The 7+1 Biggest Mistakes We Made with “Agile”
I don’t know why it happened, but I sat at my desk the other day and reflected on some of the mistakes I’ve seen in the Agile community over the past 20+ years. I was trying to focus on the Big Ones, which have created the most churn or deviations from the original intentions.
Of course, these are my perspectives, and your mileage will vary. But here’s what I came up with—
Not including managers in the equation; marginalizing, stereotyping, and vilifying them. We are still struggling to be inclusive partners to this day.
Not defining what an Agile Coach does, is, and their value proposition. Having a well-rounded, experienced coach can make a world of difference. It’s tough to find them and have the humility to partner with them.
Not including a more diverse group in the definition of the Agile Manifesto. There were 17 signatories, mostly middle-aged, all men, sixteen developers, and one tester. It was an incredibly experienced group, but not diverse.
Allowing SAFe to become the de facto anti-pattern of the Agile Industrial Complex and scaling. You would have thought we learned from the Rational Unified Process (RUP). I guess not. SAFe is the epitome of the Agile Industrial Complex.
Allowing certifications to run amok. I think Anthony Mersino last counted all of the Agile certifications, and there were over 250. I’m sure by now they are well over 300. You can’t tell me we need that many certifications. Again, Agile Industrial Complex in action. Cha-ching!
Getting caught up in blindly following Scrum, Kanban, and what the “experts” are saying. Why do we care so much about what we call the daily stand-up or how well we follow Scrum. Who cares! The very point of agility is emergent practice.
Not honoring the shoulders of those we are standing upon. There is an ever-increasing trend to whine, complain about, and replace what has come before. It’s perfectly fine to change—we need change—but we must also respect, honor, and learn from the past.
Not using “Agile” or “agile” to change the world. Based on its scope and potential impact, my +1 is probably the most important mistake. But it’s not too late. The question is, how can every agilist use our agile mindset and superpowers to do good in the world?
The Real Questions
What can we learn from them?
From the perspective of reimagining agile, what can we do about them? And responsibly, what comes next?
Stay agile, my friends,
Bob.
This is spot on! A close #9... although it's related to most of these, was allowing consultants to sell Agile in terms of Agile vs Waterfall. As in good vs evil, where Agile always has to win in every situation. It created a world where every round Agile peg was crammed into every square hole and ultimately contributed to most of the current Agile industry anti-patterns.
I'm part of a team of 15 Agilists. In the next CoP, I'll suggest identifying and making the Agile mistakes in our company visible, including the middle management in the conversation.
How can our community help evolve the Agile Manifesto?
For example, when I have a non-homogeneous group, I tend to change "Working Software vs. Comprehensive Documentation" to "Valuable Outcome vs. Comprehensive Documentation." Of course, explaining the reason. But it is a workaround.
Who can be the leader of the change movement? During the last 15 years, I have seen people diverge so much when talking about Agile, and sometimes, I feel "non-belonging." Of course, I tend to listen to "others" and stay with people, creating more Agile connections. Why? Because I want to spend less time arguing and debating and more time on evolution.
Thx, Bob; you triggered me again.....as usual! LOL