Troubleshooting Agile

Another in our top tips for ensuring your agile team does not achieve its goals - assume you have pure motives and others are actively malicious. We describe several helpful biases that, if adopted, can help you take up this mindset, and describe a founder duo with negative beliefs about each other who had mastered the art of "Getting to No" - until they read Fisher/Ury and discovered they actually had a common interest and positive motives. SHOW LINKS: - Roger Schwarz on unilateral control: http://www.schwarzassociates.com/managing-performance/how-unilateral-control-undermines-team-results-and-relationships-2/ - Geoff Watts Top Ten Agile Podcasts: https://twitter.com/geoffcwatts/status/1057310923218698241 - Biases: Bias blind spot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bias_blind_spot , Negativity bias https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negativity_bias , and naïve cynicism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na%C3%AFve_cynicism - Getting To Yes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_to_Yes *** We'd love to hear any thoug

More this week on ways to fail with agile by making unilateral assumptions - this week's tip is to believe you are right and everyone else is wrong. In fact, even the underlying assumption that there is a single right answer should get you a long way to fracturing your team and ensuring discord. Squirrel tells a story of someone particularly skilled at explaining why he knows the One True Agile Way and Jeffrey recalls that Mark Twain quote about the problem being what you know that ain't so (and one thing that ain't so is that the quote is from Mark Twain!) SHOW LINKS: - Roger Schwarz on unilateral control: http://www.schwarzassociates.com/managing-performance/how-unilateral-control-undermines-team-results-and-relationships-2/ - Dan North: https://dannorth.net/ - Jon Allspaw on the root cause fallacy: https://www.kitchensoap.com/2012/02/10/each-necessary-but-only-jointly-sufficient/ - Twain's quote (or not): http://marktwainstudies.com/the-apocryphal-twain-things-we-know-that-just-aint-so/ *** We'd lov

Turning our usual subject on its head, this week we start a short series on how to make sure your team does NOT improve. The first assumption to this end: the belief that you understand the situation while others don't. The change that's needed is obvious; all you have to do is convince others to adopt it. Easily adaptable to kanban, scrum, SAFe, or any other method that seems (to you!) to be the solution to your problems. Try it today, and tune in to further episodes for more ways to ensure you don't succeed in making effective changes! SHOW LINKS: - How Unilateral Control Undermines Team Results and Relationships, Schwarz: http://www.schwarzassociates.com/managing-performance/how-unilateral-control-undermines-team-results-and-relationships-2/ - Naive realism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na%C3%AFve_realism *** We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show. Email us: see link on troubleshootingagile.com Tweet us: twitter.com/TShootingAgile Also, if you'd like to leave u

Squirrel and Jeffrey look at a recent article by Luke Tomas on the "employee engagement industry" (we didn't even know it *was* an industry!) Jeffrey rapidly links this to Brian Marick's idea of Ease and Joy at work and we all agree that engagement, happiness, and joy are all useful, but lagging, indicators of team success - so you can't improve them directly with bigger bonuses or tougher objectives. Instead alignment, focus, and autonomy work to create these results by creating the conditions for happiness and good performance. SHOW LINKS: - Luke Tomas, The Employee Engagement Myth: https://medium.com/@lukethomas14/the-employee-engagement-myth-3885526782d7 - Brian Marick, Ease and Joy at Work: http://exampler.com/ease-and-joy/ - Previous episode on technical excellence: https://soundcloud.com/troubleshootingagile/fowlers-state-of-agile-part-two - Reinventing Organisations (Teal and other colours): http://www.reinventingorganizations.com/ - Theory X and Theory Y: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_X_

A Squirrel-only show since Jeffrey's away. Squirrel described the Post-It Factory Game which illustrates both work-in-progress limits and the more general notion of "Throughput over Utilisation" - as well as making your colleagues fall over themselves trying to produce blue squares at top speed. SHOW LINKS: Kanban by David Anderson: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kanban-Successful-Evolutionary-Technology-Business/dp/0984521402 Similar games to illustrate agile and kanban ideas: https://availagility.co.uk/resources/games/lego-flow-game/ https://www.agile42.com/en/training/kanban-pizza-game/ *** We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show. Email us: see link on troubleshootingagile.com Tweet us: twitter.com/TShootingAgile Also, if you'd like to leave us a review on iTunes (or just like and subscribe), you'll find us here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/troubleshooting-agile/id1327456890?mt=2

