7.2.
ProjectFinancing
...........................14
7.3.
ProjectRisks,Challenges&LessonsLearned
..................15
7.4.
Risks&Mitigation
..........................15
7.5.
LessonsLearnedfromImplementation
..................15
ProjectOutcomes
...........................15
8.1.
OverallProjectRating
...........................15
Appendix..............................17
Bibliography.................................20

1.

ProjectAbstract:
GoogleAdWords:TheArtofScrum&&QuintupleConstraint

IntroducingScrumtoGoogleAdWords
|Googleisespeciallyproudofmaintainingaunique,quirkystartup
cultureinspiteofbecomingoneofthemostpowerfulcompaniesinthehistoryofcapitalism.Roughly90%of
GooglesbusinessisdrivenbyAdWords(GADW),asubsidiaryofferingadvertisingservicesandanalyticsasa
platform.AlthoughtheirubiquitouscorebusinessofSearchfacilitates3.5billionqueries
perday
,Googleis
celebratedformuchmorefromGoogleXandGoogleVenturestoNestLabsandDeepMind.Evidently,
Googledevisedaprocessforexceptionalproductdevelopmentwhilemaintainingthecultureofa
quirkystartup.Contrarytopopularbelief,AdWords,Googlesbreadandbutterbusiness,submittothe
liberatingshacklesofprocessandprocedureaffordedbyAgileprojectmanagementmethodologies,more
specificallywithScrum,onlyeightyearsafterincorporation.ThispaperwillcooperativelyexamineGADWs
adoptionofScrumandaffiliatedstakeholderguidancetopreservestrategy,structureandexecutiongoverned
bycost,scope,time,qualityandreliabilitythequintupleconstraintofcontemporaryprojectmanagement.
SunTzusaid,Everybattleiswonbeforeitiseverfought,whichwasrecentlysubstantiatedbyastudy
concludingthatalphamanagers(inthestatisticalconstruct,notinpsychology)spendmoretimeinthephase
ofplanningthanactualexecution(Appendix:9.1.1).1GooglecommissionedAgilepioneerMarkStriebeckto
experiment.AlthoughStriebecksadministrationwasntacategoricalsuccess,itwasanythingbutafailure,as
Googlecontinuestooutperformmarketexpectationstothisday,boastinga$5.1Bstockbuybackin3Q15.2
2.

StrategicObjectives

Theclassicalprinciplesandstandardsofwaterfallprojectmanagementaresimplynotconducivetothe
iterativenatureofsoftwaredevelopment.Writingsoftware,isntalltoofarfromlikewritingthisreportmany
draftsoriterationswereproducedbeforethefinalrelease,orpublicationinthiscase.Borrowingaconcept
fromprogramming,theseproductionsarentalinearsequence,oraplugnchugofoperationsifitwere,
waterfallmanagementcouldandshouldbeapplied,whichistosayclassicalprojectmanagementwillendure
asanalternativetoAgileframeworks,likeeXtreme,LEAN,FeatureDrivenDevelopment(FDD)andinthis

Schwalbe,Kathy(20130101).

(Clark)

