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Why I’m Not Agile
David Schmaltz is a project manager in Takoma Park, Maryland.
When the Agile movement becomes dogmatic, we’re left with the opposite of its original intent. The “purity” of any method should never rise above the purpose of a project, which always comes down to translating needs and delivering results. A combination of approaches seems to work best in reality — that is, more mish-mash, less manifesto.
On March 31, 2007, Dr. Paul Watzlawick died. He was instrumental in developing an understanding of how people communicate and how large systems actually work. His many books, including the co-authored, ground-breaking Change: Principles of Problem Formation and Problem Resolution,the delightfully irreverent The Situation Is Hopeless but Not Serious, Ultra Solutions, How To Fail Most Successfully, and The Pursuit of Unhappiness should be on every project manager’s bookshelf. I was fortunate to have been able to meet Paul and thank him for his influence on my work. I present this article in his memory, with gratitude for his broad shoulders, which I stand upon, and his soaring insight into the human condition, which no lofty altitude could ever elevate me above.
"I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member." — Groucho Marx
Over the past decade, I’ve been invited to join one after another methodology movement. Many, perhaps most, of these invitations came from colleagues, even close …
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