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Agile: A Challenge From the Trenches

Agile: A Challenge From the Trenches

We want to do our best work, and yet often cannot manage to do so. Circumstances conspire to impede progress, impair communications, and prevent success. Organizations want to know how much software will cost, and when it will be delivered. Developers want to be proud their work, and they want it to have meaning. However, my view from the trenches indicates that many times these desires are not fulfilled.

I teach classes in Object-Oriented Design, but the most common question I receive is not technical. Students want advice about how to do good work in organizations which profess to be Agile but seem to actively resist their efforts. Bright, committed, and highly motivated programmers feel prevented from acting in the best interests of their organizations. In the short-term they despair, and in the long, they depart.

Agile hasn't failed them, but we might be failing Agile. It's time to take an honest look at the problem and get practical about solutions.

Sandi Metz

April 01, 2016
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  1. @sandimetz Apr 2016 Accelerate product delivery Enhance ability to manage

    changing priorities Increase productivity Enhance software quality Enhance delivery predictability Improve business/IT alignment Improve project visibility Reduce project risk Improve team morale Improve engineering discipline Reduce project cost Increase software maintainability Better manage distributed teams Ability to manage changing priorities Increased team productivity Improved project visibility Increased team morale/motivation Better delivery predictability Faster time to market Enhanced software quality Reduced project risk Improved business/IT alignment Improved engineering discipline Enhanced software maintainability Better manage distributed teams 87 85 84 81 81 80 79 78 77 73 70 62 62 56 55 47 44 44 40 40 29 24 23 22 21 Wanted Got % %
  2. @sandimetz Apr 2016 Modern Resolution of All Projects 15% 30%

    45% 60% 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 22% 17% 19% 17% 19% 49% 56% 50% 55% 52% 29% 27% 31% 28% 29% Successful Challenged Failed
  3. @sandimetz Apr 2016 Resolution by Project Size 0% 10% 20%

    30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Grand Large Medium Moderate Small Successful Challenged Failed
  4. @sandimetz Apr 2016 Agile 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

    60% 70% Large Medium Small Successful Challenged Failed Waterfall Large Medium Small Resolution by Project Size
  5. @sandimetz Apr 2016 Resolution: Agile vs Waterfall 0% 10% 20%

    30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Agile Waterfall Successful Challenged Failed
  6. @sandimetz Apr 2016 References VersionOne, The 10th Annual State of

    Agile™ Report http://www.infoq.com/articles/standish-chaos-2015 https://hbr.org/2016/01/collaborative-overload Harvard Business Review http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/magazine/what-google-learned-from-its-quest-to-build-the-perfect-team.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc Daniel Pink RSA Animate "Drive"