Are you "agile"?
Agile.
The buzzword that sprouted in 2001 and nowadays leaves a bad taste in many developers’ mouths.
The ideology that software engineers hold on to in a sea of information overload, pressure and deadlines.
The word that is uttered consciously and unconsciously, is heard with delight in many minds and cynicism in many others.
The core meaning of the word could not be anything but simple: “Quick, ready to move”.
When one is agile, what does it mean? It means they can adapt, they are flexible. They learn and grow.
Software development has re-discovered and deepened the term. And management has taken it hostage. Imposed processes and frameworks led by external certified parties, measuring creative work to try and create predictability, “sprinting” for years straight, micro-management in the form of project management tools and mandatory daily status updates, the list of things that are shoved under the “agile” umbrella that could not be further away from any resemblance of its meaning goes on.
And still, myself and many others with me, cling to the ideas, values and principle of that original manifesto. Those promises that were made to customers and to the world.
- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
- Working software over comprehensive documentation
- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
- Responding to change over following a plan
These principles urge us to talk to each other. To build software together. To sit with the customer as two groups of people building something together. Creating shared understanding. A connection. To have you lean into my craft. To have us lean into your world. These principles allow us to build quickly, get it used and tested, and adapt.
And those skills are invaluable, not just in the world of software engineering.
How often do we get trapped in endless discussions, analysis paralysis? How vast is the average distance between the builder and the person to build it for? How often do we over-engineer and pre-plan where it ended up completely unnecessary? How often do we stick to the plan, even when life throws signals and symbols toward us continuously?
Even after all the conversations I’ve had with engineers who have suffered greatly under so called “dark agile” practices, agile in name but far off from the ideology, I still believe that these principles are a key mindset to collaborating on anything with anyone in life.
These ideals are tools that we can use both as individuals and as teams to create value for other people, reduce waste in time and energy, and connect with others through the projects we build together.
What are your experiences with agile? Does any of this resonate with you? I’d love to hear your stories and obstacles! Let’s talk.