Thoughts from a Thirsty Bear

Well, that’s a nice surprise! I have just received a very nice email telling me that I have been nominated in the Agile Special Recognition Award category at this year’s Agile Awards .

Paraphrasing an overheard conversation, " This agile process is creating all sorts of problems for us. We are finding all sorts of problems that we wouldn't normally find. "  <pause>   " Oh. Wait. They were always there, weren't they? We just never realised... " All agile processes are designed around regular feedback. They try and touch all phases of delivery as soon as possible, forcing issues to the surface early before they become too damaging. The process is designed makes problems visible regardless of how uncomfortable this may be. They are an unforgiving mirror on the reality that we are often too close to see. But visibility is only the beginning. Just because something is visible does not magically change it into something better - it just means that you know it is there. To change something requires a conscious effort. Your success or failure depends entirely on how you react to the information you are provided with. This reac...

Those jolly fine people at Energized Work are at it again with their "No Bull" paper which provides us with Simon Baker's personal view of the state of software development 12 years(-ish) after the Agile Manifesto. Now, I know Simon and Gus, the founders of Energized Work, well. I have worked with them extensively, and I have nothing but respect for what they have achieved - quality software development with integrity. I also agree with most of what they say and do. I also know the Energized Crew pretty well - a network of committed, high quality software experts who know exactly what they are doing. They have all embraced the whole "agile" way of working. The other thing notable about Energized Work is their well stocked beer fridge. So it is no surprise that the paper resonates with my general views on the software industry today, and the opportunities for improvement that we are missing as an industry. I would encourage everyone to read the paper for...

I am in the process of revisiting exactly what defines agility and what makes it tick, but collecting my thoughts on the subject reminded me of a couple of classic poster summaries from those jolly fine fellows at Energized Work  back in 2007. Well worth a look.

I am pleased to announce that Thirsty Bear Software is now working in association with RADTAC to provide courses that lead to Certified Scrum Developer . These are three day technical courses that cover the technical aspects of agile software development - basically the same training that I have been providing to companies outside of the Certification bunfight for years, except now formally assessed and accepted by the Scrum Alliance as satisfying the technical requirements of their new Developer Certification framework. The next public courses are planned for the following dates, and are subject to change: 14-16 May 21-23 August 8-10 October 19-21 November  The courses are all held at the RADTAC offices in Central London, close to St Paul's Cathedral. For more details, and to book your place, please contact RADTAC directly.

Unsurprisingly, here at Thirsty Bear Software we have a certain affinity with our bruin brethren, not only in the wild, but also in literature. I have found that one particularly famous bear can teach us a lot about how we behave, how we can improve ourselves, and even about the way we develop software. I am, of course, talking about Pooh Bear, of Winnie-the-Pooh fame. But what can the Bear of Little Brain tell us about true agility? Are you sitting comfortably? Then let's take a stroll to Hundred Acre Wood.... “Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it. And then he feels that perhaps there isn't.   Winnie-the-Pooh ,  A. A. Milne This is the starting point for many teams, including some self-declared agile teams. They are wo...

"You want to buy an agile? We sell you an agile. Very cheap. Very easy." Doesn't make sense, does it? And yet many companies accept equally nonsensical marketing speak because they want to " do agile" . " Agile " is not a physical thing that can simply be bought or sold; it's not a commodity. It is a concept. A philosophy. A mindset. A way of thinking. You cannot just be handed one to use. It requires you to make a fundamental change in yourself. If you are not prepared to invest in that change, then you are wasting your time and money trying to achieve the goal. You have simply bought an agile , and put it on a pedestal in the corner. " Look, that's our agile. Do you like it? " (actually no. It's a dodgy colour and clashes with the curtains....) Equally, any company claiming to be able to implement agile simply by putting in place a simple process is making the same mistake. Unless an organisation changes the way it think...