4 ms·

To me, the real issue is that the managers got ahold of agile. Most managers just want waterfall, I'm convinced, which I suspect is where so much of the head s

To me, the real issue is that the managers got ahold of agile. Most managers just want waterfall, I'm convinced, which I suspect is where so much of the head scratching about Agile comes from. We developers have done an abysmal job developing, socializing, and formalizing our standards and practices. Needing to keep agile things loose because teams and industries and people and projects differ is one thing. But, we don't even try to establish unambiguous definitions for general topics like test-driven development, big visible charts, or sprints. Frankly, we need industry leadership and earned certifications for developer craftsmanship. Uncle Bob recently has shared some good food for thought in this area. Not only does he recommend the direction we professional devs need to head, but he also speculates as to what will happen if we don't (loss of freedom.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecIWPzGEbFc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecIWPzGEbFc

bluGill 10y ago
Managers don't want waterfall. They want a process they can understand (waterfall is great here), that gives them a specific date they can point to as when everything is done and they can start making money. Waterfall says it gives you that. Of course we all know that waterfall doesn't actually give you what it claims, but it says when it doesn't you failed to manage one of the early phases correctly which means it tells them how to fix things: work harder there.
- feyn 10y ago
  Ooo! I wrote another article talking about single date estimations: https://neilonsoftware.com/2016/07/13/a-far-too-brief-rough-outline-of-how-to-approach-single-date-estimation/ https://neilonsoftware.com/2016/07/13/a-far-too-brief-rough-... Yes, a specific date is absolutely what every manager at every level in the organization wants. As long a payroll is issued bi-weekly, and earnings reported quarterly, the desire for a fixed date will be a thing. The issue is, fixes dates when it comes to new software development is a fantasy. If you really, really wanted to talk to experts about hitting dates, I'm thinking that a well-funded initiative done in collaboration with 3 of the 4 branches of the U.S. military and the most respected innovator in aviation technology would be where you would go to find them. I would like to offer up the F-35 Joint Strike/Fighter program as exhibit 'A'. Turns out, despite all that funding and discipline (and threats of what will happen if you miss a deadline), they still can't hit their dates. If they can't, what hope do we have? That's not a rhetorical excuse - that's a real question. Is the answer Agile? Personally, I don't think it is. I think Hollywood has a far better model that anyone else does (pre-production -> production-> post-production). To get new ideas, I study how specific movies are made. One of my favorite case-studies is how they did "Max Max: Fury Road" (lots of storyboards - lots and lots and lots of storyboards). "But hollywood movies are always late/overbudget!!!", yes - which is my point. They know that and have specific adaptions that make this process work decade over decade - and generally a hell of a lot of cash in the process. At a minim, if Agile ain't workin' for everyone, we've got to try to get new ideas from somewhere. My personal choice is Hollywood.
  - EdSharkey 10y ago
    Nah! Have another look at Agile, and not the management focused movements like Scrum. I'm talking _The Art of Agile Development_ type of Agile. Hollywood is broken. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H18RUB1cxfI https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H18RUB1cxfI (NSFW)

bluGill 10y ago

Managers don't want waterfall. They want a process they can understand (waterfall is great here), that gives them a specific date they can point to as when everything is done and they can start making money. Waterfall says it gives you that. Of course we all know that waterfall doesn't actually give you what it claims, but it says when it doesn't you failed to manage one of the early phases correctly which means it tells them how to fix things: work harder there.

feyn 10y ago
Ooo! I wrote another article talking about single date estimations: https://neilonsoftware.com/2016/07/13/a-far-too-brief-rough-outline-of-how-to-approach-single-date-estimation/ https://neilonsoftware.com/2016/07/13/a-far-too-brief-rough-... Yes, a specific date is absolutely what every manager at every level in the organization wants. As long a payroll is issued bi-weekly, and earnings reported quarterly, the desire for a fixed date will be a thing. The issue is, fixes dates when it comes to new software development is a fantasy. If you really, really wanted to talk to experts about hitting dates, I'm thinking that a well-funded initiative done in collaboration with 3 of the 4 branches of the U.S. military and the most respected innovator in aviation technology would be where you would go to find them. I would like to offer up the F-35 Joint Strike/Fighter program as exhibit 'A'. Turns out, despite all that funding and discipline (and threats of what will happen if you miss a deadline), they still can't hit their dates. If they can't, what hope do we have? That's not a rhetorical excuse - that's a real question. Is the answer Agile? Personally, I don't think it is. I think Hollywood has a far better model that anyone else does (pre-production -> production-> post-production). To get new ideas, I study how specific movies are made. One of my favorite case-studies is how they did "Max Max: Fury Road" (lots of storyboards - lots and lots and lots of storyboards). "But hollywood movies are always late/overbudget!!!", yes - which is my point. They know that and have specific adaptions that make this process work decade over decade - and generally a hell of a lot of cash in the process. At a minim, if Agile ain't workin' for everyone, we've got to try to get new ideas from somewhere. My personal choice is Hollywood.
- EdSharkey 10y ago
  Nah! Have another look at Agile, and not the management focused movements like Scrum. I'm talking _The Art of Agile Development_ type of Agile. Hollywood is broken. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H18RUB1cxfI https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H18RUB1cxfI (NSFW)