4
case,Scrum.AgilemethodologiesgraduallygarneredindustryacclaimshortlyafterGooglesembrace.Tech
projects,letalonethestateoftheart,arebornmiredinriskanduncertaintydynamicandeverchanging,an
iterativeframeworklikeScrum,enablesworkgroupstoprioritizeobjectivesinaseriesdynamicofworkflows,
allowingchangebydiscoveryoruponrequest,committingtosubsetfeaturesideallydeliveredineachtwoto
fourweekiteration,knownasa
sprint.3AstheChiefProductOwneratYahooobserved,[Scrum]istheonly
softwaredevelopmentprocessthathasdemonstratedlinear[scalability]whenaddingresourcestolarge
projects.4Accordingtoindustryresearch,virtuallyeveryprojectmanager
ever
studiedencountered
unpredictablechangesandnoneoftheprojectswerecompletedexactlyasplanned.5Traditionalproject
management,oranymanagerialrigiditywhatsoever,wasintentionallydevoidintheearlydaysofGooglein
fact,thecompanypridesitselfwiththeoverallmindsetofmaintainingaslittletonomanagementstandardsas
possible.6ReiteratingthecriticalityofAdWordsasacorebusinesssegment,95%ofGooglesaggregate
revenuewasdrivenbyGoogleAdWords(GADW)atthetimeconcerningthesubjectcase.7In2005,justeight
yearsafterincorporation,thegrowingcomplexityoftheAdWordsapplicationsystemicallyoutgrewrelaxed
productmanagementstandards,missingdeadlinesduetooperationalinefficiencies.8Thoughunconventional,
Googlecorporatestrategists,includingtheoriginalfounders,hadsomesenseofbasicstructure,strategyand
execution.Necessitatedbytheaforementionedandincreasingconcerns,Googleexecutivesengagednow
industryexpertandpioneerofAgileScrum
,
MarkStriebeck,forprocessandstructuralretrenchmenthewas
commissionedtoexecutethefollowingobjectives:
3.

ProjectObjectives
3.1.
3.2.
3.3.

ScrumprojectmanagementexperimentationfortwoprojectreadyGADWapplications.
DebriefandevaluationofScrumadministration,oranyadjustmentsthereof.
Implementation,includinganyvariationsforthegreatergoodofGoogle,companywide,
asthebonafidedeliverable.

Strategicobjectivescoincidentallyrequiredprojectmanagement,as
theactualproject,
toensurethelongterm
viabilityofGADWbusinesssegmentinconjunctionwiththeircorecompetencyofSearch,toguarantee

Cooke,
AGILEINANUTSHELL
Sutherland,Chapter1:IntroductiontoScrum
5
ReinventingProjectManagement,Chapter1
6
Sutherland:Chapter7:CaseStudies|Ssh!Weareaddingaprocess...(atGoogle)
7
S.Mark,Testing:Automation,in
The11thInternationalConferenceonAgileSoftwareDevelopment
,Feb2010.
8
Sutherland:Chapter7:CaseStudies|Ssh!Weareaddingaprocess...(atGoogle)
3
4

5
effectiveexecutionwithqualityandreliabilityefficiencystandards.Contemporaryprojectmanagement
accountsnotonlythetripleconstraintofcost,scopeandreliabilityconstitutingtraditionalwaterfall
managementbutadditivearequalityandreliability,comprisingthequintupleconstraint." 9Apropos,a
stakeholdermapidentifiesrelatedinterestsdirectlyandindirectlyinvolvedwithanyprojectundertakingfor
strategicintercourseinthiscase,fromtheupstreamcorporatestrategists,businesssegmentmanagersand
theactualsoftwareengineers(GooglesguineapigsfortheScrumexperiment)anddownstreamtoancillary
interestsincludingbusinesstobusinesscustomers,allriskedadverseimpacttriggeredbyprotracted
applicationreleasecycles,orevensystemoutages.10Acomprehensivestakeholdersurveywillidentifyall
GoogleaffiliatesandinterestsimperativetotheGADWScrumprojectonfrontendapplications,torevealthe
constituentsofthequintupleconstraintgovernedbycorporatestrategy,structureandexecution.
4.

5.

ParticipatingOrganizations
4.1.
GoogleCorporate
4.1.1.
CorporateExecutives&Strategists:EricSchmidt,LarryPage,SergeyBrin,etal.
4.2.
GoogleAdWords
4.2.1.
Newhireconsultant,MarkStriebeck,asProjectImplementationManager

ProjectBeneficiaries&Stakeholders

AccordingtoAgilepractitioners,representativestakeholdersactivelyengagewithrealtimeinputandhandson
participationduringthebeginningandendofeachScrumiteration.11Typically,anordinaryprojectwillrequire
aprogramdirector,programmanager,projectmanager(family),sponsorandcustomer.12However,inScrum,
thereareonlythreeparties:theproductowner,thedevelopmentteam,andtheroleoftheproductmanager,
whichiseffectivelyreplacedbythe
ScrumMaster
,who,tobeclear,isnotthemanageroftheTeamora
projectmanagerbutratheraprojectreferee.13Abriefdescriptionofeachrolepreviouslymentioned,within
thecontextoftheGADWScrumexperimentdemonstratesstakeholderinterests.
5.1.

