By Yousuf
Ahmed
Don’t
try too hard!
This
is probably the most important lesson I have learnt from my deep involvement in
agile transformation initiatives over the last decade.
I
have seen too many projects fail where the primary focus has been in
implementing steps of a specific agile method – whether the environment is
ready for them or not. Examples are of many types - a daily scrum is a great
tool – but forcing folks to join a daily meeting where there is not a whole lot
changing in what they do may prove counter-productive. 4 week
sprints are great – but don’t make much sense for a maintenance team. Test
driven development is fabulous – but is a test for every getter and setter
really needed?
...
I can go on.
Successful
agile projects begin with focusing on the fundamentals – and I find it helpful
to refer back to the Agile manifesto and its core principles to reinforce these
fundamentals.
Agile
is concerned with delivering value in an efficient and timely manner - and the
different agile methods have given us many great processes and tools to achieve
these goals. But most importantly – agile recognizes that the success of a
project depends on the people and their level of commitment. At its core,
agile is about collaboration, transparency and trust. Agile tools and processes
are enablers that help facilitate teamwork and provide a roadmap for efficient
execution. But they need to be used judiciously, ensuring that they
help increase the quality of teamwork. Used literally where they don’t
necessarily fit, these very tools can alienate the team and ruin the chances of
success.
Ken
Schwaber (co- creator of Scrum in “Agile Project Management with Scrum”)
describes Scrum as a practice of “the art of the possible” – which very aptly
describes the spirit of agile – keep the core principles in mind, and adapt the
tools to work properly in your environment.
Having
said that – it is important to have some sort of a guideline and set of rules,
some level of prescriptiveness and discipline in your project, and as a
thinking project manager – you are going to need to define these rules for your
project yourself. Don’t try to implement a method just because it
exists, but do figure out a process that fits your needs – and then make sure
it’s followed. Here are a few key best practices which can serve as a guideline
to help define the specific rules for your project.
·
Build trust among team members, including all business
stakeholders
·
Find ways to collaborate, and effectively communicate – a
daily scrum is one possible way, but adjust the times and frequency
appropriately
·
Do build a backlog – knowing what you are dealing with is
important
·
Split the work into manageable chunks – use iterations,
sprints, or release plans as tools when appropriate
·
Make testing a part of your team’s development culture.
·
Review and communicate progress regularly – in whatever
form is best understood by your audience.
·
Adjust and tweak your methods based on regular
retrospection.
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