what i've learned
not what i've been taught
Over the years, I've attended many entry-level agile training courses, including Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, coaching, facilitation, and DSDM. At least, did I come away with an understanding of the principles at the heart of agile?
I was taught about iterations and increments and how we develop products using this method. We discussed continuous improvement and technical excellence. I was also shown many tools and techniques, such as root cause analysis, to help solve “the problems.”
I still don’t understand most of the methods I’ve encountered. I’ve studied and practised a few, but most haven’t been applicable to my context.
I’ve thought quite a lot about agile ways of working and had many conversations with people at meetups, conferences, and even over WhatsApp. I’ve experimented with different combinations of approaches in different industries. As I’ve done so, I’ve started understanding what the Manifesto is trying to tell us.
Through experience, I’ve worked out some things that are hard to learn in two days:
1. There is no end goal when designing processes using a framework. Processes are complex problems, and we must build incremental solutions for them as much as we do in software development. Most entry-level courses are so short and contain so much information that they give a snapshot of what we should try to achieve when we fulfil a given role. There’s little to no discussion about the framework's underlying philosophy or that of the Agile Manifesto, and some will not even realise there’s further exploration to be had in the agile world than what they’ve directly encountered in the course.
2. We should iterate our processes to make them work for us, not vice versa. If we find something about a framework challenging or unhelpful, we should question why and decide if we need it or if we can implement it with modifications to suit better how people want to work together. A framework can give us aspirations to
3. A perfect framework implementation is unlikely and, at best, the start of the journey. If you have willing parties, you can implement the Scrum framework fully with an existing team within a quarter. If you’re performing high-quality Retrospectives, you’ll be iterating through the design and creation of new processes that lead you away from using the Scrum Guide’s version of Scrum the first time you make a change.
4. Agile uncovers many dysfunctions (systemic and behavioural), and agility needs them resolved, not ignored. I’ve been hired as a qualified Agile Coach and a glorified Scrum Master. A qualified coach significantly affects the ability to face challenges when supporting individuals, teams, and their leaders. It needs a combination of facilitation skills that provide the meeting structure and coaching techniques to guide understanding and acceptance.