ProductOwner
5.1.1.

Theproductownertypicallyrepresentstheneedsofthebusinessandiscommissioned
fordocumentingandprioritizinghighlevelrequirementsasinputintooutgoing

Carayannis,Dr.Elias.
Schwalbe,Kathy(20130101).
11
Cooke,
AGILEINANUTSHELL
12
Schwalbe,Kathy(20130101)
13
Sutherland:Chapter7:CaseStudies|Ssh!Weareaddingaprocess...(atGoogle)
10

6
planning.14 Concordantly,mostAgileprocessesreservethisrolesolelyresponsiblefor
anindividualoutsideofthedevelopment(dev)teamtomonitorfeatures,prioritization
andscopevs.releasedatedecisionsbutatbothGoogleandAdWords,preScrum,this
wasajobonlyforteamleads,whooftenhadmorethan10projects,therebylimiting
timeandattentiontodetailsrequiredforScrum.15Ostensiblyefficient,atleastto
Google,theopaqueoperatingenvironmentbegancomplicatingmanagerialawareness
ofprojectstatuses,stallingdevelopmentreleasecycles.16InstallingScrumrequireda
carefulbalancetoavoidupsettingtrust,ordisruptingGoogleDevculture,while
organizingchaosinplace.17 Typically,theproductownerandScrummanagershouldbe
separateandindependentofeachother,butasthebrokerofprocess,MarkStriebeck
wasforcedtofulfillbothroles.
5.2.

ScrumTeam
5.2.1.

AScrumteamisacrossfunctionalsoftwaredevelopmentteam,ordevteam,
undertakingtherequiredworkineachsprintandenlistinginputfromtheProductOwner
whenrequirementsneedtobeclarified.18TheGADWengineeringteamwas
distributedin5officesworldwidewith1520majorprojectsforcontinuouslyintegrated
applications,pushingover500,000linesofcode(500KLOC)growingdigitallyand
physically.19PredatingScrum,GADWrateofattritionwasconsiderablyhighdueto
continuallychangingfeaturespecifications.20 ThoughinitiallyfavoredatGoogle,
particularlyfortheallowanceof20%workingfreetimepromisedtoallemployeesin
ordertofosterinnovation,theadhocmanagementstructurewasntsuitedfora
burgeoningapplicationlikeGADW,giventhehighrateofturnoveremployeeswere
spreadthin,compellingtheneedforaregimentedsystem,likeScrum.Striebecks

Cooke,
AGILEINANUTSHELL
Sutherland:Chapter7:CaseStudies|Ssh!Weareaddingaprocess...(atGoogle)
16
SimplifiedGuidetoMasteringScrum,section760
17
Sutherland:Chapter7:CaseStudies|Ssh!Weareaddingaprocess...(atGoogle)
18
Cooke,
AGILEINANUTSHELL
19
Sutherland:Chapter7:CaseStudies|Ssh!Weareaddingaprocess...(atGoogle)
20
Sutherland:Chapter7:CaseStudies|Ssh!Weareaddingaprocess...(atGoogle)
14
15

7
experimentincludedtwosubjectGADWteamsconcernedwiththefrontendof
applications,studiedasProjectAandProjectB.
5.3.

ScrumManager==ProjectManager
5.3.1.

