Comments for Wizewerx http://wizewerx.com helping you get awesome. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 02:22:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= Comment on We want to be agile. by Wes Williams http://wizewerx.com/blog/2012/we-want-to-be-agile/#comment-1220 Wes Williams Mon, 23 Jan 2012 02:22:00 +0000 http://wizewerx.com/?p=1266#comment-1220 Hey Mike, Most places I have coached at, either as an employee or a consultant, do know what they want. They want a process that is more predictable for a fixed budget and fixed schedule. Well, that is, groups that seem to be the type you are talking about where some senior manager is trying to push agile. They here agile will make them faster, which we both is not quite correct. They are looking for a better way to manage them out of the mess they are in. In most cases the business people and upper management are not happy with the speed at which they deliver software. Picking agile to make software delivery faster usually leads them down a wrong path and they end up disliking agile because it did not make them faster and more predictable. They end up in a semi-iterative mess. First of all their goal was wrong. The goal rarely mentions the customer and making them happy or it is a side note. Since the main goal is to go faster they usually appear to get this at the beginning, because everyone knows what is really wanted, but they cannot sustain it. Secondly they do not have a quality focus. By quality I mean delivering a solution that meets the customers needs, is maintainable and allow them to continue to move forward at a sustainable pace. My first point deals with the lack of customer focus but they also do not have development and testing teams with the skill set or mindset required to deliver software iteratively. Developers are not trained do TDD and/or they write minimal unit tests. Testers and developers (and customers/product owners) do not work closely together to create a common understanding and then automate the verification of that understanding. e.g. Agile become purely a planning and management initiative. Of course there are several mindset changes that do not happen at the organization level in order to allow the previous two items to happen. It is rarely admitted that quality starts at the top and senior leaders have set the expectations that drive a lot of the behaviors that lead to bad quality and unhappy customers. Budgeting is usually done in a way that encourages teams to continue a funded project even when it clearly becomes a bad direction. Organizations are setup to pit developers, testers and business people against each other. And many more. I have seem many, even most, coaches identify and work to correct all of these issues but a coach can usually only guide and influence and changing an organization is difficult. Add to that difficulty the fact that most corporations reward senior leaders for short term profits and meeting wall streets predictions it becomes even more difficult. I think what I just wrote sounds like there is no hope. :) Real agile however will take a general change of mindset and the bad economy may help with that but I am sure not going to say it will for sure. In the meantime we just need to keep pushing our ideas in hope that someone will get desperate enough to listen and really try them. Hey Mike, Most places I have coached at, either as an employee or a consultant, do know what they want. They want a process that is more predictable for a fixed budget and fixed schedule. Well, that is, groups that seem to be the type you are talking about where some senior manager is trying to push agile. They here agile will make them faster, which we both is not quite correct. They are looking for a better way to manage them out of the mess they are in. In most cases the business people and upper management are not happy with the speed at which they deliver software.
Picking agile to make software delivery faster usually leads them down a wrong path and they end up disliking agile because it did not make them faster and more predictable. They end up in a semi-iterative mess.

First of all their goal was wrong. The goal rarely mentions the customer and making them happy or it is a side note. Since the main goal is to go faster they usually appear to get this at the beginning, because everyone knows what is really wanted, but they cannot sustain it.

Secondly they do not have a quality focus. By quality I mean delivering a solution that meets the customers needs, is maintainable and allow them to continue to move forward at a sustainable pace. My first point deals with the lack of customer focus but they also do not have development and testing teams with the skill set or mindset required to deliver software iteratively. Developers are not trained do TDD and/or they write minimal unit tests. Testers and developers (and customers/product owners) do not work closely together to create a common understanding and then automate the verification of that understanding. e.g. Agile become purely a planning and management initiative.

Of course there are several mindset changes that do not happen at the organization level in order to allow the previous two items to happen. It is rarely admitted that quality starts at the top and senior leaders have set the expectations that drive a lot of the behaviors that lead to bad quality and unhappy customers. Budgeting is usually done in a way that encourages teams to continue a funded project even when it clearly becomes a bad direction. Organizations are setup to pit developers, testers and business people against each other. And many more.

