Friday, September 26, 2014

100% Agile, 100% Fragile... what means 100% Agile?


Did you never had a customer/manager saying… guy, we don’t want to be 100% agile?


I heard quite often this kind of arguments and I was asking myself what did I? what’s wrong? What kind of mistake did I provide through my transition steps?
Then, I start to look back to basics. 
The Agile Manifesto? not explicite enough.
The Declaration of Interdepence? too business oriented.
The underlaying principles of the Agile Manifesto? Yes, that’s the point.


I re-read the points and I start grouping them in categories:
  • continuous improvement
  • self organization
  • changing requirements
  • simplicity
  • sustainable pace
  • iterations
  • working items
  • technical excellence
  • customer satisfaction
  • business and development working together
  • motivated individuals
  • clear communication

Now, based on this, what means 100% agile?
I question myself:
  • if you are doing only continuous improvement are you agile?
  • or if your teams are only self organized are you agile?
  • or if you are accepted changing requirements only are you agile?
  • or if you have working items only are you agile?
  • or if you have technical excellence, are you agile?
  • or if you have only customer satisfaction?
  • or if business is working closely with development only are you agile?
  • or if you only have motivated individual?
  • or if you only have clear communication, are you agile?
  • or if you only iterate, are you agile?

Bizarre, isn’t?

It’s an « AND » not an « OR ».


Now if you replace « OR » by « AND », this makes a bit more sense. No?

Assumption 2: it’s an « AND »

  • what means 100% continuous improvement?
    • 100% means full achievement. Right?
    • continuous improvement is, in my brain, an infinite loop
    • how could I reach 100% of infinity!?!?!
  • 100% self organized teams?
    • 100% means that all teams are self organized
    • sounds simple
    • isn't at all
  • 100% accepted Change requests?
    • 100% accepted Change requests (CR) is also simple.
    • it means that:
      • business can make the difference between CR and scope
      • there is acceptance and triage
      • Change has a governance
      • Consulting company accepts change for free (no charge, no new SOW)
      • sounds simple
      • isn't at all 
  • 100% working items?
    • 100% working items sounds simple
    • for simple products.... very simple products
    • low complexity
    • it's what I call "Lego bricks and plumbing"
    • sounds simple
    • isn't at all
    • either when you didn't defined somebody in charge with the product aka Product Owner
  • 100% technical excellence?
    • 100% technical excellence
    • like before, everything should be very very simple
    • 1 technology (ask SAP guys if it's simple)
    • sounds simple
    • isn't at all
  • 100% customer satisfaction?
    • sounds simple
    • when you have one customer and it's your loving grand'ma
    • not a proxy or a business analyst, a real one with flesh and blood
    • according to the level of UX adoption, it sounds that it isn't that simple
    • isn't?
  • 100% business and development working closely together?
    • that's easy
    • working closely together? how close? is 5.000km close? is WebEx or Skype close enough?
    • I don't know?
    • does closely together mean that they have to partner on a daily basis?
    • every day?
    • sounds simple
    • isn't at all
  • 100% motivated individuals?
    • that's an easy one!
    • I make a retro with legos and serious game, we have a lot of fun and it's done!
    • really?
    • motivated how?
    • motivated to follow what daddy says? or the commander-in-chief?
    • motivated if one guy wants the latest tool and another pizzas if a third one is vegan and HR prevents for harassment?
    • kidding
    • sounds simple
    • isn't at all
  • 100% iteration?
    • we can iterate one day of another?
    • or one week, then 2 weeks, then 3, like a Fibonacci?
    • if I iterate once a year, is it enough?
    • sounds simple
    • isn't at all
  • 100% clear communication?
    • that's an easy one but I have to get management buy in first ;b)


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