Last (for now) in our series responding to Martin Fowler's State of Agile 2018 speech. This week we look at Fowler's third claim - that software projects should be replaced by software products - and go further, arguing that organising around user conversations is the key to a successful business outcome. SHOW LINKS: - Fowler on the State of Agile 2018: https://martinfowler.com/articles/agile-aus-2018.html - Commandos, Infantry, Police: https://devblog.timgroup.com/2013/07/24/invading-the-product-landscape-a-metaphor/ - Wardley mapping: https://medium.com/wardleymaps/doctrine-8bb0015688e5 *** We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show. Email us: see link on troubleshootingagile.com Tweet us: twitter.com/TShootingAgile Also, if you'd like to leave us a review on iTunes (or just like and subscribe), you'll find us here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/troubleshooting-agile/id1327456890?mt=2

We continue our series responding to Martin Fowler's State of Agile 2018 speech. This week we look at Fowler's second claim - that agile software development has forgotten that it's about software, and that technical excellence in practises like refactoring, testing, and architecting should be (but isn't) central to discussions of good agile practise. We agree with Fowler and go even further, arguing that we should be making the (strong) case for technical excellence as a source of business value - to make our products more flexible, easier to use, and more satisfying to users. SHOW LINKS: - Fowler on the State of Agile 2018: https://martinfowler.com/articles/agile-aus-2018.html - Marick on forgotten agile ideas: http://www.exampler.com/discipline-and-skill.html and http://www.exampler.com/blog/2007/05/16/six-years-later-what-the-agile-manifesto-left-out/ - Reinertsen, The Principles of Product Development Flow (cost of delay): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Principles-Product-Development-Flow-Generation/dp/193

Martin Fowler gives us lots to chew on in the form of a speech on the state of agile software development in 2018. We start a series responding to Fowler by examining the Agile Industrial Complex - proponents of the "one true way" of agile development and out-of-the-box methodologies - and why Squirrel thinks the buyers and sellers of these "solutions" are doomed to failure by their "Theory X" cultures. SHOW LINKS: - Fowler on the State of Agile 2018: https://martinfowler.com/articles/agile-aus-2018.html - Theory X and Theory Y: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_X_and_Theory_Y - The Military-Industrial Complex: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military%E2%80%93industrial_complex - Crossing the Chasm: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_the_Chasm - Cynefin Framework: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynefin_framework - Community of Solutions and Community of Needs: https://theitriskmanager.wordpress.com/2015/04/19/communities-of-need-community-of-solutions/ - CITCON: http://citconf.com/

A listener asks us how we reconcile the perceived conflict between learning and design - if you're iterating fast, how can you also build solid, scalable architecture? With examples from OO and Domain-Driven Design, we describe how early agile adopters addressed this issue (and how the meaning of "design" has evolved), and then make suggestions for modern teams. SHOW LINKS: - Elephant Carpaccio: https://dzone.com/articles/elephant-carpaccio-user - OO design: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object-oriented_design - DDD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain-driven_design *** We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show. Email us: see link on troubleshootingagile.com Tweet us: twitter.com/TShootingAgile Also, if you'd like to leave us a review on iTunes (or just like and subscribe), you'll find us here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/troubleshooting-agile/id1327456890?mt=2

Once you have a bunch of great ideas from your reflection, how can you make sure you and your team actually use what you've learnt? We illustrate several variations on one of our favourite learning-capture methods, the humble checklist - including self-improving lists and an idea that survived ten years by migrating among multiple checklist formats, from wiki page to slackbot. SHOW LINKS: - The Checklist Manifesto: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Checklist_Manifesto - Jeffrey's Glider Training Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6QcOQ3olbE - Elizabeth Hendrickson's Testing Cheat Sheet: http://testobsessed.com/2007/02/test-heuristics-cheat-sheet/ - Making Software Like Intensive Care or Bombing Missions: https://blog.jeffreyfredrick.com/2008/09/10/making-software-like-intensive-care-or-bombing-missions/ - Exploratory Testing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploratory_testing - Human in the Loop: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human-in-the-loop *** We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedba

