Author Archives: Paul Boos

Invited | Imposed

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bramble

Agile Must Be Invited
vs
Agile Should Be Directed
thorns
  • “When we impose Agile practices, we kill any chance for an Agile mindset to grow.”
  • “Why would I include someone who doesn’t understand Agile in planning the implementation?”
  • “Everyone must co-create the vision for change.”
  • “Leadership owns the vision for, and drives, the change.”
path
  • “What are the risks of starting Agile ‘wrong?’”
  • “How does the way we introduce Agile affect people’s effectiveness?”
  • “What happens when we delegate more, or less, of the strategy for implementing Agile?”
fruit
  • (Conversation is about the needs/fears of individuals and the organization)
  • “How will we accept feedback on the approach we’re taking around commitment and engagement?”
  • “How do we ensure the needs of the organization are met, too?”
  • “How can we get our people involved?”

This bramble was identified at the first Agile Dialogs unconference as a possible one for discussion; see the proceedings. This particular one was explored further at Agile Coach Camp 2016 in St Louis with particular attention to identifying thorns.

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Always Estimate | #NoEstimates

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bramble

Always Estimate
vs
Never Estimate (#NoEstimates)
thorns
  • “Estimates are worthless/wrong the minute they are given.”
  • “We need estimates to know when we’ll be done!”
  • “We can use actual throughput of stories so we don’t have to spend time estimating as a forecast.”
  • “You’re being irresponsible with money that’s not yours.”
path
  • “How will the direction you choose (skipping estimates or not) affect later decisions or ability to achieve support?”
  • “What assumptions are you/your stakeholders making on what is/is not needed around estimation?”
  • “What other things besides estimation do you need to know to make this decision?”
  • “What is an estimate a proxy for..?” (e.g. complexity)
  • “What fear is addressed by having/avoiding estimates?”
fruit
  • “No estimates, detailed estimates, whatever — our real goal is…” (on time delivery, customer satisfaction, reliability, etc.)
  • “Here is a/another way to get the forecast we need.”
  • “What if we simplified our detailed estimation method/enhanced our simple method?”
  • (A reasoned analysis of when an estimate is necessary or not; situational merits, risks, the level of detail/accuracy required.)

This bramble’s assumptions were explored as one of the paths (prior to Agile Brambles being set-up) at the first Agile Dialogs unconference; see the proceedings. Possible fruits were discovered as well. See specifically, the Learnings section.