Scrum for Life
By Admin / Filed under Agile, Scrum / April 2nd, 2012
By Daneille Hansen
Being asked to join the Scrum world, started my new life just several months ago. It is true I am regularly looking to recreate myself and find a newer, better way of doing things. But Scrum and Agile actually encourage a regular improvement of ourselves and our work, without saying we are stepping out of line or beyond our job description parameters.
The willingness to regularly question our strategies and priorities, in order to achieve beyond our wildest dreams, is what Scrum embraces. Scrum is the philosophy that can be used to accomplish any of our goals, by anyone, with any background. Project management just happens to have the edge on their accomplishments by claiming Scrum as their way. But using task boards, and teams, and backlogs has shown me that the flexibility in organization is the way.
I could have never predicted a few months ago that Scrum could also be used by anthropologists. Cultures continue to evolve, often without their consent, because they are holding on to old ways or rules that just don’t work for them anymore. Throughout history, it has often taken wars and manipulations to convince people to start down a new path.
Scrum teaches us to always be open to a new path by regular review and retrospective of what we are doing and have done. Scrum also shows that by planning in sprints we will continue to fulfill our ever-evolving goals, one step at a time.
I have started sharing the organization of Scrum with my family to accomplish our travelling goals. We currently have the steps laid out to make it to Mexico twice this year. My daughter has begun using Scrum for her material needs. Come to find out she has no material needs, only standards for living that she can seek counsel from the family to help her achieve.
Life is a project that needs a lot of managing. We must learn how to organize our priorities and let go of the unnecessary. Learning Scrum can help us do this in many ways. Scrum is the way for achieving our heart’s desires in all fields, including Life.
I am very happy to have been brought into the Scrum world, and can now say that no matter what the product of my Life may be and what path my tasks lead me to, I will be using Scrum for Life.
Agile in India
By Bachan Anand / Filed under Agile, Scrum / March 12th, 2012
Agile and Scrum first appeared on the Indian horizon about six or seven years ago.
They quickly caught the attention of software development teams, mostly owing to the fact that the existing models at the time were inadequate or unsatisfactory in handling changing requirements.
However, there were also initial skeptical responses and reactions: Some believed that Scrum was “not suited in Indian cultural context”. Yet, a large number of people displayed willingness to experiment with and later embrace the fundamentals and principles of Scrum. Scrum, being the most popular among the different Agile methods, was accepted by project teams. Incremental deliveries, transparency and other guidelines slowly brought out the benefits of Scrum for all to see.
About cultural differences with respect to Scrum in different countries, Ken Schwaber, co-developer of Scrum, in this interview says, “the cultural differences are given too much significance.” He adds, “Several changes, or cultural shifts, are required to use Scrum.” Read the complete interview here: http://www.agilecollab.com/interview-with-ken-schwaber
In a survey on “Agile in India” by ThoughtWorks, it was found that “progress towards Agile is being made, but that adoption must be carefully managed to introduce and embed all relevant practices, or anticipated benefits may not be realised”. “Most organisations following the Agile methodology experienced significantly faster time-to-market with more adaptability to changing requirements from clients and improved IT productivity and quality.” Read the complete survey report from ThoughtWorks website: http://www.thoughtworks.com/articles/agile-adoption-india-2011
Certification has always been attractive to job aspirants, as well as employers who look for certified professionals. Which is why many people are not satisfied with an in-depth knowledge of Agile or years of experience in implementation. They prefer the ‘certified’ status. An international certification, with the global recognition it carries, is seen as “proof of a level of knowledge and skill benchmarked to international standards and opens up a lot of avenues.”
(Check out trainings by Conscires Agile Practices.)
In this interesting and insightful blog, Jesse Fewell states that India’s talent and hunger for learning are itself its greatest strength as well as impediment.
The fact is, when all is said and done, Agile and Scrum are here to stay. Scrum itself evolves and improves continuously as more and more people adapt it and implement it.
[ With inputs from Deepa Jeetu and Jeena Ramachandran ]
References:
Agile in India: a survey by ThoughtWorks
Interview with Ken Schwaber
Importance of international certifications in India
A Startup Journey: Evolving from ad-hoc to Agile to Kanban
Reflections After a Year of Agile Coaching in India
Conscires ‘Agile & Scrum’ training calendar
Scrum is not enough to revolutionize workplaces
By Bachan Anand / Filed under Agile, Collaboration, Scrum, Self Organization, WORK is GOOD / January 31st, 2012
How many of you have come across the adage, “We cannot solve a problem with the mind that created it”? If we look at a team, everything that is working (or not working) is due to the system and process – way of working – that was created by the collective minds of the company: the team members and the minds needed to create a product (may include the customer). Very often, it is difficult for those involved to objectively determine WHAT in the system is not working and WHY it is not doing so (and thus the adage, “We cannot solve a problem with the mind that created it”). This is why new mindsets like Scrum are introduced: so that they can objectively identify the inherent problems and loopholes in the system and propose appropriate solutions.