We continue our mini-series on how to learn by considering ways to realise your learning - that is, how to convert what you've learnt (say, from a retrospective) into changed behaviour. We discuss how and why to create pre-planned actions in response to situations where you'd like to do better, for instance software outages or suspiciously optimistic delivery dates. SHOW LINKS: - Feynman on the Challenger disaster: https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/51-l/docs/rogers-commission/Appendix-F.txt - Reg Revans, Action Learning: https://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsld/resources/theories.html#action - Helicopter pilot story: https://www.verticalmag.com/features/ejection-decision/ - Ejection Decision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa1Ba_NEobs *** We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show. Email us: see link on troubleshootingagile.com Tweet us: twitter.com/TShootingAgile Also, if you'd like to leave us a review on iTunes (or just like and subscribe), you'll find

Second of two episodes on reflection. We often say that learning is horrible and suggest you do it anyway - but how exactly can you learn? We use a model from Chris Argyris - single-loop and double-loop learning - and concentrate today on the double-loop style, which you might want to try if you want to radically change your thinking and try something completely new (which might or might not work!) SHOW LINKS: - Argyris on single- and double-loop learning: https://hbr.org/1977/09/double-loop-learning-in-organizations - Crossing the Chasm: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_the_Chasm - Innovator's Dilemma: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Innovator%27s_Dilemma - The Lean Startup: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lean_Startup *** We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show. Email us: see link on troubleshootingagile.com Tweet us: twitter.com/TShootingAgile Also, if you'd like to leave us a review on iTunes (or just like and subscribe), you'll find us here: https:/

First of two episodes on reflection. We often say that learning is horrible and suggest you do it anyway - but how exactly can you learn? We use a model from Chris Argyris - single-loop and double-loop learning - and concentrate today on the single-loop style, most appropriate for gradual improvement of a particular metric or characteristic. SHOW LINKS: - Argyris on single- and double-loop learning: https://hbr.org/1977/09/double-loop-learning-in-organizations - Shu Ha Ri: https://martinfowler.com/bliki/ShuHaRi.html *** We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show. Email us: see link on troubleshootingagile.com Tweet us: twitter.com/TShootingAgile Also, if you'd like to leave us a review on iTunes (or just like and subscribe), you'll find us here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/troubleshooting-agile/id1327456890?mt=2

We have a look at Jason Palmer's "You Don't Need Standup" with a mutual learning, curious attitude. What can we learn from Jason? What information does he have that we don't? Where do we agree with him? We conclude that indeed some teams may be better off without standups - see Fred George's Programmer Anarchy for example - but before embarking on the experiment, it's worth asking "how will I know if it's working or not?" SHOW LINKS: - You Don't Need Standup: https://medium.com/@jsonpify/you-dont-need-standup-9a74782517c1 (By Jason Palmer, https://twitter.com/palmerj3 ) - Hacker News discussion of YDNS: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17671464 - Fred George on Programmer Anarchy: https://www.slideshare.net/fredgeorge/programmer-anarchy-and-managerless-processes - Cockburn on people in software development: http://web.archive.org/web/20170620211523/http://alistair.cockburn.us/Characterizing+people+as+non-linear%2c+first-order+components+in+software+development *** We'd love to hear any thoughts,

A few more thoughts on alignment, inspired by a list of "XP Mistakes" from the great J. B. Rainsberger. We look at some of the antipatterns and lessons learnt and, as usual, tell a few of our own stories about mistakes we've made and observed. SHOW LINKS: - XP, My Greatest Misses: https://blog.jbrains.ca/permalink/xp-my-greatest-misses - CITCON: http://citconf.com/ - "Are you frustrated? It's probably your fault": https://vimeo.com/131854234 - Five Dysfunctions of a Team: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Five_Dysfunctions_of_a_Team - Eight Behaviours for Smarter Teams: https://www.csu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/917018/Eight-Behaviors-for-Smarter-Teams-2.pdf - The First Thing to Build is Trust: https://bradapp.blogspot.com/2005/02/first-thing-to-build-is-trust.html - Cockburn article on people in software development: http://web.archive.org/web/20170620211523/http://alistair.cockburn.us/Characterizing+people+as+non-linear%2c+first-order+components+in+software+development *** We'd love to hea

