Enabling Emergent Technologies

The latest new, cool tool comes along. Will you be allowed to use it? Probably not! So how can
you change that
This presentation looks at the introduction of new technologies at two companies, The Forward Internet Group in London (a start­up originally, now grown to 400+) and MailOnline, the online version of the Daily Mail newspaper from London (a very old organization with an existing IT shop).
In both cases, Programmer Anarchy was introduced. This managerless process (not unlike GitHub in its value propositions) empowered the programmers to make technology choices and to freely experiment with new technology. In the case of Forward, massive growth and profits ensued. In the case of MailOnline, re­development of core systems into new technology has been launched, and expectations significantly exceeded.
This presentation will touch on the various aspects of implementing Programmer Anarchy at MailOnline:
* Team building through programmer training
* Pilot project without managers, BA’s or dedicated testers
* Reinforce the model with new HR structure emphasizing skills over titles
* Create self­organizing teams of 5­8 developers (multiple such teams)
* Charter teams with a specific project, and let them deliver
* Avoid artificial schedule pressure
The intent is to provide a possible roadmap to get your latest technical toys moved into production systems.