The Tao of Transformation

dhaval.dalal@software-artisan.com

@softwareartisan

Individuals and Interactions

over

Processes and Tools

Individuals and Interactions

over

Processes and Tools

To know, is good.

To live, is better.

To be, that is perfect.

The Mother

Motivations

• Software

• Cost, Quality, Business Value, Innovation etc…

• Life

• Happiness, Peace, Bliss etc…

Values, Principles and Practices

Values, Principles and Practices

• Valuesone's judgement and opinion of what is important in life and form the basis of behaviour and action.

Values

Values, Principles and Practices

• Valuesone's judgement and opinion of what is important in life and form the basis of behaviour and action.

Principles

Values• Principlesfoundation for a system of belief and help with translating values into action

Values, Principles and Practices

• Valuesone's judgement and opinion of what is important in life and form the basis of behaviour and action. Practices

Principles

Values• Principlesfoundation for a system of belief and help with translating values into action

• Practicesthe actual application of belief and are actions themselves.

Related Parallels?

Apprentice

Journeymen

Master

Practices

Principles

Values

Waking

Dreaming

Deep Sleep

Where do we find them?

Where do we find them?• Life and Religion

• Teaching and Learning

• Software Methodologies and Programming

• ...and where humans are involved in evolving things.

a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order.Ritual

a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order.

Practice

Ritual

the actual application of belief.

Practice Vs Ritual

a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order.

Practice

Ritual

the actual application of belief.

Rituals

• Rituals are a helper.

• Starting Steps

• Their use lies in the training they give

• Preliminaries to values, but not the end themselves.

• Rituals are a bar.

• When made an end in themselves, they stop the transformation

Discern

• When...

• Rituals are a helper

• Rituals are a bar

Discern

• When... Practice

Ritual

• Rituals are a helper

• Rituals are a bar

Discern

• When... Practice

Ritual

• Rituals are a helper

• Rituals are a bar

Discern

• When... Practice

Ritual

• Principles underpinning the practices

• Rituals are a helper

• Rituals are a bar

Practices

Principles

Values

Discern

• When... Practice

Ritual

• Principles underpinning the practices

• Rituals are a helper

• Rituals are a bar

Practices

Principles

Values

• Values underpinning the principles

Yoga

=

MeditationActs of conduct

Meditation

DietBreathing Exercises

Postures

Yoga

=

Pract

ice or R

itual?

MeditationActs of conduct

Meditation

DietBreathing Exercises

Postures

Agility

=

TDDRefactoring

Stand-ups

Iterations

FuturespectivesRetrospectives

Agility

=

Pract

ice or R

itual?

TDDRefactoring

Stand-ups

Iterations

FuturespectivesRetrospectives

TDD

Write just enough Code to compile

Refactor Code Pass the Test (GREEN)

Fail the Test (RED)

Write just enough Code to pass the test

Specify what the software should do

Pass the Test (GREEN)

TDD

Testable, Decoupled, and Simple Design

=

Write just enough Code to compile

Refactor Code Pass the Test (GREEN)

Fail the Test (RED)

Write just enough Code to pass the test

Specify what the software should do

Pass the Test (GREEN)

TDD

Testable, Decoupled, and Simple DesignPract

ice or R

itual?

=

Stand-up

Stand-up

=What I did Yesterday? What I am doing

today? What problems am I facing?

Stand-up

=What I did Yesterday What I am doing

todayWhat problems am I facing?

Pract

ice or R

itual?

Retrospectives

Retrospectives

=What Went Well? What Went Wrong? What Still Puzzles us?

Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job they could,

given what they knew at the time, their skills and abilities, the resources available, and the situation at hand.

Retrospectives

=

Pract

ice or R

itual?

What Went Well? What Went Wrong? What Still Puzzles us?

Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job they could,

given what they knew at the time, their skills and abilities, the resources available, and the situation at hand.

Inspect, Adapt and Evolve

• Jettison what does not work

• Retain or Improvise what’s useful

• Try or add different/new things that work

• Continuously curate and fearlessly discard

• Question and dispel gospels

If you don’t...

• Either fanaticism or indifference creeps in.

• Walk with the baggage all along.

• Closed for modification.

• Hard to get results.

Real-World is Messy

• Not a straight path.

• We are all in this personal discovery.

• Progressing upon Progress - Continuous Improvement.

• Neither handed out by the giver

• Nor accepted or rejected by the receiver

• In reality, values are inner dispositions of human being

Values

Values Permeate

Values Permeate

Values Permeate

Tell me and I Forget Talks, Discussions

Values Permeate

Tell me and I Forget

Show me and I Remember

Talks, Discussions

Demos, Screencasts

Values Permeate

Tell me and I Forget

Workshops, Tutorials, Pairing

Show me and I Remember

Involve me and I Learn

Talks, Discussions

Demos, Screencasts

Are you awareof your own values?

In less than a minute,write down what you value

the most?

Answer it from within before your mind attempts to

manipulate it!

ExamplesI know I’ve made a mistake

here, but now I know…I can work on it

Hey, let me show you what I found after we worked

on that stuff yesterday…

What do you deeply see in you… that which you embody or you are that? Or something that resonates with you

and you want to realise it?

Image Source: http://avastar.wikia.com/wiki/Stick_Figure, http://www.clipartbest.com/

What can lead toauthentic self-realisation?

What can lead toauthentic self-realisation?

Acting with Passion

What can lead toauthentic self-realisation?

