This post was originally published on LinkedIn in November 2021.
Awkward Agile: “We’re doing Agile. No more process and planning!”
Hold up.
There’s a misconception that a team can declare that they’re “doing Agile” and it means they get to throw all coordination out the window and have a free-for-all.
I blame a common misinterpretation of the Agile Manifesto. We forget about that part that says “there is value in the items in the right.”
That’s right. The Agile Manifesto itself says:
– there is value in process and tools
– there is value in comprehensive documentation
– there is value in contract negotiation
So before you cancel all your meetings and throw your Jira board out the window, know this:
It takes a little bit of what’s on the right to get us to what’s on the left.
– it takes some process and tools to be able to focus on individuals and interactions
– it takes some comprehensive documentation to be able to focus on working software
– it takes some contract negotiation to be able to focus on customer collaboration
And it takes an awesome Agile Coach to help your team balance it all.
Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash.