The basis of all Agile Methodologies is the principle of Adptation – the ability to adjust to change. Being Agile is about learning from the experience and improving based on the same. It is a simple and continuous process of learning and improvement. And as that of any Learning Process, transitioning to Agile follows steps of Shu, Ha, Ri.
Dr. Alistair Cockburn explains this very nicely in his video on “I am here to burry Agile”. As he explains it, the learning is a three step process. Human behavior is to resist a change. To break the shackles of the comfort zone and accept new challenge requires a specific mindset (of which I will talk separately in another blog), which in particular is hard to find. And this exactly is the thing that we need to attack when it comes to transitioning to Agile.
The process of learning is rather progressive one than the aggressive. The progressive learning goes through a defined structure of knowledge capturing, improving and excelling. Alistair puts it using the Japanese terms Shu, Ha and Ri.
“Shu” is the state where we learn something new. The mind is open for ideas and we only focus on capturing the knowledge. We learn by books and practice as stated. The boundaries of curiosity are narrow and focused on what we see. It is a state where the mind is accepting the change.
Once the change is set, we move into the “Ha” state, where what we learn is not sufficient. The curiosity kicks in hard and the mind looks for additional sources and ways of information. Everything adds to what we have learnt so far. This is the state where we want to Explore ideas. The success and failure of experiments add to and enriches the knowledge.
Then comes the “Ri” state where the mind questions what we know. It challenges us to excel and put the excellence to test. The knowledge from various sources and the experience from various experiments forces the new definitions of knowledge. We tend to build new stuff using what we know and learn from it. The “Ri” state brings in invention to what we have learnt in “Shu” state and what we had excelled in “Ha” state.
I put this as the 3Es – Experiment, Explore and Excel. “Knowledge of Application” and “Application of Knowledge” is another way to put the same. “Knowledge of Application” is where we learn about the stuff – the Shu and Ha phase, where as “Application of Knowledge” is putting the knowledge to test which is the later of Ha and Ri phase.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
(Why) Do You Agile?
"Do You Agile?" is my signature tag these days. And for a good reason - I have seen Agile in action and working. But very recently my own tag line was thrown back to me with a twist - "WHY do you agile?"
We were working on a proposal for one of our customers. And discussion was on regarding the “proposed project management methodology”. I couldn't help but put my DNA on the table. And proposed Agile. Bang …. there came the unwanted (well, at least for me) one ... "Why do you propose Agile ..... JUST BECAUSE YOU LIKE IT". Man that was some strong emotion there. But I was so engraved in detailing the DNA, I could not focus and react to the it than just replying with a smile. But know what …. the smile said everything.
First Agile helps me to make sure “we deliver what our customer needs" with very little waste of efforts. After establishing a faith-based healthy work environment, things just happen to fall in place. Issues are no more issues and difference-of-opinions are opportunities to collaborate and improve. One one or two, but I have seen this working with every customer I have worked with. All you need is that 5 letter F word ... FAITH am talking about.
Second Agile helps me nurture the "true excellence" in my team. There wasn't a day when I was not behind individuals checking how things were, worrying about how everyone was doing, thinking who should do what and and visualizing how is my MPP looking today - when I was the project manager. But the day I became the Scrum Master, with a lot of pain of losing the control, I realized the change was for the betterment. Really .... you dont have to control your team. Rather its the team that drives and controls the project better than a Project Manager.
Third I dont have to worry about screwing the project up by underdelivering or over burning the budget and resources. With the Prioritized backlog and well estimated Sprint backlog, there was little chance of underdelivering and burning up all my oil. Rather with customer in driving seat for the requirements and Sprint priorities, my life was much easier and limited to focusing just for next two weeks of work. It is easier to take care of pennies than pound you know. And who does not want to do little and gain big. Dont know about you, but I sure do!
Fourth I was tired of communicating the untrue status every Friday. It was hard to enjoy a weekend with a heavy heart. After practising "Honesty is the policy" all my school life, it was hard to digest the fact that I was smiling after sending an untrue status report. I mean how much can one manipulate to avoid a backlash from the customer and / or senior management. I was really done with it. So the candid and open communication channels gave way to my true self. Thanks God Its Friday.
