Shifting Gears: Value Stream Teams and Enabling Mechanisms
During the exciting first day of the DevSecOps onboarding, the two pilot teams – Project Storm and Project Venus, learned about the next gear of our transformation and how this is a step-up to our agile transformation. Day 2 of onboarding aimed to walk them through the processes, sets of principles, and ways of working that would bring UnionBank to its desired state of creating magical experience for its customers.
Day 2 kickstarted with a boost of motivation from the UnionBank’s EVP, Chief Customer Experience Officer, and Chief Digital Channels Officer, Ms. Ana A. Delgado. In her opening speech, AAD highlighted how customer needs are evolving faster than ever before and the need to adapt. The Bank has been successful in transforming to Agile, and she is once again confident that UnionBankers can succeed as we step into the new ways of doing things through DevSecOps.
Here is an excerpt from AAD’s message to the DevSecOps pilot teams at the start of the Day 2 onboarding:
“When anyone hears those names, Storm, and Venus, something big is unfolding. And while most of the time, storms symbolize adversity, we can also see storms as a precursor for growth. For without challenge, we cannot grow. And when you come out of a storm, you may not remember some of what happened, but what is certain is you will come out a different person. And after a storm is done, a thousand flowers are sure to bloom.
As pioneers of DevSecOps, it will not be without challenges. Remember you are paving the way for the entire organization to adopt DevSecOps as a way of life to better serve our customers.
For all of you on Team Venus, Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise, and that is the brightest natural object in the sky next to the moon. She is bold, and she is bright. She is unafraid to stand out and move to the beat of her own drum. So as pioneers, you will serve as beacons of light, hope, and inspiration for the other squads to follow. You will do things that no other bank in the Philippines has done. Embrace this challenge and allow it to pull you forward. I am already proud of all you have accomplished as agile UnionBankers, but not as proud as I will be when you retell the stories as pioneering teams for DevSecOps.“
AAD also did not forget that learning the new ways of working is a two-way street. She reminded the teams that, “I’m also looking forward to learning from all of you. As you lead your teams forward in this new way, don’t forget to teach and lead your leaders too. Let us know what is working and what isn’t and what you need to make things happen. Let’s lead the Bank forward to greatness and make history together.”
The reassurance from the Leaders like AAD and the support they give the Value Stream Teams as they embark on this new journey truly inspires everyone involved in the DevSecOps transformation.
The Day 2 onboarding proper was ushered in with an icebreaker where Team Storm and Team Venus members tried to find their things in common. The activity focused on the things they value the most in a team member, things they do when conflict arises, and the moments when they consider they are in the best versions of themselves. Team effectiveness is after all important in DevSecOps!
The onboarding activity allowed the team members to communicate and collaborate – the very core of DevSecOps interactions. An online collaboration tool called Miro was utilized to learn more about the team members while getting them used to working with one another virtually. DevSecOps will introduce more technology and tools so that VSTs can automate their processes and collaborate efficiently as a team.
Enabling mechanisms that Support Value Stream Teams
As the VSTs are at the front, center, and back of the Bank’s service delivery pipeline, they follow the DevSecOps team structure. This new way of working involves new roles such as the Flow Master.
The Flow Master (FM) oversees the flow of the VSTs, ensuring team effectiveness throughout the pipeline.
The flow metrics and other mechanisms promote the behaviors the members should demonstrate, and help facilitate the sprint events.
Flow Metrics
These are industry-proven metrics that will help gauge speed, security, and stability. Flow metrics ensure that there are no restrictions that disable the flow of the delivery of products and services until they reach the customers. These include deployment frequency, lead time for changes, mean time for restore and change failure rate.
The MAGIS Mantra
During this time of the onboarding, the MAGIS Mantra was introduced to Project Storm and Project Venus. The MAGIS Mantra includes a set of principles to humanize DevSecOps through the behaviors that enable the VSTs to adopt newer ways of working.
These principles were co-created with the Bank’s Executives and were activated with the business leaders and officers of the Bank. At the same time, the new principles aim to complement the new ways of working, specifically embedding security by design, prioritizing flow, and pausing mindfully.
While the Bank recognizes that organizational structure and technology are important to any journey towards changes, it also sees culture change as a driver of transformation. UnionBank is confident that with the right culture and mindset, it can accelerate its transformation and deliver the experience that its customers deserve.
Want to know more about UnionBank’s transformation? Follow our journey through these previous articles: