Agile is not the best thing that’s ever happened.
Sorry. Take away my Agile Coaching badge if you must. But it’s true.
You do not have to go Agile. No one is making you. Agile is not the right fit for every organization.
How do you know if you should even be interested in an Agile mindset and practices?
Read the Manifesto.
The group of people who wrote the Manifesto identified ways of working. They divided those ways of working into two sets. The authors indicated that there is value in both sets. And that, for Agile, for them, they place more value in one of those sets.
But you don’t have to.
Just because your organization values some ways of working, even if they’re different from Agile, does not mean you’re wrong.
To break it down, I’m sharing some common practices from organizations I’ve worked with:
controlled communication | unchecked interaction |
delivery of complete functionality | demonstration of increments |
limited customer access | direct customer collaboration |
specialization | cross-functionality |
individual responsibility | shared accountability |
hitting deadlines | prioritizing value |
comprehensive processes | minimal structure |
That is, while there is value in the items on the right, your organization might value the items on the left more.
If you’re looking at this list and really resonating with what’s on the left, Agile may not be the right fit for you.
And that’s OK.
Agile is not a mandate. It is not a goal. And it’s not the only thing out there.
Be clear on what your organization values – and is likely to continue to value.
And work in the way that meets those needs.
Photo by Emily Morter on Unsplash