MarkStriebeckiscurrentlyanengineeringmanageratGoogle,responsiblefortesting
infrastructure,toolsandadoptionbutspendinghisGoogle20%timeworkinginan
internalusergroupcharteredtofurthertheadoptionofAgilepractices.21 Priortojoining
Google,hewasoneofthepioneersofScrumprojectmanagement,discoveringAgile
developmentwhileworkingatVALinuxSystemsandResearchheholdstwomasters
degreesincomputerscienceandmathematics.22AsthenewheadofAgileatGoogle,
Striebeckwouldneedasetofmethodsandmetricstotrackprogress,identifyandisolate
behavioralimpediments,soScrumcouldbecomfortablysuitedforsoftwaredevelopment
atGoogle.23Hebeganwithfourbasictoolsbrieflyabstractedwithintheproceeding
section(6.2.1.1|Execution):24

5.3.2.

6.

Deliverables

5.3.2.1.

ReleaseBacklog

5.3.2.2.

ExpressionofProjectStoryPoints

5.3.2.3.

SprintExecution&BurnDownChart

5.3.2.4.

CheckpointMeetings(modifiedSprintmeetings)

5.3.2.5.

Commencement/Evaluation

Strategy,Structure&Execution|ProjectActors,Inputs&Components
6.1.
ProjectImplementationStructure,StructureExecution
6.1.1.
ReleaseBacklog&ExpressionofProjectStoryPoints
6.1.1.1.
Asthevisionary,theproductownerhasanideatobeshippedasthefinal
product,fitforuserconsumption.Again,likewritingthisreportorforminga
sculpture,atechnicalconceptissubjecttotheconstantadditionandsubtraction
ofcode,ideasandframeworks.ThepreplanningprocessinScrum,isknown

S.Mark,Testing:Automation,in
The11thInternationalConferenceonAgileSoftwareDevelopment
,Feb2010.
S.Mark,Testing:Automation,in
The11thInternationalConferenceonAgileSoftwareDevelopment
,Feb2010.
23
SimplifiedGuidetoMasteringScrum,section763
24
SimplifiedGuidetoMasteringScrum,section770
21
22

8
asgrooming,whichisreducedintosetsoffeaturescollectedforaprioritizedlist
knownastheproductbacklog.25Thisprioritizedlistoffeatureswillrequiremore
thanonesprint,soasubsetlist,partiallyderivedfromthecompleteproduct
backlog,isthededicatedsprintbacklog,detailinghowtheteamplansto
design,build,integrateandtesttheselectedsubsetoffeaturesfromtheproduct
backlogduringthatparticularsprintconstitutedbytasks.26Eachtaskis
individuallyreducedtohoursestimateduntilcompletionforjustintimedelivery,
wherebyfeatureassetsoccurorbecomeavailableasneeded.27 Upon
commencementofSprint0(position0isthetechnicaldefinitionforthephysical
addressforthefirstpositionlocatedinanArrayclasscollection(e.g.[0,1,2...]]),a
minimumviableproduct(MVP)issubjecttoreview,primingthenextiterationfor
thesecondsprint.
6.1.2.

ExecutionKeyPerformanceIndicators(KPIs)

6.1.2.1.

TheUSNavySEALsregardknowingthetarget(s)asthemostimportantruleof
engagement,ordefiningmissionsuccessandsoitiswitheveryScrum.Fora
sprint,thetargetisknownasthe
sprintgoal,
thatdefineswhattheupcoming
sprintissupposedtoachievethatistimeboxedinasetamountoftime
dedicatedtoeachfeature,whichuponexpiringisshelvedbackintotheproduct
backlogforreintegrationintoanotherfuturesprint,ifdeemedrealisticand
relevant.28Eachdaywithinasprint,onlythedevelopmentteamand
Scrummasterassembleforatimeboxedpredaymeetinginthemorning,
timeboxedtoexceednomorethan15minutesastoassesswhatwascompleted
yesterdayandwhatremainsoutstandingforthatdayandtomorrow(inpointof
fact,seriouspractitionersrequiretheaudiencetostandasaremindertoobserve

EssentialScrum,
Rubin,KennethS.
EssentialScrum,R
ubin,KennethS.
27
EssentialScrum,R
ubin,KennethS.
28
EssentialScrum,R
ubin,KennethS.
25
26

9
brevity)forbiddingchickensandpigs(ajokeIllinviteyoutoGoogle).29Recall
thatonesprintshouldlastatleasttwobutnomorethanfourweeks.Accordingly,
onagivensprint,theteammembersmanagetheflowofworkbyconducting
synchronization,inspection,andadaptiveplanningactivityknownasthedaily
scrum.30Improvementisimpossiblewithoutmetricstoimprove,soBurndown
Chartsaremonitoreddaily,toupdatetheestimateofhowmucheffortremains
foreachuncompletedtask(Appendix:9.2.1)asacontinuouslyupdatedforecast
forbothproductreleaseandcurrentSprint.31
6.1.3.

