Agile pathologies

Rajeev.Singh@ThoughtWorks.com

www.AgileMontage.com

Behaviors are fairly predictable. It doesn’t help to

blame people, Rajeev

OMG! Did he say “Pathologies”?

Is Agile:

The best way to run a project? OR

The way best people choose to run a project?

People are more valuable, but other things are more valuable

MANAGEMENT

Lack of courage it often demonstrates

ORGANIZATION

Strengths that sometimes become their weaknesses

TEAM

Struggles they constantly have but do very little about

INDIVIDUAL

Problems people often don’t know of and ignore

MANAGEMENT

• Squirrel Agile • Lack of Team Design • Cherry-Pick Agile

• Misguided Command and Control • Struggle with New Metrics • Agile without Agility

ORGANIZATION

• Instant Agile • Strong Identity

• Corporate Policies and Structures

TEAM

• Issues repeat in Retrospectives • Increase Iteration Length • Homework in Iteration Planning

• Regular Hangovers • Extending Iterations • Incorrect Accounting of Velocity

INDIVIDUALS

• Uninterested in ‘Why’ of Agile • Estimation Scales • Neuro-linguistic Tendencies

• Behaviors that Block Acceptance • Lone Wolf Syndrome • Broken Window Syndrome

Calendars Booked Through Year End

This is to certify that

…………………………………………..

Has achieved an award in

……………………………….

xx/xx/xxxx Signed:

Certificate of Achievement

YOUR HEROES ARE NOVICES

THE UGLY MIRROR Agile World Exclusive COMPETENCE NEWS AND GOSSIP March 10, 2012

P R OB L EM

P R OB L EM

SOLUTION

NOVICE EXPERT

Dunning Kruger

Memorize Understand Reflect Question

Stroll Transformation

Best Practices

Chasm of Curiosity

We have daily standups

Yes, PO can participate

Our standups are long

Do we need a daily standup?

Scope Schedule

Value

Quality (Reliable, Adaptable Product)

Constraints (Cost, Schedule, Scope)

Value (Releasable Product, Continuous Improvement)

Recipe for Continuous Improvement?

People development backlog

Everybody please clean your calendars

Bias for conventional

Success

“Misguided” Command

and Control

Stigma

Holy Grail?

Social Identity Autonomy

Self-Efficacy

Mindset Methods Media

Socratic Inspect, adapt, vary

Tools contribute, not drive

WINTER Template

SECRET SAUCE

Fou

nd

ation

of A

gility

Self Direction / Org.

12/Year

Learning

Balance Shock and Maintenance

Estimates

Demonstrate “Why”

Wasteful but not Useless

Artifacts

Beware of Tool Trap

Where and How Fast

Excel

Continuous Integration

Collective Ownership

Frequent and small Releases

Adaptive Planning Methods

Customer Involvement

Empowered Teams

Minimal Documentation

TDD

Refactoring Simple Design

Enables

Enables Requires

Requires Allows

Allows

Produces

Triggers

Automated Testing

Allows

Enables

Allows

Deep Down

TDD Pair

Programming Refactoring Simple Design

In the Middle

Collective Ownership

Coding Standards

Continuous Integration

Sustainable Pace

Adaptive Planning

On the Surface

Minimal Documentation

Planning Game Daily Standup Frequent and

Small Releases

Process Fanatics

Unsatisfied and demotivated people

Weak at addressing people issues

Is Agile:

Best way? OR

Best people?

Rajeev.Singh@ThoughtWorks.com

www.AgileMontage.com