TL; DR: Bureaucracy & Agile — Food for Agile Thought #430
Welcome to the 430th edition of the Food for Agile Thought newsletter, shared with 42,191 peers. This week, Kevin Meadows critiques bureaucracy & Agile, advocating for a return to its core values. Andy Cleff, in conversation with Tanner Wortham, draws parallels between agile leadership and military strategies, emphasizing adaptability and the “Power of Three.” Bob Galen highlights a dialogue with David Pereira on the importance of clear, courageous communication and acknowledging privilege in thought leadership. Also, Emily Webber offers solutions to break down silos and enhance collaboration in multidisciplinary teams, and Christina Wodtke addresses the psychological barriers to decision-making, proposing strategies to focus and maximize productivity in the workplace. Additionally, Michael Lloyd introduces Dysfunction Mapping in a recording from the last Hands-on Agile Meetup.
Then, Martin Eriksson challenges the one-size-fits-all strategy, stressing the need for focus and tough decision-making for success. Beck Novaes champions the Lean Startup approach, advocating for prioritizing impactful development through minimal viable products and user feedback, while Dave Hora discusses the significance of aligning research with both external and internal organizational cycles across different scales to foster progress and influence. Moreover, Marty Cagan reflects on the responses to his Product Management Theater article, underscoring the importance of skill development and the pivotal role of product leaders in steering teams and organizational change toward a product-centric model.
Lastly, Ant Murphy shares practical techniques for enhancing user interviews, highlighting the importance of structured sessions and insightful questioning. Yonatan Zunger introduces the POMKRA method, transforming OKRs into powerful tools for clear goal-setting and organizational productivity, and Joshua Seiden discusses the nuances of setting numerical targets with OKRs, advocating for a blend of conversation, data, and conjecture in goal-setting. Lastly, Peter Merel champions AI-Driven Development (AIDD), underlining the synergy between AI efficiency and Agile team oversight for aligning technology with business objectives, demonstrating the critical balance between technological advancement and human expertise.
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🏆 The Tip of the Week: Bureaucracy & Agile
(via Medium): The Bureaucratization of Agile: Why Bureaucratic Software Environments Aren’t Agile
Kevin Meadows critiques the growing bureaucratization of Agile, highlighting that the proliferation of complex frameworks and administrative roles directly contradicts Agile’s original principles of simplicity, trust, customer focus, and quick adaptability, urging a significant shift back to foundational values for actual effectiveness in agility.
🍋 Lemon of the Week
(via Medium): I Have Now Been Working at an Agile-Free Workplace for 8 Months. It’s the Most Productive Place I Have Been.
Wow, Emil discovered the secret to peak productivity: ditching Agile and Scrum for the groundbreaking method of just winging it and getting plastered. Who knew the pinnacle of team bonding was found at the bottom of a bottle, not in Daily Scum? Who needs structured processes when you have alcohol and a disdain for management fads? Cheers to progress!
➿ Agile & Scrum
and : Unraveling the ‘Power of Three’ in Agile Leadership with Tanner Wortham
Andy Cleff explores agile leadership with Tanner Wortham, highlighting military parallels, the “Power of Three,” and embracing uncertainty for effective team collaboration and decision-making.
: Privilege Awareness
Bob Galen reflects on a LinkedIn exchange with David Pereira, praising the no-nonsense clarity and courage in communication while highlighting the importance of recognizing and acknowledging the privilege inherent in thought leadership within the agile community.
(via InfoQ): Bridging Silos and Overcoming Collaboration Antipatterns in Multidisciplinary Organizations
Emily Webber discusses overcoming collaboration anti-patterns and silo effects in multidisciplinary organizations, offering techniques to enhance teamwork and dismantle barriers for improved collaboration.
: Beyond Indecision: The Psychological Forces Shaping Our Choices
Christina Wodtke delves into the psychological hurdles of decision-making in the workplace, such as outcome anxiety and choice overload. She proposes strategies to overcome these challenges, emphasizing the role of focus in achieving peak productivity.
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Learn more: 🖥 💯 🇬🇧 Advanced Professional Scrum Master Training w/ PSM II Certificate — March 26-27, 2024.
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🎯 Product
: Your strategy (probably) sucks
Martin Eriksson debunks the myth of a one-size-fits-all strategy, emphasizing the importance of focus, clear communication, and making hard choices to move from mediocrity to success in business and product management.
(via Medium): Beyond Feature Factories: Prioritizing Impact in Software Innovation
Beck Novaes advocates prioritizing impact over feature production in software development, emphasizing the Lean Startup philosophy of minimal viable products and the importance of rapid, iterative learning through user feedback to enhance software innovation and efficiency.
: External Loops vs. Internal Cycles
Dave Hora highlights the importance of aligning research with external feedback for insights and internal cycles for change across three scales: landscape, initiative, and execution. He advocates for strategic integration to drive progress and enhance influence.
(via Silicon Valley Product Group): Product Leadership Theater
Marty Cagan reflects on the reception to his Product Management Theater article, emphasizing skill development over assigning blame, and highlights the critical role of product leaders in fostering strong teams and driving organizational change towards a product model.
📯 Dysfunction Mapping — Michael Lloyd at the 58. Hands-on Agile Meetup
In this fascinating talk, Michael introduced the concept of dysfunction mapping, a tool developed over years of trial and error aimed at creating a repeatable way to find, theme, and ultimately solve organizational dysfunction.
📺 Watch the video now: Dysfunction Mapping — Michael Lloyd at the 58. Hands-on Agile Meetup.
🛠 Concepts, Tools & Measuring
(via Medium): Asking Better User Interview Questions
Ant Murphy offers in-depth guidance on enhancing user interviews, focusing on structuring sessions for maximum impact and crafting insightful questions to elicit high-quality responses, aiming to aid professionals eager to refine their user interviewing skills.
(via Medium): The POMKRA Method. Making OKRs Actually Useful
Yonatan Zunger introduces the POMKRA method as an effective planning tool for making OKRs truly beneficial, emphasizing problem identification, clear objectives, and practical steps for achieving goals to enhance productivity and strategic focus in organizations.
: Where Do The Numbers Come From?
Joshua Seiden addresses OKR numerical targets in ‘Who Does What By How Much,’ emphasizing the need for conversations, data analysis, and educated guesses to find feasible and valuable goals.
🎶 Encore
: AI–Driven Development
Peter Merel advocates for AI-Driven Development (AIDD), leveraging AI to write software efficiently while emphasizing the crucial role of Agile teams in ensuring AI’s alignment with business goals, highlighting the balance between automation and human oversight in development processes.
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📺 Join 5,000-plus Agile Peers on Youtube
Now available on the Age-of-Product Youtube channel to improve learning, for example, about Bureaucracy & Agile:
- Hands-on Agile 58: Dysfunction Mapping with Michael Lloyd.
- Hands-on Agile 57: Humble Planning with Maarten Dalmijn.
- Hands-on Agile 54: Overcoming Common Product Backlog Management Traps with David Pereira.
- Hands-on Agile 53: An Agile Coaches Guide to Storytelling with Bob Galen.
- Hands-on Agile EXTRA: How Elon Musk Would Run YOUR Business with Joe Justice.
- Hands-on Agile 43: Outcome-Based Product Planning with Jeff Gothelf.
- Hands-on Agile 42: Lean Roadmapping and OKRs with Janna Bastow.
- Hands-on Agile 38: The Product Owner with Roman Pichler.
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