Commencement/Evaluation

6.1.3.1.

TheScrumteamcompletesthesprintbyperformingtwoinspectandadapt
activities.Inthefirst,calledtheSprintreview,thestakeholdersandScrumteam
inspecttheproductunderdevelopmentInthesecond,calledthesprint
retrospective,theScrumteaminspectstheScrumprocessemployedtocreate
theproduct.Theoutcomeoftheseactivitiescouldbeadaptationsthatwillmake
theirwayintotheproductbacklogortobeincludedaspartoftheteams
developmentprocess.AtthispointtheScrumsprintcyclerepeats,beginning
anewwiththedevelopmentteamdeterminingthenextmostimportantsetof
productbacklogitemsitcancomplete.Afteranappropriatenumberofsprintshas
beencompleted,theproductownersvisionwillberealizedandthesolutioncan
bereleased.32

6.2.

Execution
6.2.1.
Observe|ProjectSupervision,ReportingandMonitoring
6.2.1.1.
Mr.StriebecksversionofScrumwasappropriatedtocoaxthemajesticnatureof
GoogleDevintodomestication,forthegreatergoodoftheGooglestableof
companies.HisangleofattackbeganwithScrumlite,hisabbreviationutilizing

EssentialScrum,
Rubin,KennethS.
EssentialScrum,R
ubin,KennethS.
31
EssentialScrum,R
ubin,KennethS.
32
EssentialScrum,R
ubin,KennethS.
29
30

10
onlythereleasebacklogandburndownchartstools,intendingtoclarify
visibilityintothedevelopmentprogressfortheprojectteam,andoutside
stakeholders,withintheorganization.33Thebacklogwaspopulatedbyengineers
inwikipages(wikis),orindividualstatusupdatesforprogressreportsand
tasktracking.RecalltheGADWguineaprojects,monikeredasProjectAand
ProjectBProjectAwasintegratingnewfunctionalitythatdidntoverlapwith
existingfeatures,comprisedbyrecentcollegegraduatesandcompanyrookies
workingremotely.ProjectBwasprimarilycomposedbyexperienced,seasoned
GoogleengineersdesigningasimplifiedversionoftheAdWordsproduct,heavily
integratedwithexistingfeatures.34
6.2.2.

Orient|KeyPerformanceIndicators(KPI)&Metrics

6.2.2.1.

Inbothprojects,MarkchosetomeasuretheproductandreleasebacklogsKPIs
withaburndownratechartasthepreferredtoolsofchoice,measuring
taskscompleted,notfeaturecompleted,carefulnottoavoidstressingthe
developers.

6.2.3.

Decide|AngleofAttack

6.2.3.1.

UponinitiatingtheScrumpremeeting,definingsuccessandobjectiveswitha
preplanfortheentireproductrelease,theteambeginsthefirstsprint.
Userinterface(UI)wireframing,ormockups,werealreadysoundinprocess
andAgilefriendlyatGoogle,easingthestartoftheexperiment.35Reporting
statusupdateswassomewhatalientobothteams,butadoptedas
communicationincreasedandclarified.36 Theburndownchartwasmodifiedwith
avariablefloor,adjustingforscopecreep,whichbecamethefirstobstacle
impedingthesprint.37Striebeckadaptedtheprocess,stripping

33

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35
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36
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37
Sutherland:Chapter7:CaseStudies|Ssh!Weareaddingaprocess...(atGoogle)
34

11
testingprocedurestomaximizeflexibilityasthisobstaclebecamemoreobvious
engineersstruggledtoaccuratelyestimatetimerequiredtocompleteoutstanding
tasks.
6.2.4.