Scrum provides a clear framework for people to identify and articulate problems so that they can be solved. It creates a new approach to team work, product development, and organizational interaction; facets that have their foundation in Empiricism, Focus, Self-Organization, Collaboration, and Rhythm. Once we introduce this mindset to the team and the organization, the existing problems in the company show up and they do so with greater clarity so that the very people who created the system can now change it. So, the power is not with Scrum, but with the people. What Scrum does is that it gives them a new set of foundations and practices to grow, learn, and change their work environment for the better. For me, THIS is the gift of Scrum!
And yet, along my Scrum journey, working with varied teams and using Scrum at home, I have started wondering whether we need a greater change in the workplace itself. This is because I find that some people-related problems are a major cause for apathy and inefficiency at the work place. Some of these problems are: Employees not having a share in the input of the company’s vision (thereby making them feel isolated from the decision-makers), staff feeling no responsibility for the growth of the company (“why should I bother when I have no stake in it?”), and individuals not having the liberty to choose whom they want to work with.
Here are the areas where I believe a new approach to work would be beneficial in creating a truly liberating and creative work environment:
- Each person in a team has input and ownership of the VISION, instead of the vision being owned by one person: COLLECTIVE VISION.
- Financial ownership is in proportion to the effort and the ownership each person has on a team: CO-OWNING.
- Team members choose whom they want to work with through a democratic process: SELF-FORMING.
Could this be the next step in the evolution of work from slavery, supervisors, managers, and micro-managers? Perhaps this is the next step to Interdependent Work Places, so that WORK is GOOD!
What would be a good name for such work-environments? “COLLABORATIVES”? “THE ART of WORKING”?
What if we leave it unnamed it so that it grows into whatever it wants to become…
The Season for Scrum
By Lisa / Filed under Agile, Scrum / December 31st, 2011
My father has been retired for 25 years, but he is always very interested in hearing about the professional challenges I face, and the way that some of these issues are finally resolved by organizations. One of the comments I make to him is that I learn from Bachan every time I am with him, which is a rich reward to get out of a professional partnership. Bachan has shared feedback with me that I sometimes tell to our internal team “how”, rather than allowing team members to find their own solutions. So I have been trying to keep quiet more often, allowing the team to self-organize. This year I had the opportunity to work with my neighbors on an event and continue my Scrum practice.
My neighborhood has been planning a “Progressive Dinner”, where four families each host a different course, and the rest of the neighbors bring something to their chosen course. My part in the planning was to send out the email communications to the neighbors (plus I made Eclairs for the dessert committee). It turned out that everyone started funneling all of their communications through me. We eventually adapted our communication practice, as a result of a suggestion from another neighbor that we “Reply to All”, and I was taken out of the center of the communications (thank goodness!).
My dad (also my neighbor) called me many times a day during the week preceding the dinner asking me to help “fix” some of the issues that had arisen. I think he would have liked to shake me a few times, because each time he called, I gave him a typical Bachan response, which was, “Have you talked to your committee? What does your team think?” My father worked his entire career based on “work orders”, was very accustomed to following instructions to the last detail, and enjoyed the recognition he received for completing orders. When I robbed him of the opportunity to follow through on an instruction, he was irritated, disappointed, and more than a little disoriented with my approach.
During one of these conversations when he was getting particularly annoyed, I asked him, “Well, do you want to practice Scrum or not?” Of course he had never agreed to practice Scrum, and his expression was priceless when he realized why I was being “difficult”; at that moment he began to appreciate the stories I tell him at the end of the day. When I saw my father’s reaction to what I was saying, I felt a pang of empathy for some of the people who have undertaken the task of implementing Scrum in the workplace. To commit to such an undertaking takes a lot of trust, courage, and commitment to keep trying again and again, until the new way of working delivers the results they have been hoping for since the beginning.
So we had the Progressive Dinner last weekend; we had more than 40 people, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I will have to turn the screws just one more time, while our frustrations and celebration are still fresh, and do a virtual Retrospective with the “Perfection Game”, so we can remember what would have made our event Perfect, for next year!
