There are a plethora of theories and materials available which define Agile methodologies and how Agile methods should be rolled out in an organisation. But, would drawing up a Kanban board or merely adhering to a daily ritual of stand-ups define Agile methodology? Was Agile conceived on the premise that such rituals and tools would ultimately define the core of collaborative work environment as envisioned by its creators? It could be a conjecture, but there is a considerable majority who say that enacting these ritualistic ceremonies and drawing up boards and pulling stories, assigning story points would be deemed as Agile. This majority does enjoy patronage across boards and their acts completely justify 'doing agile'.
But, as any minority in real world spectrum, quite a few do believe that while 'doing Agile' does deserve merit, 'being Agile' should be the soul of any Agile methodology. Being able to gauge the synergy of team work and the collective responsibility which streams from such togetherness should define the core philosophy of Agile.
Being able to nourish ideas which seem trivial, and where failure is never reprimanded but rewarded should be the ethos of any Agile team. Where bureaucracy is a thin line, people seldom work in silos and a platform facilitating continuous cross pollination of ideas should define the practice of Agile methodology.
To conclude, Agile to me is a philosophy of working together, producing incremental artefacts, getting things done and getting rid of the snowballing factor of incremental complexity attached with any project over a period of time. To be successful in Agile, being agile is critical and this should mean encouraging ideas, empowering people, trusting them, entrusting responsibilities and forging ahead with a common goal - success of the project.
- Vinod Geeachan
Image courtesy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(rugby)
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| Scrum in Rugby |
But, as any minority in real world spectrum, quite a few do believe that while 'doing Agile' does deserve merit, 'being Agile' should be the soul of any Agile methodology. Being able to gauge the synergy of team work and the collective responsibility which streams from such togetherness should define the core philosophy of Agile.
Being able to nourish ideas which seem trivial, and where failure is never reprimanded but rewarded should be the ethos of any Agile team. Where bureaucracy is a thin line, people seldom work in silos and a platform facilitating continuous cross pollination of ideas should define the practice of Agile methodology.
To conclude, Agile to me is a philosophy of working together, producing incremental artefacts, getting things done and getting rid of the snowballing factor of incremental complexity attached with any project over a period of time. To be successful in Agile, being agile is critical and this should mean encouraging ideas, empowering people, trusting them, entrusting responsibilities and forging ahead with a common goal - success of the project.
- Vinod Geeachan
Image courtesy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(rugby)