Agile is for Wimps: Top-Level Software Development in the 21st Century

© Alistair Cockburn 2015

“Agile is for Wimps” 2015

Dr. Alistair Cockburn http://Alistair.Cockburn.us


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The Heart of Agile

Collaborate

Deliver

Reflect

Improve

“Post-Agile”

Value

Learning

time

Tail


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The Agile Manifesto invites wimpy-ness

"… Individuals and interactions over processes & tools…" (Yayy!! I don't have to follow those stupid processes any more!)

"… Working software over comprehensive documentation…"

(W00t!! Dump the documentation! I LOVE this agile stuff!) "… Customer collaboration over contract negotiations…"

(I'm done when I'm done and I never have to say when!) "… Responding to change over following a plan…"

(No plans! No project managers! No architects! )

Where do I sign up?


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People ...

To an interpreter unforgiving of error

Making decisions every decision has economic consequences and resources are limited.

… they don’t understand which keeps changing

Deciding

… they don’t understand which keeps changing … they don’t understand which keeps changing


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People develop skills in 4 stages

Shu: Learn a technique

Ha: Collect techniques

Ri: Invent / blend techniques

Kokoro: Simplify


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“Shu” (Learn)


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“Ha” (Collect)


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“Ri” (Blend)


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“Kokoro” (Simplify)

“Jiro Dreams of Sushi”


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The Heart of Agile

Kokoro: Simplify


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It’s either People, or Strategies


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Return to the Heart of Agile

Collaborate

Deliver

Reflect

Improve


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The Heart expands into Details

Learning Income

Collaboration

Trust

Experiment Change

Examine

Introspect

Collaborate

Deliver

Reflect

Improve

Business Social Technical

Cost Queues Early Revenue

Goals

Results

Include Emotions

Focus Forwards

Emotional Safety

Concretely (Solutions Focus)

Limit Changes

Aggressively

Allow failure

Let someone else do it

Step forward

Listen


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It makes a handy “Fortune Teller” for use J

(I’ll send you the PDF, email me: [email protected])


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”Post Agile” (Learning as a delivery strategy)


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Delivers nearly no knowledge (or risk reduction)

Knowledge comes at the “moment of truth”: final integration.

Waterfall is a late-learning strategy

time

cost

Growth of knowledge with big-bang integration


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Development sequence indifferent (with respect to knowledge)

Delivers knowledge (risk reduction)

We can pay to learn early in the project

time

cost

Growth of knowledge with early, continuous integration


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“Trim the Tail”: Deliver by value or date

Trim to deliver on-time (or early)

Delay to get more or better


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Sequence & split stories for learning & tail

time

Knowledge growing (risk reduction)

cost

Trimmable Tail

* Business * Social * Technical * Cost / Schedule

Business value growing


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Map for Learning / Value / Tail

Learning Value Tail Feature:


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Collaborate

Deliver

Reflect

Improve

http://Alistair.Cockburn.us

Agile is for Wimps: Top-Level Software Development in the 21st Century

Technology

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