politically incorrect agile

POLITICALLY INCORRECT

AGILERed Ink Edition

Tiago Garcez@tcgarcez

Agile Tour Brussels 2 November, 2015

“EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL HERE…

… THE ONLY THING UNAVAILABLE IS RED INK”

THERE’S PLENTY OF GREAT TEAMS AND STORIES…

… BUT THIS TALK IS ABOUT DYSFUNCTIONALITIES

Dev Team

Agile Coaches

Management Consultants

Scrum MastersManagers

ACME INC.

Dev Team

IS EVERYBODY A GOOD FIT FOR AGILE?

Work is inherently distasteful

People are not ambitious, don’t want responsibility

Most people have little capacity for creativity

Motivation occurs only at the physiological and safety levels

Most people must be coerced to achieve objectives

Work is play

Self-control necessary to achieve organisational goals

Capacity for creativity is widely distributed

Motivation occurs on social, esteem and self-actualisation

levels

People can self-organise if properly motivated

Theory X Theory Y

Which one are you?Source: Douglas McGregor

WE ARE Y !!

REALLY ??

reality is we all have the potential to be Y

WE KNOW THE CHARACTERS

“BIG FISH IN SMALL POND” GUY After years of exposure to X-type environments, cynicism is his thing

“WATCH THE WORLD BURN” GUY Unit tests? Continuous Integration? What’s the problem, are you scared?

“LAZY” GUY Slow down! You keep delivering like that and expectations will be raised

“I CAN MANAGE ALL THIS” GUY I know what we’re doing is bad, but at least it’s predictably bad

IT’S NOT THEIR FAULT

PSYCHOLOGICAL BAGGAGE heavier than you think

Does 99% ofthe work

Says he will help but doesn't

Has no ideawhat’s happening

Disappears, shows upwhen it’s done

DYSFUNCTIONAL TEAMS assuming they are all Y and that everything will be fine is dangerous

NOW MAKETHEM AGILE !

"BUILD (…) AROUND MOTIVATED INDIVIDUALS"

DON’T WORRY, LATER WE WILL WORRY ABOUT

CULTURE

PEAK AGILE what everybody wants

ACME AGILE what many end up with

HIRE PEOPLEYOU CAN TRUST

HIRE PEOPLEYOU CAN TRUST

And create an environment where they areempowered to their job

HIRE PEOPLEYOU CAN TRUST

Hedge your bet by releasing often,not by hiring the cheapest

Scrum Masters

WHERE ARE ALL THE SCRUM MASTERS?

WHAT IS A SCRUM MASTER? most organisations don’t understand the role

TWO POSSIBLEOUTCOMES

TOO BUSY TO BE A SCRUM MASTER more of a manager than anything else

FORCED TO BE A SCRUM MASTER you get to keep your current role, but also be a Scrum Master !

WHAT ABOUT THE GOOD SCRUM MASTERS ?

WHY WOULD I STAY HERE? why stress here when I can go be a freelance coach and earn more ?

CAN MANAGERS EXPLAIN THE SM ROLE? heuristic: if the answer is “no”, your organisation has a long way to go

UNDERSTAND THESCRUM MASTER ROLE

UNDERSTAND THESCRUM MASTER ROLE

And create an environment where greatScrum Masters can grow and be appreciated

Agile Coaches

IS A COACH WORTH THE MONEY?

YES.

BUT…

… ARE ALL COACHES CREATED EQUAL?

NO.

HIRE THE RIGHT COACH know what you are looking for,

beware of prescriptions

@COACHES: DON’T GET TOO COMFORTABLE

WHO IS YOUR COMPETITION?

MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCIES more effective than us right now,

but on the wrong side of the paradigm shift

EVOLUTIONARY PURPOSE differentiation by eating your own dog food

teal

HIRE A COACH THAT MATCHES YOUR LEVEL

OF AMBITION

Management Consultants

FILLING IN THE LEADERSHIP VOID

SO YOU WANTTO BE AGILE?

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING fear creeps into the minds of managers

RESIST do we have to change everything?

ENTER THE MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS

IMPROVEMENT ILLUSION we will improve everything, while actually changing nothing

AGILE-BUT hammering the square peg through the round hole

AGILE AS TOOL something to do to improve productivity

MOST MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCIES SELL

STABILITY, NOT CHANGE

AGILE IS UNSTABLE.IT’S ABOUT

CONTINUOUS CREATION

Managers

THE MANAGEMENT FARCE

ACT I.GREAT EXPECTATIONS

THE PROMISE Agile will improve productivity, happiness, and reduce cholesterol

IGNORING THE DISCLAIMERS this is not a process, it’s a mindset, and as such this change will hurt

ACT II.UNHOLY COMPROMISES

MY RESOURCES we’ll create teams, but they remain with their current silo’d boss

LET’S NOT LOSE CONTROL we’ll create metrics that have no relationship to the team

HIDE SOME ISSUES some of these impediments are political, let’s leave them alone

EXECUTIVE INFALLIBILITY I know it’s stupid, but the CEO said it, now we have to support it

ACT III.TURD POLISHING

I THINK WE SHOULD DO THE

. MODEL

WHAT’S YOUR POINT?

ACME-OTIFY FRAMEWORK it’s just like Spotify, except it’s sh*t

ACT IV.CELEBRATE BANALITY

WE MADE IT ! it took only 8 months and 30 people to deliver this app, we’re rocking

ACT V.EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

MY PRECIOUS no cultural change happened, but management has a new improvement idea

MEH

“HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF, FIRST AS TRAGEDY,THEN AS FARCE”

- Karl Marx

MANAGEMENT VISION IS THE BOTTLENECK TO

CHANGE

PEOPLE

HIRE PEOPLEYOU CAN TRUST

HIRE PEOPLEYOU CAN TRUST

And create an environment where they areempowered to their job

HIRE PEOPLEYOU CAN TRUST

Hedge your bet by releasing often,not by hiring the cheapest

SCRUM MASTERS

UNDERSTAND THESCRUM MASTER ROLE

And create an environment where greatScrum Masters can grow and be appreciated

COACHES

HIRE A COACH THAT MATCHES YOUR LEVEL

OF AMBITION

MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCIES

MOST MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCIES SELL

STABILITY, NOT CHANGE

AGILE IS UNSTABLE.IT’S ABOUT

CONTINUOUS CREATION

MANAGERS

MANAGEMENT VISION IS THE BOTTLENECK TO

CHANGE

“EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL HERE…

… THE ONLY THING UNAVAILABLE IS RED INK”

RED INK CHANGE

DON’T HIDE FROM THE CHALLENGE

Tiago Garcez@tcgarcezwww.slideshare.net/tgarcez

Thank You !

www.agilar.org