ExpressingFeelings

Expressing Thoughts/Ideas

Acting with Passion

What can lead toauthentic self-realisation?

ExpressingFeelings

Expressing Thoughts/Ideas

Acting with Passion

Beyo

nd

Self-E

xpre

ssion

What can lead toauthentic self-realisation?

Source: Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Management, Harvesting Values.

What can lead toauthentic self-realisation?

Ideals that are in harmony with higher nature of human

being

Source: Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Management, Harvesting Values.

Ideals

set of standards or values to be aimed atIdeal

Values

Universal Ideals

Expressed in Behavior and Conduct

Truth

• Honesty• Transparency• Integrity and truthfulness in thought, feelings and action.• Impartial wisdom, ability to deal with each person or situation

according to deeper truth in it.

Strength and Force

• Marshalling energies and resources for implementation of Ideas• Courage• Tenacity• Firmness• Will Power

Beauty and Harmony

• Aesthetic Sensibility• Graceful Movements• Cleanliness• Simplicity• Charm• Tenderness• Rhythms in action and behaviour

Source: Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Management, Harvesting Values.

Universal Ideals

Expressed in Behavior and Conduct

Truth

• Honesty• Transparency• Integrity and truthfulness in thought, feelings and action.• Impartial wisdom, ability to deal with each person or situation

according to deeper truth in it.

Strength and Force

• Marshalling energies and resources for implementation of Ideas• Courage• Tenacity• Firmness• Will Power

Beauty and Harmony

• Aesthetic Sensibility• Graceful Movements• Cleanliness• Simplicity• Charm• Tenderness• Rhythms in action and behaviour

Source: Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Management, Harvesting Values.

Universal Ideals

Expressed in Behavior and Conduct

Truth

• Honesty• Transparency• Integrity and truthfulness in thought, feelings and action.• Impartial wisdom, ability to deal with each person or situation

according to deeper truth in it.

Strength and Force

• Marshalling energies and resources for implementation of Ideas• Courage• Tenacity• Firmness• Will Power

Beauty and Harmony

• Aesthetic Sensibility• Graceful Movements• Cleanliness• Simplicity• Charm• Tenderness• Rhythms in action and behaviour

Source: Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Management, Harvesting Values.

Universal Ideals

Expressed in Behavior and Conduct

Fraternity

• Teamwork• Shared Vision• Mutual Trust• Goodwill and understanding• Stakeholders community

Equality

• Distributive Justices• Flattening of Hierarchies• Trend towards greater sharing of wealth, power, knowledge and

culture

Liberty

• Empowerment - Energise people with minimum rules and maximum freedom

• Individuals given freedom to think, initiate, decide, organise, achieve, learn, progress and reach their potentials in work-life

Source: Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Management, Harvesting Values.

Universal Ideals

Expressed in Behavior and Conduct

Fraternity

• Teamwork• Shared Vision• Mutual Trust• Goodwill and understanding• Stakeholders community

Equality

• Distributive Justices• Flattening of Hierarchies• Trend towards greater sharing of wealth, power, knowledge and

culture

Liberty

• Empowerment - Energise people with minimum rules and maximum freedom

• Individuals given freedom to think, initiate, decide, organise, achieve, learn, progress and reach their potentials in work-life

Source: Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Management, Harvesting Values.

Universal Ideals

Expressed in Behavior and Conduct

Fraternity

• Teamwork• Shared Vision• Mutual Trust• Goodwill and understanding• Stakeholders community

Equality

• Distributive Justices• Flattening of Hierarchies• Trend towards greater sharing of wealth, power, knowledge and

culture

Liberty

• Empowerment - Energise people with minimum rules and maximum freedom

• Individuals given freedom to think, initiate, decide, organise, achieve, learn, progress and reach their potentials in work-life

Source: Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Management, Harvesting Values.

An Exercise

Mapping to Ideals

XP ValuesCommunicationSimplicityFeedbackCourageRespect

Pair Programming Collective Ownership On-site Customer System MetaphorRefactoring Simple Design Coding StandardsThe Planning GameRetrospectives

XP Practices

XP Values => Ideals • Communication

Truth

Beauty and

Harmony

Strength and

Force

• Simplicity

• Feedback

• Courage

XP Practices => Ideals Refactoring, Simple Design, Coding Standards

Beauty and Harmony

Pair Programming, Collective Ownership, On-site Customer, System Metaphor

Equality, Fraternity,

Liberty

The Planning Game, Retrospectives,TDD, Continuous Integration, Small Releases

Truth

Agile Adoption?

Agile Adoption?

Using FeedbackPermeate Agility

and Manifest Ideals

How do I begin?

• From Near to Far

• Start with something that is very obvious, that which is within reach.

• That which is far is the goal.

• Take baby steps

Questions to ponder• Would you be able to apply this on a daily basis?

If yes, how? If no, why?

• What ideals would you like to manifest in you next?

• Is there a gap between inner values and outer action? If yes, how will you reduce it?

• Have you matched your inner nature to the psychological content of the job?

Special Thanks

To my friends with whom I shared the slides, they actively listened and above all, had intimate conversations. Their opinions, suggestions, feedback has elevated the tone of this presentation.

Aslam Khan

Jaydeep Kulkarni

Ryan Lemmer

Venkat Subramaniam

References

• Sri Aurobindo’s Works

• Works of The Mother.

• Harvesting Values Workshop

• Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Management (SAFIM), by Saikat Sen.

• Implementation Patterns

• Kent Beck