Act|Obstacles

6.2.4.1.

Althoughinitiallychampioned,itisfairtoattributelaissezfairemanagementasa
failurefactorenablingmanagerstospreadthemselvestoothin,whichlimited
opportunitiestocontributeactionablefeedbacknecessaryforprojectdevelopers,
inturnyieldinginefficientprojectmicromanagement.Moreover,theyignorantly
concludedthatgameplanningwasanexerciseinfutilityasthegameof
developmentalwayschangedinspiteoftrustworthymockups,so
featuredecisionswereavoidedduringtheScrumpreplanningmeetings,
distortingproposedobjectives,protractingengineeringdevelopment.38

6.2.5.
Schedule|ProjectScopeExtension

6.2.5.1.
SincetheScrumprocessintrinsicallyaccountsforscope,inbothproductand
releasebacklogs,theburndownchartsareanoutstandingtoolforextrapolation
andforecasting.39 Cumulativescopeincreasedgreaterthan30%,onboth
projectsinterestingly,thedeltadidntresultfromadditionalfeaturerequests,but
wasinfactduetomanagerialoversightandmisguidance.Theengineeringteam
missedfeaturesinthemockupsnecessaryfortherelease,leadingtoseveral
postponementsinbothprojects.40Theaforementionedsubstantiatesthe
assessmentpresentedhereinthenotionofdefiningtargetsorreleasecritical
objectiveswasanunfamiliarpracticeatGoogle,soMr.Striebeckshouldve
modifiedhisadministrationorperhapsobservedcarefulattentiontoestimates,
challengingeachmembertosecondguesstheirestimatesduringthesprint
preplanningphases.Onthefirstsprint,thefrequencyofdailysprintmeetings

38

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12
decreasedtoweeklymeetings,whichbecamearecapofweeklytask
productivity,alongwithfrequentweeklyretrospectivesaltogether,orUI
walkthroughs,alivedemonstrationofthesystemwiththewholecoreteamto
gatherfeedbackanduncoverusabilityissues.41 Weeklyretrospectiveswere
eventuallydroppedaltogether,butweeklycheckinmeetingsweremaintained.42
Projectengineersskippeddailystandupmeetings,regardingthemas
unnecessaryoverhead.43However,cardinalGooglerulesoftestdriven
development(TDD)becamethefinalstrawbreachingcriticalmass:testswere
notwritten,codewasnotreviewed(whichismandatoryatGoogle)featureswere
notcompletelyintegrated,sothispromptedMr.Striebecktoadddimensionsto
theburndownchart,toindicatehowmanytaskswereinitiated,startedand
finished,indicatingsuboptimaltaskcompletionvelocitybecauseoftoomany
partiallycompletedfeaturesoutstanding.(Appendix::9.3.1.)44The
multidimensionalburndowncharttriggeredacollectiveepiphanyboth
workgroupswereshockedbythenumberoffeaturesmerelyindevelopment(a
staggering80%awaitingcompletionduringthefirstsprint)promptingengineers
tomitigatetaskstarts.45 Striebeckconcurredthemultidimensionalburndown
chartrevealedmisperceptionsinestimatingareleasedatewithhipshot
guesstimatesinsteadofextrapolatingprogressderivedfromthereleasedata
recorded.46
6.3.

Google&&Scrum|TheNextIteration
6.3.1.