I have seem many, even most, coaches identify and work to correct all of these issues but a coach can usually only guide and influence and changing an organization is difficult. Add to that difficulty the fact that most corporations reward senior leaders for short term profits and meeting wall streets predictions it becomes even more difficult.

I think what I just wrote sounds like there is no hope. :) Real agile however will take a general change of mindset and the bad economy may help with that but I am sure not going to say it will for sure. In the meantime we just need to keep pushing our ideas in hope that someone will get desperate enough to listen and really try them.

]]> Comment on We want to be agile. by Anonymous http://wizewerx.com/blog/2012/we-want-to-be-agile/#comment-1219 Anonymous Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:00:00 +0000 http://wizewerx.com/?p=1266#comment-1219 Many of the coaches I have worked with also rock and help steer clients through what the outcomes the client is seeking. There are a fair few coaches also who do not recognise this issue. The ranty nature of this post is mostly because I haven't blogged in a while, the real aim of this was not to rage on coaches who don't work the way I do or value the things I value, instead it was really to highlight that organisations often don't know what they want in the process they ask for and it is the very essence of agility for the coach to collaborate with the customer to deliver a working process that delivers highest value and continuous feedback and help the customer organisation towards the outcomes they desire. Thanks for your contribution and helping me think this through a bit more. Many of the coaches I have worked with also rock and help steer clients through what the outcomes the client is seeking. There are a fair few coaches also who do not recognise this issue.

The ranty nature of this post is mostly because I haven’t blogged in a while, the real aim of this was not to rage on coaches who don’t work the way I do or value the things I value, instead it was really to highlight that organisations often don’t know what they want in the process they ask for and it is the very essence of agility for the coach to collaborate with the customer to deliver a working process that delivers highest value and continuous feedback and help the customer organisation towards the outcomes they desire.

Thanks for your contribution and helping me think this through a bit more.

]]> Comment on We want to be agile. by Agile Scout http://wizewerx.com/blog/2012/we-want-to-be-agile/#comment-1218 Agile Scout Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:34:00 +0000 http://wizewerx.com/?p=1266#comment-1218 99% in agreement with you here. Not sure the caliber of coaches you've worked with, but I'd say that almost 80% of the coaches I've worked with kick serious ass.  I'm glad your blogging about this and bringing this up. The more we talk about it, hopefully it'll get better. As with any type of business opportunity, there will be the zealots, the theorists, the pragmatists, the d0-ers, and the fakers.  99% in agreement with you here. Not sure the caliber of coaches you’ve worked with, but I’d say that almost 80% of the coaches I’ve worked with kick serious ass. 
I’m glad your blogging about this and bringing this up. The more we talk about it, hopefully it’ll get better. As with any type of business opportunity, there will be the zealots, the theorists, the pragmatists, the d0-ers, and the fakers. 

]]> Comment on We want to be agile. by Ola Hyltén http://wizewerx.com/blog/2012/we-want-to-be-agile/#comment-1217 Ola Hyltén Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:48:00 +0000 http://wizewerx.com/?p=1266#comment-1217 Good one! Being a professional sometimes means that you recommend "Don't go there" and that may of course mean less income for you as a consultant so it can be difficult to stay honest. Being honest is on the other hand what we need to be if we wanna stay in business and sleep well at night! The buzz word problem is what it is. Agile is a great example. I bet you come across a lot of different expectations on "Going Agile" and various more or less poorly stated definitions of Agile at the ones who believe it's a silver bullet solution and very out "Make us Agile please, oh great guru" Staying honest, to yourself and your clients, sometimes takes not only a solid backbone but also a lot of teaching! Good one! Being a professional sometimes means that you recommend “Don’t go there” and that may of course mean less income for you as a consultant so it can be difficult to stay honest. Being honest is on the other hand what we need to be if we wanna stay in business and sleep well at night!
The buzz word problem is what it is. Agile is a great example. I bet you come across a lot of different expectations on “Going Agile” and various more or less poorly stated definitions of Agile at the ones who believe it’s a silver bullet solution and very out “Make us Agile please, oh great guru”
Staying honest, to yourself and your clients, sometimes takes not only a solid backbone but also a lot of teaching!

