Problems with “The Agile”

In the late 90s, various groups of seasoned developers grew tired of working hard and failing harder.XP showed its value fast and its popularity grew faster than its creators could imagine. Today, Agile is often a thing. I cringe each someone asks for help getting “The Agile”. Agile (big A agile) is now certified, sold, and often abused.

In many companies, agility is dying under the growing weight of Agile. In many situations, developers are back in the back seat as people focus on “doing Scrum” instead of “building the right thing, the right way”.

This session is for developers looking to bring sanity, agility and success to places where big A Agile has become a calcified and codified process.

WHAT'S A DEVELOPER TO DO?

So where are you in this mix? Are you an old school XPer, living out a life of quiet desperation? Are you a passionate rebel, scarred from pushing and challenging the sluggish ceremonies that surround you? Or, are you new to the programming world and this entire thread seems like the crazy rants of an frustrated old man?

So what can the working dude(tte) can do to foster real agility?” Bring your complaints, your frustrations, and your questions so we can discuss ways to use agile methods to raise levels of sanity and scientific thinking without being relegated to the land of “oh, its just those programmers complaining again”.

About David Hussman

David teaches and coaches the adoption and improvement of agility as a delivery tool. His work includes helping companies of all sizes all over the world. Sometimes he is pairing with developers and testers, while other times he is helping to invent, evolve and plan the delivery of all types of products and projects. David also spends a great deal of time helping leaders at all levels find ways to pragmatically use agility to foster innovation.

Prior to working as a full time coach, David spent years building software in a variety of domains: digital audio, digital biometrics, medical, financial, retail, and education to name a few. David now leads DevJam, a company composed of agile collaborators. As mentors and practitioners, DevJam focuses on agility as a tool to help people and companies improve their software production skills. DevJam provides seasoned leaders that strive to pragmatically match technology, people, and processes to create better and cooler products in competitive cycles.

Along with teaching and coaching, David participates in conferences around the world. He is the recipient of the Agile Alliance, 2009 Gordon Pask Award. David continuously contributes to books and various publications.

For coaching information, presentations, and more, visit www.devjam.com

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