Can someone be fired for picking the easy tasks in Agile?
Elizabeth HarrinDirector| RebelsGuideToPM.comLondon, England, United Kingdom
I've been made aware of a woman who is going through a dispute at work as a result of her work on an Agile project. Her employer is saying she only took the 'easy' tasks from the board, and that this is a reflection of her competence. She is saying that she didn't realise that choice of tasks related to how her performance would be assessed (given that all the tasks needed to be done for the project to be a success) and that the other team members picked first so she got what was left.
I know in this group we all come from different countries with different dispute systems but I thought I would canvas opinion on this. What would happen in your country? What seems fair to you? Saving Changes...
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William WiliamsProject Manager| W3src ConsultingCanyon, Tx, United States
Disputes of this nature are difficult to fully understand or parse from "summary" information. First, a couple of clarifying questions.
- Is the woman being fired or placed on notice/probation in some manner?
- Is this a part of a management performance review or assessment process with impact to permanent record?
- Is there any question about the quality of the actual work performed? Saving Changes...
Elizabeth HarrinDirector| RebelsGuideToPM.comLondon, England, United Kingdom
Hello William
I don't know the exact details of her case myself, and even if I did I'm not sure that this is the place to discuss an ongoing dispute. That's why I thought discussion at a more general level would be appropriate. I'm interested in whether other people have ever paid any attention to how tasks are picked from the task board, and whether it really matters. I'm not looking for specific feedback on this individual's case and I'm sorry if that wasn't clear in my original posting. Saving Changes...
In my country (France), it would take considerably more than that to be able to fire somebody... And anyway, I fail to see that this is even a problem. In all projects, there are difficult and easy tasks - if you somehow end up doing all the easy tasks, more power to you. Besides, it seems kinda sketchy to label a bunch of tasks as "easy" - how do you even objectively measure that? Saving Changes...
William WiliamsProject Manager| W3src ConsultingCanyon, Tx, United States
Then, in a general way, no. Never experienced any group angst over who picked what from the board. Points are points, they all count. And, stories are stories; ditto. It's the team, not the individual. Saving Changes...
Taralyn Frasqueri-MolinaSenior Project Manager| Independent ContractorPasadena, Ca, United States
I am taking an online Agile class right now. Other than iterate and delivery frequently, one of the BIG philosophies of Agile is - let the teams govern themselves.
It seems to me, management is sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. If the Agile team has a problem with what this woman is doing, then they need to sort it out with her. If the Agile team doesn't have a problem, then management should leave it alone. Saving Changes...
