Beyond Best Practices

Transcript

1. Beyond Best Practices Revisiting the idea or “How come everyone else is so stupid when I am so smart?”
2. © 2008 Dan North, ThoughtWorks Better Software 2008 Motivations for Best Practices Ensure consistency Support learning Limit (potential) damage Commoditise resources – mobility, flexibility Enforce control Manage risk
3. © 2008 Dan North, ThoughtWorks Better Software 2008 With apologies to George Lucas Fear leads to Risk Risk leads to Process Process leads to Hate …and suffering and meetings
4. © 2008 Dan North, ThoughtWorks Better Software 2008 What causes fear? Rational fear comes from knowledge Irrational fear comes from ignorance Most fear is irrational… …so we can learn our way out of it
5. © 2008 Dan North, ThoughtWorks Better Software 2008 The Dreyfus model Novice Advanced beginner Competent Proficient Expert
6. © 2008 Dan North, ThoughtWorks Better Software 2008 Interlude “Why is everyone else so stupid while I am so smart?” confused confusing?” It’s not my fault!
7. © 2008 Dan North, ThoughtWorks Better Software 2008 “Practices” Things we do Behaviours Prescriptive
8. © 2008 Dan North, ThoughtWorks Better Software 2008 The Dreyfus model… and practices Novice… needs practices! Advanced beginner… uses practices Competent… defines practices – uh oh Proficient… falls back on practices Expert… subverts practices
9. © 2008 Dan North, ThoughtWorks Better Software 2008 “Best” Absolute qualifier Context-independent Unambiguous
10. © 2008 Dan North, ThoughtWorks Better Software 2008 “Best Practices” Absolute prescriptions of behaviour …to stifle the creative environment …to frustrate your best people That has to suck
11. © 2008 Dan North, ThoughtWorks Better Software 2008 So we’re done, right? Not quite…
12. © 2008 Dan North, ThoughtWorks Better Software 2008 Where are best practices useful? Protecting people from themselves Getting people through the advanced beginner stage And that’s all - unless…
13. © 2008 Dan North, ThoughtWorks Better Software 2008 Beyond “Best Practices” Context Descriptive rather than prescriptive Pros and Cons That sounds like a pattern
14. © 2008 Dan North, ThoughtWorks Better Software 2008 Summary “Risk averse” == scared, and that’s ok Skilled people operate from instinct …and instinct is based on context So beyond Best Practices you need neither “best” nor “practices”
15. © 2008 Dan North, ThoughtWorks Better Software 2008 Thank you Any questions? dan.north@thoughtworks.com