Inordertoremediatetaskschedulingdiscrepancies,aspike,wascreatedasan
investigativesubtaskofafeaturetasktoaccuratelydetermineallofthemechanics
underneathandthustimerequiredforagivenfeaturespikeswereespecially

41

Sutherland:Chapter7:CaseStudies|Ssh!Weareaddingaprocess...(atGoogle)
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43
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44
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45
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46
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13
appreciatedduringscopecreep,aseverybodyrealizedthevalueofgettingabetter
estimateofimplementingafeaturebeforeactuallystartingtoworkonit.47 Nearingthe
endofthefirstsprint,productivityinbothprojectsquicklyrecoveredtoapointof
inflection.Afterthefirstrun,theengineersdevelopedanewfoundrespectforthe
process,specificallyvaluingtheburndownchartsandbacklogs,abilityforearly
qualityassuranceandtestingonapplicationsinstagingenvironments,andthebakedin
teamworkviascheduledcollaborationstheoveralltakeawaywasencouraging
maintainingbacklogswasfinallyworththeoverhead.48Severalconcernsremained:the
consensusvacuumonfeatureprioritization,inaccurateschedulingestimatesandthe
consequentbottleneckcreatedbydebugging.49Toaddresstheseconcerns,Mr.
StriebeckdecidedtodebrieftheprojectengineersbyhostingapresentationonScrum,
apparentlyappreciatedthenclearlyunderstoodbytheengineers(apuzzlingmaneuver
beggingthequestionwhyherefrainedfromdoingthisinthebeginning).Onmattersof
prioritization,Striebeckmerelyprovidedanexampleonhowtoorganizerequirements.50
Howdoyoueattheelephant?Onebiteatatime.Thefeedbackregardingmissing
deadlinesandtoomanybugssignaledobviousreasonstopracticeiterative
development.Realizingtheseadvantages,planningmeetingsbecameafocusofthe
weeklycheckpointsinthesecondsprint,whichwaspartitionedintotwoweekrelease
cycles,allowingahighpriorityfeaturetobepreparedwithoutanydisruption.51Stribeck
beganthenextiterationwithaconventionalretrospectivemeetingrecappingthe
previousprogressreportedlymoreproductive.52Familiaritygrantedtheteamwithmore
comfortandconfidenceintheprocess,minimizingfeaturetimeboxesorfreezecycles
bottleneckingproductivity.Concordantly,theteamcouldseehowtheseprocess
changeswouldaddressthenegativefeedbackfromthepostmortemmeetings..both

47

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50
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52
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teamsdidnotfullyunderstandhowthesepracticeswouldworktogetherbutagreedto
giveitatry,andsooverallScrumearnedGooglestrust.53Thesecondsprintsforboth
projectswerecompletedinduetimewithbothdeliverables.
7.

ProjectOutcomes
7.1.
AchievementofProjectObjectives&OverallProjectRating
7.1.1.
StriebecksintroductionofScrumwasntacategoricalfailure,astheprojectsuccessfully
graduatedGoogleintotheliberatingshacklesofcontrols,processandprocedures
affordedbyScrum.Whilethesecondsprintwasinprocess,MarkStriebecktooka
threeweekvacationfromtheprojects,appointingasubstituteforhisrolealthoughthe
appointmentwasunorthodoxbynormalScrumstandards,theprocessaccommodatesif
needbe.Uponreturning,Striebeckwaselatedtoobservebothprojectengineers
utilizinghismethodologieswitheagernessandrigor.54IfStriebeckprecisely
implementedScrum,thepracticemayhavebeenabandoned,andperhapsGoogle
mightnothaveprevailedasthemarketleadertoday.
7.2.

ProjectFinancing
7.2.1.

Googleaccountingforreturnoninvestment(ROI)sinceStriebecksimplementationare
sparse,forcinginference.IndustryintelligencerevealsthatthemedianROIderivedfrom
aggregatedinternalrateofreturn(IRR)compiledfromapopulationof300scholarly
reviewsamountstoroughly+2,633%,respectivelyweightedwithinthequintuple
constraintsofcost,schedule,productivity,qualityandreliability.55 Bycomparison,
traditionalwaterfallmethodologiesaggregatedtotalreturnwithinthesamequintuple
constraintparametersamountedtoroughly+470%,adifferenceof2,163%.Sufficeitto
say,whencorrectlyappliedoradapted,Scrumisimmenselybeneficialforengineering
operations,andsoitisatGoogle.

