Snowman Model

At Code Freeze, Jeff Patton referred to the "Snowman Model of Iterations" where the daily scrum feeds into larger iterations (Powerpoint of the snowman here). He scribbled a picture much like the one below. There was quite a bit of focus at Code Freeze on being able to draw some of the ideas that are involved in Agile or your design, so that they make a lasting impression on the many players in the project, particularly the product owners. This isn't just an Agile skill. Being able to create a lasting image in the mind of your audience is one of the best ways to foster change. If you're in my group at work, you may have seen "The Heart of Change" (John P. Kotter) on a manager's bookshelf, or you saw the video at the organizational realignment meetings where managers sported mullets and talked about how the web was just going to be a fad and CDs were the future. Kotter's book recommends making that visual leap that makes people feel rather than see, with images akin to Patton's snowman. If Agile is about harnessing change, then it's also about creating that indelible image for your audience that communicates that vision and creates a repository of shared imagery.