]]> Comment on My Ideas Tree by ALE2011 conference in Berlin – Status Updates « OlafLewitz http://wizewerx.com/blog/2011/my-ideas-tree/#comment-1154 ALE2011 conference in Berlin – Status Updates « OlafLewitz Wed, 18 May 2011 00:23:15 +0000 http://wizewerx.com/?p=1234#comment-1154 [...] program will consist of 30 minute talks in the morning and open space in the afternoon. The idea farmer Mike Sutton will facilitate the Open Space, and the grumpy old skeptic coach Rachel Davies kindly committed to [...] [...] program will consist of 30 minute talks in the morning and open space in the afternoon. The idea farmer Mike Sutton will facilitate the Open Space, and the grumpy old skeptic coach Rachel Davies kindly committed to [...]

]]> Comment on My Ideas Tree by Ash Sheikh http://wizewerx.com/blog/2011/my-ideas-tree/#comment-1136 Ash Sheikh Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:37:00 +0000 http://wizewerx.com/?p=1234#comment-1136 Mike, i've been engrossed in your posting and have taken inspiration with me and in it's place i leave thanks. Ash Mike, i’ve been engrossed in your posting and have taken inspiration with me and in it’s place i leave thanks.
Ash

]]> Comment on A View on Tribes by Olaf Lewitz http://wizewerx.com/blog/2011/a-view-on-tribes/#comment-1053 Olaf Lewitz Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:04:00 +0000 http://wizewerx.com/?p=1155#comment-1053 Mike, love this post. Enlightening in multiple ways—thanks so much for sharing this. take care Olaf Mike,
love this post. Enlightening in multiple ways—thanks so much for sharing this.
take care
Olaf

]]> Comment on The Shower Monologues: Software Craftsmanship and the Choir – Part 1 by Tobias Mayer http://wizewerx.com/blog/2011/the-shower-monologues-software-craftsmanship-and-the-choir-part-1/#comment-1047 Tobias Mayer Mon, 24 Jan 2011 21:19:00 +0000 http://wizewerx.com/?p=1201#comment-1047 Nice distinction Mike. Nice distinction Mike.

]]> Comment on The Shower Monologues: Software Craftsmanship and the Choir – Part 1 by Michael Bedward http://wizewerx.com/blog/2011/the-shower-monologues-software-craftsmanship-and-the-choir-part-1/#comment-1046 Michael Bedward Thu, 20 Jan 2011 01:05:00 +0000 http://wizewerx.com/?p=1201#comment-1046 Very well put. As someone with a deep passion for, and appreciation of, software craftmanship I couldn't give a toss about the upper case version or its manifesto. Very well put.

As someone with a deep passion for, and appreciation of, software craftmanship I couldn’t give a toss about the upper case version or its manifesto.

]]> Comment on The Shower Monologues: Software Craftsmanship and the Choir – Part 1 by George Dinwiddie http://wizewerx.com/blog/2011/the-shower-monologues-software-craftsmanship-and-the-choir-part-1/#comment-1045 George Dinwiddie Wed, 19 Jan 2011 18:32:00 +0000 http://wizewerx.com/?p=1201#comment-1045 Good questions, Mike. I think the manifesto was an attempt to call attention to the need for more people to care about craftsmanship. It if becomes a movement to certify who's a craftman and who's not--well, then it's missed the boat completely. Who anoints someone as a master craftsman? I say no one. Being a master is what we may strive to achieve. It's not a destination. It's not an award bestowed on us. Good questions, Mike. I think the manifesto was an attempt to call attention to the need for more people to care about craftsmanship. It if becomes a movement to certify who’s a craftman and who’s not–well, then it’s missed the boat completely.

Who anoints someone as a master craftsman?

I say no one. Being a master is what we may strive to achieve. It’s not a destination. It’s not an award bestowed on us.

]]>