Dear Agile, I’m Tired of Pretending (2018)
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Re: Dear Agile, I’m Tired of Pretending (2018)
#2I agree that almost all of the orgs I encountered that were Doing Agile were pretty horrible.
On the other hand, I've also been in orgs that were very successful in developing software in a way that we would recognise as being agile. We just didn't make a big deal out of it. And we didn't do standups (most of the time), or 2 week sprints, or retrospectives. We didn't even pair consistently: we split up on trivial stuff, paired on hard stuff, as needed and available.
In one org we started without TDD, and even without having much in the way of automated tests at all. But when we discovered testing and TDD, boy did we ever embrace it. Not because anyone told us to (mid-to-late 90s, so no Agile Manifesto), but because the difference for us developers was night and day.
So develop software. Concentrate on what helps you develop software. In my experience, you will probably discover something recognisably agile all by yourself. So when you discover that, help yourself to what helps you. Don't make a big deal out of it.
Re: Dear Agile, I’m Tired of Pretending (2018)
#3I agree that almost all of the orgs I encountered that were Doing Agile were pretty horrible. On the other hand, I've also been in orgs that were very successful in developing software in a way that we would recognise as being agile. We just didn't make a big deal out of it. And we didn't do standups (most of the time), or 2 week sprints, or retrospectives. We didn't even pair consistently: we split up on trivial stu…
Sounds a lot like TPS, I assume Toyota did a lot of the stuff before any books were written. Also, my personal experience, the more companies talk about Lean and Six Sigma the less they do it.
Re: Dear Agile, I’m Tired of Pretending (2018)
#4I agree that almost all of the orgs I encountered that were Doing Agile were pretty horrible. On the other hand, I've also been in orgs that were very successful in developing software in a way that we would recognise as being agile. We just didn't make a big deal out of it. And we didn't do standups (most of the time), or 2 week sprints, or retrospectives. We didn't even pair consistently: we split up on trivial stu…
Sounds a lot like TPS, I assume Toyota did a lot of the stuff before any books were written. Also, my personal experience, the more companies talk about Lean and Six Sigma the less they do it.
Similar with "culture". Companies with a great culture don't talk much about it, they just get shit done without much fuss and typically have some fun doing it. Because getting shit done is fun.
On the other hand, if the company all about how fantastic the culture is...run! Or at least tread very, very carefully.
Re: Dear Agile, I’m Tired of Pretending (2018)
#5I agree that almost all of the orgs I encountered that were Doing Agile were pretty horrible. On the other hand, I've also been in orgs that were very successful in developing software in a way that we would recognise as being agile. We just didn't make a big deal out of it. And we didn't do standups (most of the time), or 2 week sprints, or retrospectives. We didn't even pair consistently: we split up on trivial stu…
What you are describing is exactly what Agile should be. You have a team of people who care about the craft and they slowly improve processes based on real world feedback and experience. If something doesn't work you drop it and try something else. This happens in environments where people respect each other.
Re: Dear Agile, I’m Tired of Pretending (2018)
#6I agree that almost all of the orgs I encountered that were Doing Agile were pretty horrible. On the other hand, I've also been in orgs that were very successful in developing software in a way that we would recognise as being agile. We just didn't make a big deal out of it. And we didn't do standups (most of the time), or 2 week sprints, or retrospectives. We didn't even pair consistently: we split up on trivial stu…
Build trust and respect instead of elaborate processes to compensate for the lack of them.
Re: Dear Agile, I’m Tired of Pretending (2018)
#7The best way I've seen agile described is "designing code in a way that acknowledges change.' I think there's a lot of value in understanding that you may have to go back to the drawing board when designing parts of your program. I have little regard for the entire industry that has risen up around agile, however.
Re: Dear Agile, I’m Tired of Pretending (2018)
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sounds a lot like TPS, I assume Toyota did a lot of the stuff before any books were written. Also, my personal experience, the more companies talk about Lean and Six Sigma the less they do it.
Similar with "culture". Companies with a great culture don't talk much about it, they just get shit done without much fuss and typically have some fun doing it. Because getting shit done is fun. On the other hand, if the company all about how fantastic the culture is...run! Or at least tread very, very carefully.
Totally agree. Talking about culture or hanging up "inspirational" posters is usually a warning sign. Good organizations live their values and don't feel a need to constantly talk about them.
Re: Dear Agile, I’m Tired of Pretending (2018)
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sounds a lot like TPS, I assume Toyota did a lot of the stuff before any books were written. Also, my personal experience, the more companies talk about Lean and Six Sigma the less they do it.
Similar with "culture". Companies with a great culture don't talk much about it, they just get shit done without much fuss and typically have some fun doing it. Because getting shit done is fun. On the other hand, if the company all about how fantastic the culture is...run! Or at least tread very, very carefully.
That reminds me of my two favorite interviewee questions:
"What's your company culture like?" - the way that the interviewer responds is a pretty good indicator of what their culture is like.
"If someone does something exceptional, how do you reward them?" works in a very similar way.
Re: Dear Agile, I’m Tired of Pretending (2018)
#10You don’t hear the name Joel Spolsky much any more, but he was pretty influential in software process thinking in the 90’s - not really for being particularly insightful or original, but more because he was one of the first people who thought of writing a blog about software design. One of his early “observations” about software project management was that “you wouldn’t buy a pair of jeans without knowing how much they were going to cost, why would you expect your manager to sign off on a software project without knowing how much it was going to cost?” The utter blithering stupidity of this perspective highlights how managers look at software design: the purpose of software methodology is to put a fixed cost on every software project. As long as that’s what they’re looking for, software methodology is going to continue to be a lost cause.