53

Sutherland:Chapter7:CaseStudies|Ssh!Weareaddingaprocess...(atGoogle)
Sutherland:Chapter7:CaseStudies|Ssh!Weareaddingaprocess...(atGoogle)
55
Franco
54

15
7.3.

ProjectRisks,Challenges&LessonsLearned
7.3.1.
Risks&Mitigation
7.3.1.1.
ArecalibratedexecutionofScrumwasnecessaryinordertopreservethe
crossfunctionalfreedomatGoogle.Naturally,thecontinuouscollisionof
differentideasfostersinnovationatGoogle,sotoomuchstructurewouldstifle
developmentandcrippletheculture.Scrumintroducedanewfoundrespectfor
testing,siringthefirstGoogleGroupletcreatedbyBharatMediratta,todrive
adoptionofdevelopertesting,notingtheshiftinattitudestowardstestingwith
buildingbettertoolsandgivinginformaltalkstodifferenttechnicalgroupsand
curatingengineeringdocumentation.56
7.3.2.

LessonsLearnedfromImplementation

7.3.2.1.

ThoughtheScrumexperimentwassuccessfulandGroupletfeedback
receptive,GoogleGroupletscontinueservingascrossfunctionalfocusgroups
commissionedtodiscoverandexploreideasallottedbytheGoogleemployee
20%time.57Groupletshostdemonstrations,guestspeakersandpresentations
toeducateanyonechallengedbytheprocess,effectivelymitigatingdevelopment
freezecyclesanddelayedreleases.58

8.

ProjectOutcomes
8.1.
OverallProjectRating
8.1.1.
Inconclusion,thisstudyonlyoffersoneimprovementforMarkStriebeckinsteadof
cowboyingtheexperiment,heshouldvehostedapresentationabouttheprocess
beforeintroducingaScrumtrialbyfireconfusionprobablywouldvebeenavoided,
whichwouldhavesmoothedtheprocess.Regardless,histwistonScrumhasensured
thelongtermviabilityofGADWsinceinception,demonstrablyprofitableyearoveryear,
accountingfornearly90%ofGoogle'stotalrevenue.Theannualizedreturnofthe
GADWbusinesssegmentaveraged34.85%perannum,from2001to

Cohn
,SucceedingwithAgile:softwaredevelopmentusingScrum,2010
GoogleGrouplets:SharedGroupsOf20%Time.
58
Sutherland:Chapter7:CaseStudies|Ssh!Weareaddingaprocess...(atGoogle)
56
57

16
2013(Appendix::9.3.12
Google:AdvertisingRevenue2014|Statistic.
).59Since2011,
GoogleAdWordsretainsthelionsshareofadvertisingrevenuederivedfromSearch,
amountingtoarobust74%ofmarketshare,whileMicrosoftmaintainsinsecondwith
13.2%ofmarket,overYahoo,laggingto5.9%,leaving1%scrapstoAOL.Googleisthe
mostdynamiccompanyintheindustryavoidingtherigiditymistakenlyespousedby
competition,andquitesurprisinglybyYahoo,currentlyunderthehelmofformer
Googler,MarissaMayer,whorelinquishedremoteworkingprivilegesfavoredbythe
guard.SolongasGooglestaysdynamicinculture,theywillremainoneofthemost
powerfulcompaniesinthehistoryofcapitalism.

59

Google:AdvertisingRevenue2014|Statistic.

17

9.

Appendix

9.1.

AlphaManagers

9.1.1.

9.2.

Burndown:
Sutherland:Chapter7:CaseStudies|Ssh!Weareaddingaprocess...(atGoogle)

9.2.1.

18

9.3.

ModifiedBurndown:
Sutherland:Chapter7:CaseStudies|Ssh!Weareaddingaprocess...(atGoogle)

9.3.1.

19

9.4.

Google:AdvertisingRevenue2014|Statistic.

9.4.1.

9.4.2.

20

Bibliography

9.5.
9.6.
9.7.
9.8.
9.9.
9.10.
9.11.

9.12.

9.13.
9.14.

9.15.
9.16.

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