Beginning the Agile Journey

 

I was with a client this week that was just starting their agile journey. They had been through the training and knew the basics, but watching one of their stand-ups made me think about how green I was when I first started doing agile.

At the beginning of the journey, it’s important to learn the basics. The team I watched still wasn’t getting the stand-up right. It didn’t start on time and just kind of rambled, rather than addressing the 3 questions.

My kids played in the jazz band in high school. Learning agile is like learning jazz. First you have to learn the rules, then you practice them. Finally, you evolve to know when to break the rules.

The team I saw was still learning their scales. They had a way to go. What’s important on this stage is that they get good feedback and direction, a coach that can play the role of band director and move them in the right direction.