agile schmagile -- jon kern
DESCRIPTION
It would seem that Agile isn’t the foolproof silver bullet that we said it would be! Oh, wait. We never said that. Let me re-phrase this a bit. Ahem. Ok, so not all groups doing agile succeed in delivering software. And not all folks trained in two days of Scrum are magically anointed with wisdom and a Midas touch. The anger against “agile” is palpable in many discussion groups and blogs. What should we do? Go back to Waterfall? Train people for four days? Well, I think it is time we do a re-set, and (re)educate folks on what agile is all about. If you are dogmatically following along with a handful of agile practices, but don’t really “get” the intentions behind the agile mindset, you may (will?) be disappointed in your results. I’ve always said “agile is hard to do well” and I’m sticking to it! Let’s re-commit to the core principles and practices. Let’s do Agile like we mean it. (Originally presented at JavaSymposium in March 2011)TRANSCRIPT
Agile Schmagile
Does Agile Stink, or is it Just Me?
Jon Kern
QUESTIONS!
Are You Agile?
Peak Performance
Do you work on a high-
performing team?
How can you be sure?
Abysmal Performance
Have you been disappointed by Agile?
What practice has failed you/your team?
Grade From Your Stakeholders/Clients?
✔
Grade From Yourself?
✔✔
✔
✔
Agile Stinks! Or Does it?
No escaping that Agile can be a BAD word
100,000+ CSMs could be a good thing, or not
How can we tell what we should be doing?
(RE-)CONNECT WITH AGILE!
Recipe For Agile Success
Killer App Software Product
Ingredients:1.2.3.
Recipe For Agile Success
Killer App Software Product
Ingredients:1. 2.3.
Ingredients:1. PEOPLE!2.3.PEOPLE!
Recipe For Agile Success
Killer App Software Product
Ingredients:1. PEOPLE!2. Process3. Tools
Being Able to Reason is Key
Educate yourself about the agile practices
Learn about successful project teams
Engage in observation
– Cause and Effect
Reason about what
you do as a team
Reflect & Adapt
The Manifesto Reveals Truths
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
Agile Practices Demand Holism
Consider the project to be a system
Synergies of Practices
Holistic Approaches
Agile is Simple
And Yet… AGILE IS HARD!
LET’S TURN THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN
The Anti-Agile Manifesto
We are uncovering better ways to provide the illusion of developing software by
listening to others talk about watching people try. Through this (dare I call it?)
work, we have come to value:
Dogmatic process and CASE-tool-like automation
over inspiring quality individuals to interact with the team and the clients
Sufficient up-front comprehensive design specifications
over seeing frequent, tangible, working results.
Writing detailed Statements of Work and negotiating changes
over collaborating to do our collective best with the time and money at hand
Driving toward the original project plan
over accommodating the client changing their mind, or a
path turning into a dead end
So “What’s It Gonna Be?”
Agile Manifesto?
Bizarro Manifesto?
HOW DO WE START?
IT STARTS WITH YOU!
Change is Hard
Especially because it starts with you!
Tight Deadlines
I needtraining
Agile isa Fad
TDD takes too much time
We only work on COMPLEX projects
Management doesn’t care about quality
We’ve never done it that way
before
We’re stuck with legacy code
The QA Dept does all of our
testing
We need full requirements up
front
Be… a Craftsman
Be… a Professional
Be… Impatient
Be… Balanced
Treat software holistically, as a closed-loop system
Be… Lazy
Be… Inquisitive
Be… Bold
Question with BOLDNESS
Ask Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why?
Don’t: Just Do It!
Understand why you are doing it
Observe, reflect, adapt
You Don’t Do Agile, You Are Agile
Agile is first and foremost a personal PRACTICE!
As is ballet, yoga, rock climbing…
Never a master, always a student
Agile Has Failed Us?
Not so much!
Return to the founding principles
Be Agile, don’t blindly just DO Agile!
Apply common sense
Agile problems? First look inward…
The Agile Mindset has no agenda, no certificate
Agile Can’t Change the World
But…
You can be more agile
Your team can be more agile
Your group can be more agile
Your company can be more…
Agile Can’t Change the World
But…
You can be more agile
Your team can be more agile
Your group can be more agile
Your company can be more…
Maybe agile CAN impact the world after all!
THANK YOU!
http://TechnicalDebt.com
Agile SchmagileDoes Agile Stink, or is it Just Me?
Jon Kern