Next is big one. Man I was so tired of trying to make both ends meet when it came to Change Requests. Endless discussions of justifying change requests and defects (that were actually not defects) just exhausted me. With Agile when customer knows what is going on daily basis - what each member is working on and what the daily work is producing, there is a little opportunity for them to complain later that this is not what I wanted and very little opportunity for me to say this will cost you extra. Well, I still need to bother for this on a fixed cost project when the initial scope was not known, but you know it is easier to sort this way than earlier one.
And umpteenth time, a sense of satisfaction after seeing your team living to their commitments, a sense of pride when the burndown burns right on that red dot of last day of sprint, a feeling of joy when customer says "Accepted" on every commitment the team had made, and a sense of self-liking when team members strive to improve in those retrospective - that all is more than sufficient for me to Agile whenever I can.
So there is the answer of confidence .... "Yes I Agile because I like it because it works because it is meant to be!" ….. Amen!
We were working on a proposal for one of our customers. And discussion was on regarding the “proposed project management methodology”. I couldn't help but put my DNA on the table. And proposed Agile. Bang …. there came the unwanted (well, at least for me) one ... "Why do you propose Agile ..... JUST BECAUSE YOU LIKE IT". Man that was some strong emotion there. But I was so engraved in detailing the DNA, I could not focus and react to the it than just replying with a smile. But know what …. the smile said everything.
First Agile helps me to make sure “we deliver what our customer needs" with very little waste of efforts. After establishing a faith-based healthy work environment, things just happen to fall in place. Issues are no more issues and difference-of-opinions are opportunities to collaborate and improve. One one or two, but I have seen this working with every customer I have worked with. All you need is that 5 letter F word ... FAITH am talking about.
Second Agile helps me nurture the "true excellence" in my team. There wasn't a day when I was not behind individuals checking how things were, worrying about how everyone was doing, thinking who should do what and and visualizing how is my MPP looking today - when I was the project manager. But the day I became the Scrum Master, with a lot of pain of losing the control, I realized the change was for the betterment. Really .... you dont have to control your team. Rather its the team that drives and controls the project better than a Project Manager.
Third I dont have to worry about screwing the project up by underdelivering or over burning the budget and resources. With the Prioritized backlog and well estimated Sprint backlog, there was little chance of underdelivering and burning up all my oil. Rather with customer in driving seat for the requirements and Sprint priorities, my life was much easier and limited to focusing just for next two weeks of work. It is easier to take care of pennies than pound you know. And who does not want to do little and gain big. Dont know about you, but I sure do!
Fourth I was tired of communicating the untrue status every Friday. It was hard to enjoy a weekend with a heavy heart. After practising "Honesty is the policy" all my school life, it was hard to digest the fact that I was smiling after sending an untrue status report. I mean how much can one manipulate to avoid a backlash from the customer and / or senior management. I was really done with it. So the candid and open communication channels gave way to my true self. Thanks God Its Friday.
Next is big one. Man I was so tired of trying to make both ends meet when it came to Change Requests. Endless discussions of justifying change requests and defects (that were actually not defects) just exhausted me. With Agile when customer knows what is going on daily basis - what each member is working on and what the daily work is producing, there is a little opportunity for them to complain later that this is not what I wanted and very little opportunity for me to say this will cost you extra. Well, I still need to bother for this on a fixed cost project when the initial scope was not known, but you know it is easier to sort this way than earlier one.
And umpteenth time, a sense of satisfaction after seeing your team living to their commitments, a sense of pride when the burndown burns right on that red dot of last day of sprint, a feeling of joy when customer says "Accepted" on every commitment the team had made, and a sense of self-liking when team members strive to improve in those retrospective - that all is more than sufficient for me to Agile whenever I can.
So there is the answer of confidence .... "Yes I Agile because I like it because it works because it is meant to be!" ….. Amen!
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