program selection system

Why does Agile adoption fail? Why do projects doing “textbook” Agile sometimes fail. There is of course no one right answer to these questions. But we suggest the answer can often be gleaned by considering the small things. It’s quite common for projects to follow a “textbook” Agile methodology in the large, while undermining basic Agile principles in the small. We don’t suggest that allowing small problems to flourish is willful neglect. Rather, small, easily ignored nuisances or compromises in the quality of the process and product can become debilitating in size and number.

There is so much focus these days, and at Agile2008 especially, on “scaling Agile”, and it bothers me. There is something about that term that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Why does everything always have to get bigger? Isn’t the giant distributed team phenomena (and adding more and more people) the thing that caused the need for Agile approaches in the first place?

Drawing on the combined wisdom and energy of Project Runway, Scrum/XP and Artful Making this session will see small teams create an outfit, or outfits using a combination of conference clothing (especially Agile 2008 shirts) and a rag bag of fabric and accessories provided by the facilitator. This will be a 3-hour Scrum/XP immersion. Teams will work with their customers to establish a vision for the outfit/s, and will then plan and execute three iterations, with appropriate reviews and retrospectives, to shape the direction of the product.

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So at every conference I have been to I am handed a bag that contains stuff: brochures, key rings, pens, executive toys… and some horrendously ugly tee shirt or sweat shirt thing that would cause the fashion police to make an immediate arrest if I were ever foolish enough to wear said article on the public streets. Enough! It is time to take our ugly conference clothing and create items of fashion and originality, clothing we can be proud to wear in public.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves Kanban is a mini-adventure of self-discovery to improve personal effectiveness. Here’s your chance to improve the way you communicate by developing a better understanding of others and of yourself. The mirror will show you your real ability in working with others. Once you and your colleagues know more about yourselves, you can use the game to create teams where everybody plays to their strengths and help one another address each other’s weaknesses.