The final episode of our mini-series on achieving alignment. We list five different objections we hear to the goals or process of alignment, and suggest ways to address them. We also tell a success story based on achieving alignment. SHOW LINKS: - Theory X and Theory Y: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_X_and_Theory_Y - Alistair Cockburn's mutiny koan: https://staging.cockburn.us/self-organization-means-mutiny/ *** We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show. Email us: see link on troubleshootingagile.com Tweet us: twitter.com/TShootingAgile Also, if you'd like to leave us a review on iTunes (or just like and subscribe), you'll find us here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/troubleshooting-agile/id1327456890?mt=2

Episode 3 of our mini-series on achieving alignment. This week, we finally explain some methods for aligning with your team, your boss, or your peers. Methods include Test-Driven Development for People (aka the Ladder of Inference) and a creative use of the two-column case study. Next time - questions from listeners and common concerns we hear when moving to alignment. SHOW LINKS: - Chris Argyris on alignment and skilled incompetence: https://hbr.org/1986/09/skilled-incompetence - Video on Test-Driven Development for People: http://douglassquirrel.com/how-i-work.html - Guide to the two-column case study technique: https://blog.jeffreyfredrick.com/2015/04/11/using-the-two-column-case-study/ *** We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show. Email us: see link on troubleshootingagile.com Tweet us: twitter.com/TShootingAgile

Our next instalment on alignment as a tool for agile success. If alignment is as valuable as we claimed in the previous episode, why doesn't every organisation have it? We use ideas from Dr. David Burns to classify resistance to alignment into "outcome" and "process" resistance, then give examples of each and tell a story about a startup where the founders are (according to them) totally aligned, but no one else is. Next time: steps to achieve alignment despite resistance. SHOW LINKS: - Dr. David Burns, Feeling Good: https://feelinggood.com/ - Theory X and Theory Y: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_X_and_Theory_Y - Thinking Fast and Slow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow *** We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show. Email us: see link on troubleshootingagile.com Tweet us: twitter.com/TShootingAgile Also, if you'd like to leave us a review on iTunes (or just like and subscribe), you'll find us here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/trouble

Today, the first instalment of a little series on a big problem affecting agile teams: alignment. What does it mean when your team or company isn't aligned? How does misalignment show itself and what effects does it have on your progress? Jeffrey and Squirrel describe four different alignment patterns and tell real-life stories about the woes of misaligned teams. Future episodes in the series will cover resistance to alignment and how to get everyone headed in a common direction. SHOW LINKS: - Eight Behaviours for Smarter Teams: https://www.csu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/917018/Eight-Behaviors-for-Smarter-Teams-2.pdf - “Prevent Your Strategy Offsite from Being Meaningless”: https://hbr.org/2014/09/prevent-your-strategy-offsite-from-being-meaningless - Five Dysfunctions of a Team: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Five-Dysfunctions-Team-Leadership-Lencioni/dp/0787960756/ *** We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas, or feedback you have about the show. Email us: see link on troubleshootingagile.com Twee

How do you provide focus and drive for a team using kanban? There's no natural "sprint" unit to hang a goal on, it seems. Jeffrey and Squirrel answer this listener question and explain how to create a product narrative, avoid the feature factory, and start with "Why"? SHOW LINKS: - Kanban book: https://www.amazon.com/Kanban-Successful-Evolutionary-Technology-Business/dp/0984521402 - When Kanban Fails: https://kanbantool.com/kanban-library/kanban-results/when-kanban-fails - Feature Factory: https://hackernoon.com/12-signs-youre-working-in-a-feature-factory-44a5b938d6a2 - Start with "Why": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA and https://fortressofs.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/diagram_1.png *** We'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas or feedback you have regarding the show. Email us: see link on troubleshootingagile.com Tweet us: twitter.com/TShootingAgile Also, if you'd like to leave us a review on iTunes (or just like and subscribe), you'll find us here: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/tro