The Micromanagement ‘Disease’
By Lalita / Filed under Agile, Scrum / December 6th, 2011
Definition:
Micromanagement is when a manager excessively monitors every little aspect of their subordinates’ work, thereby making those workers feel that the boss is ‘breathing down their necks’. The ‘control freak’ manager gets irritated when a subordinate makes decisions without consulting them even if those decisions are totally within that subordinate’s level of authority.1
“For software engineering, in particular, micromanagement is especially pathological, and can be devastating to the enterprise.” 2 Firstly, this is because programming involves solving problems and software engineers would prefer to choose the methodology for solving those problems. If they were instructed to just type out the code, their creativity and autonomy would be stifled, thereby encouraging them to seek employment elsewhere.2
Secondly, programming is a very complex and dynamic experience. Very often, a newer and better understanding of the problem renders modification to the code. “Managers don’t have time to internalize the amount of knowledge needed to execute on the engineering side in such a complex, changing environment.”2
Despite this, there is a tendency for managers of large software firms to micromanage, as the company code base becomes larger and the risk to the company grows.2
Symptoms observed in the subordinates:
- The employees have begun realizing that the manager is not listening to their feedback. So, they begin to shut down and they stop making suggestions or being straightforward with them.3
- Disengagement—They do the basic work and that’s about it; they are no longer willing to go the extra mile for the benefit of the company.3
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Their apathy is contagious, thereby decreasing the overall productivity of other colleagues as well.3
Symptoms observed in the micromanagers:
- Micromanagers supervise or control every single task performed, regardless of its complexity or the workers’ familiarity with that task.
- They do not trust or believe in others’ capabilities.
- Micromanagers compulsively oversee the work of high-performing as well as poorly-performing employees.
Prognosis (what the future for those suffering from the micromanagement ‘disease’ looks like):
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“Micromanagement stifles manager–employee:
-communication,
-creativity,
-productivity,
-problem-solving,
-flexibility,
-trust,
-feedback,
-interest, and
-openness.”3 -
It also adversely affects company growth and goal attainment.3
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Due to excessive micromanagement, the company may lose many of its talented employees to other companies.
Treatment:
With the help of Scrum/Agile philosophy, the manager shifts from being a ‘controller’ to that of an ‘enabler’ who establishes priorities and eliminates impediments as they are identified.4
In contrast, the subordinates change from being ‘individuals reporting to bosses’ to ‘members of an accountable, self-organising team’ that works in short cycles without any managerial interference.4
“Scrum is an effective way for managers to:
-
iteratively evaluate features in development,
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to prioritize the next batches of work, and
-
to manage the feature backlog.”2
However, there are some software professionals who feel that Scrum methodology like the Daily Stand-up, is actually synonymous with micromanagement. In defence of Scrum values, micromanagement refers to overly detailed management by the administration (and not the team). “While the team micromanages its every day actions on a daily basis, the administration micromanages the release content on the iteration level.”5
While writing software programs, bugs are often encountered and appropriate solutions to those bugs are devised. So, it makes immense sense that the team has a Daily Stand-up, thereby enabling it to discuss possible problems and improvements to the software program. Therefore, “when the team discusses their daily tasks, they are micromanaging for the benefit of the team and the organization as a whole.”5
Endnotes
1 “Self-Organisation and Transparency: Team Freedom or a Path to Micro-Management,” Give Thanks For Scrum 2011 Transparency and Micromanagement, accessed November 29, 2011, http://www.slideshare.net/dlefebvre1701/give-thanks-for-scrum-2011-transparency-and-micromanagement.
2 John Umbaugh, “Micromanagement in the Software Engineering Industry,” Yahoo Voices, accessed November 29, 2011, http://voices.yahoo.com/micromanagement-software-engineering-industry-6631104.html.
3 Kenneth E. Fracaro, “The Consequences of Micromanaging,” Contract Management July 2007: 4-8, accessed November 29, 2011, http://www.ncmahq.org/files/Articles/ECB0A_CM0707_C01.pdf.
4 Steve Denning, “Six Common Mistakes That Salesforce.com Didn’t Make,” Forbes, April 18, 2011, accessed December 01, 2011, http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2011/04/18/six-common-mistakes-that-salesforce-com-didnt-make/.
5 Vikas Hazrati, “Agile is Micromanagement,” Info Q, November 10, 2009, accessed December 01, 2011, http://www.infoq.com/news/2009/11/agile-micromanagement.
