Rob KurtzSenior Project Manager| World Wide TechnologyO Fallon, Il, United States
Has anyone experienced a situation where your business unit/company attempts to direct agile methods for everything? Any situations where agile was not a good fit for productivity, but was directed anyway? What were the results? Saving Changes...
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Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
I have the opportunity to work with agile from the genesis. And I am working leading my seventh initiative to implement agile at organizational level. There is a lot of missunderstanding in the market and perhaps that is becase the PMI and other organizations gave me the opportunity to write articles (on march or april PMnetwork will publish one) and talked inside congresses like PMI World Tour. After all of this bla-bla-bla (hehehe) I can say that I can write a lot here but please search into the internet the Mr. Rick Dove´s book "Response Ability" where you can find the base and the real definition of agile and agility becasue it contains most of the results of the USA DoD NSF/Agility Forum (1990 - I was part). AND THE MOST IMPORTANT TO NOT FAIL: please understand what agle really is: is not IT or software only, is not a method or methdology, is not a life cycle, it did not start with the manifesto for agile software development, agile will not assure you will deliver fastest, etc. etc Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
Now that you told us what Agile is NOT, Sergio, what you would say it is? Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
As I mentioned, search for Mr. Rick Dove´s work. Agile (in fact, Lean what is not the same of agile) practices started in Ford Motors Company in 1917, Toyota Motors in 1934, USA DoD NSF/Agility Forum (where agile and organizational agility was formally defined). I prefered you go to the basic and after that we can discuss about it. In fact, including the PMI, you will find a lot of forums talking about that.
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1 reply by Stéphane Parent
Feb 29, 2016 1:33 PM
Stéphane Parent
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I guess I'll have to rely on Mr. Dove.
Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
Feb 29, 2016 1:14 PM
Replying to Sergio Luis Conte
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As I mentioned, search for Mr. Rick Dove´s work. Agile (in fact, Lean what is not the same of agile) practices started in Ford Motors Company in 1917, Toyota Motors in 1934, USA DoD NSF/Agility Forum (where agile and organizational agility was formally defined). I prefered you go to the basic and after that we can discuss about it. In fact, including the PMI, you will find a lot of forums talking about that.
I guess I'll have to rely on Mr. Dove. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Mr Dove and others are the key references. You will find that agile is basically a way to think and behaive with focus on client and quality. When you do that you gain in agility which is the ability to respond to environmental changes and to create environmental changes. So, you can find a lot of examples no matter the method, methodology, life cycle and other type of things you are using right now. Saving Changes...
Anonymous
This thread was Sergioized! Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Well, I do not like to answer to somebody anonymous. But I firmly believe I must clarified. I am not the onwer of the truth. I spend my time in this forums to learn from all people comments and improve myself. So, my intention is to put on the table the other side of some topics mainly because some of them are not published and I have the opportunity to work with them. If you read me in other posts I never write about something I do not know in theory but mainly in practice. Saving Changes...
Shivaram BasaProgram Manager| EtisalatDubai, -- N/A --, United Arab Emirates
I too agree, the best way of learning Agility is by reading material on this subject plus seek advise to implement the agility with best know methods from industry experts and friends.. Further this discussion forums will be an advantage to learn before implementing.. Saving Changes...
Lawrence CooperCreator, Lean-Agile Strategy| AdaptiveOrg Inc.Kanata, Ontario, Canada
Directed Agile. Hmm. Let me see.
Well that would kind of be the first problem – “directed agile” is actually kind of anti-agile.
Sergio is correct that it is mostly a way of thinking and behaving. Practices, frameworks, methods or techniques are how we demonstrate that we are acting in agile ways and hence they are supportive of agile thinking. There are many agile-like practices, frameworks, methods or techniques.
One of the original authors of the Agile Manifesto (can’t find the link right now) said that he was sorry they chose the word agile as it became a label – that adaptive would have been a better choice. Labels lead people, to well, label things. And once they do it becomes sort of a religion. Which is kind of what happened.
If take a step back and look at intent – do only what is necessary, in the shortest timeframe possible, and then stop – it kinds of frees you from the label problem and gets you focused on intent.
You can go all the way to Da Vinci who said “Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication” or to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry who said that “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” and see that the goal of not doing things we don’t need to do is not a new idea.
The Agile Manifesto applied those basic concepts to software/product development; but if we think like Da Vinci or Saint-Exupéry we free ourselves from the label problem and realize that seeking simplicity is a universal concept, and that agile as it has become known in the past dozen years or so, is simply a manifestation of that concept.
You can embrace agile thinking and become adaptable and use any practices, frameworks, methods or techniques you’d like that supports that in your own context.
