« Making Sense of Agile »
Over the years I've attended many events and heard the many, many Agile claims! "Better, Faster, Cheaper" has been repeated over and over again yet confusion persists and the masses still believe Agile is "something for Software Development"... Why?!?!? Codesta has been using Agile for over 4 years, shouldn't we be able to explain it?
Well... I'm happy to report I think I finally can. Don't get me wrong, I've tried many times before, but never with success I was satisfied with. For instance, I've delivered all of these messages in the past:
- Production Ready Software
- Iterative Software Development
- Balance Between Development and Documentation
- Customer Driven Development
- Multi-Disciplinary Teams
- I could go on and on...
But I was always left feeling a little flat. On Tuesday night, that changed. I attended the TPMA's meeting which was set to discuss "Working with an Agile Development Team". Like I said, I've been here before, but one eureka moment later, and I was a "new Agile man". The Agile tenet that I failed to convey, and I believe is most important, is that Agile enables you to skip ever having to discuss, document, design and develop the majority of software features you don't need.
While sitting on the TPMA's panel Gino Marckx, Agile Practice Lead at ThoughtCorp, shared that 45% of all software features are NEVER USED! When you think about that, it's a staggering statement. If you've ever developed a piece of software, you likely know that every detail (to varying degrees) is discussed, documented, designed and developed. If you took an approach that eliminated this waste, you'd save 45% of your time and money. Said another way... That's like driving your car almost twice as far on the same tank of gas!
Now if only I could find a process well suited for "sifting the wheat from the chaff"! Wait a moment... Agile!
Agile, regardless of whether you're using Scrum, Lean, RUP, XP etc... is really about the backlog. It's the domain a product manager is supposed to control and determines what gets done. Philosophically, the number one item in your backlog is supposed to represent the next unit of work that is most valuable to your users, customers, company etc... It's the wheat in your bread, and ultimately what should butter your bread! If you're disciplined with your approach, the chaff (aka the waste, or more eloquently described as the "lower priority items") should always filter down the list. Ultimately, the chaff should never be developed. Why? Because change happens. Priorities shift, new products are introduced, disruptive competitors enter the market etc... etc... Change is always happening and enabling your company to manage change saves you time and money.
Now note the use of the work "disciplined" above. Agile is often described as "less process" or "more loosey-goosey". I would contend that just because a process is lighter, doesn't automatically make it easier. Any parent will tell you Magic 1-2-3 is an easy technique to comprehend, but just as the book tells you... "It's the implementing which is the hard part". Agile is exactly the same. Implement whatever flavour of Agile you want, but if you're undisciplined prepare to watch it go sideways in a hurry. Agile is not a panacea, it's a philosophy which requires your attention and participation. The good news? If you do it, and stick with it, the results (and savings) should follow. Agile isn't just for developers anymore... I believe it's the best thing going for Product Managers too.
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