David Anderson: Organizational Maturity may be more important than Productivity

9. September 2008 by Scott Pringle 0 Comments

Scott Pringle - Sphere of Influence

Thinking Too Small

David Anderson is challenging the idea that Agile Practices replace the need for organizational maturity. He chastised me, and the Agile community, for thinking too small. He accused us of holding Agile back by defining it too narrowly, by focusing on practices, and by competing with CMMI instead of embracing it.

Another criticism leveled by Mr. Anderson was that the Agile community had become too conservative and introspective, rather than pushing limits and reaching out. As evidence he cited the fact that this was the first talk he ever had accepted by the Agile Conference because his topics were too controversial. When we stop listening to our own visionaries we are really in trouble.

What Happens 1 Year Later?

Agile Teams can accomplish great things. David Anderson has led many teams that overachieved and delivered superb products. A year after David Anderson leaves the organization Agile is no longer working. Is it Agile that fails? Is it the organization? Or is it both? Does Agile focus too much on the practices, too much on being different, too much on itself and not enough on the rest of the world? Similarly, what are organizations doing to help themselves? Often the mistrust of the Agile Process leads to unneeded overhead instead of embracing this opportunity to improve our ability to deliver great products.

What Are The Real Changes That Need to Occur?

Kanban and Real Options Theory are areas where David Anderson focuses, and where he thinks the future can be seen. I do not have a lot of insight into these areas, but after listening to Mr. Anderson speak, I will be starting my own research. From the talk I gathered:

Kanban

· Value, Flow, Pull

· Continuous improvement

· Perfect is the enemy of good enough

· Stop the line

· Pride of workmanship

· Embraces division of labor