In my ongoing quest to identify the origins of the idea of self-organizing teams, and even a concrete definition of the term, I turn to a chain of blog posts leading back to prior work applying the concepts of complex adaptive systems to business management. A 2018 blog post by Read more…
Many Agilist writers and methodology creators make strong assumptions about organizational culture for Agile approaches to be successful. I’ve described some examples of these assumptions in The Lake Wobegon Assumption and Scrum applicability by project characteristics and reference Becoming Agile by Greg Smith & Ahmed Sidkey as a prime example. Read more…
A 2020 blog post titled Why Are There So Many Misconceptions Around Agile? by Agile Manifesto signatory Andy Hunt said, “The agile manifesto establishes abstract principles for skilled practitioners in a healthy environment.” Deconstructing his statement suggests that the principles are not intended to be specific rules, they’re only to Read more…
Criticisms of Agile methodology abound and are perhaps nearly as numerous as its praises. I’ve taken issues with a number of its elements in prior posts. Perhaps most surprising is that the original signers of the Agile Manifesto have also seen issues with the practice, especially in how it has Read more…
Over the years I have seen a number of writers and speakers claim that military units are an example of or perhaps a model for Agile teams. To evaluate these assertions, let us consider the problems faced by military units, specifically those in combat, that might lead them to adopt Read more…
I have in a previous post, considered a possible origin of the idea of self-organizing team in Agile methodologies, concluding that I had not found the philosophical source for the practice. Continuing research has taken me back through a number of sources as illustrated below, with the lighter boxes being Read more…
I have in previous posts (here and here), critiqued commonly used metaphors intended to illustrate Agile philosophy and benefits. Given those critiques, a question left unanswered is, what is a good metaphor for software construction projects? I think of house planning and construction as a suitable metaphor for enterprise system Read more…
I’ve often wondered where the idea of self-organizing teams originated and why the approach is considered essential to Agile methodology (see also post on Nonaka & Takeuchi). The idea is stated as the 11th Principle supporting the Agile Manifesto: “The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.” The Read more…
Fans of the Prairie Home Companion radio show will recognize the closing statement from the show that the community of Lake Wobegon is “…where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.” The last part, while appealing to its fictional Read more…