Let them respect your work, not position - Part 2

In my last post I wanted to make some points about management style. Me being me did that in a abstract manner as I wanted some reactions and know how people take it. I got few responses from my well wishers and thus want to uncover the abstracted stuff now.

...making negative comments on Agile is not meaningful...

Agile is a beautiful concept but people need to understand what it is. I said people use it as a weapon. That said, people have different shoe sizes, one size does not fit all same way one concept (Agile) can't fit everywhere. Read my other post to understand a difference (only my opinion) between product vs project. Also, what people do not understand is that Agile alone can't do any magic. You need other practices like XP, there are pre-requisites to run an Agile show properly. Agile in itself is no magic. Its people who are the magicians.

Above all, when you are working on project where there is only one platform say server and clear requirements and you know how to implement them (CRUD operations with some business logic) then anyone can practice Agile. Bring mobile into mix (say Android and iOS both), boom!!! Mobile depends upon server and server need time for infrastructure etc. Vertical slicing is difficult now. So, you will start mocking stuff, wait a minute are not you moving towards Ad-hoc now.

Most of the Start-Ups use Ad-hoc and I just love Ad-hoc methodology as there is no methodology :). It is all about your wit and how deep can you think, how much you can imagine, how well can you integrate etc. Add Agile with Ad-hoc, Woot!!! You can now have beautiful charts, a handsome backlog etc.

The problem starts when there are unknowns. When there are technical challenges. When there is a lack of knowledge/expertise. If there are no challenges then there is no difference between Waterfall, Agile, Ad-hoc etc. Also, there is no difference between individuals. 

...If you actually follow agile as it asks you to then you have enough time to complete the sprint successfully even with its weird Fibonacci timeline concept or time box it...

Agile never asked me to follow anything. It just told me where all we can go wrong. So, we picked whatever needed for a particular project and implemented there. Yes, in theory either the scope gets cut or time is extended but but but wake up!!! Management does not use it that way. It is used in service industry to charge the customer, it is used in countries and companies who respect quality and innovation. Ideally we should all respect quality and do justice to our job and passion. That is what I aim.

...It's up to the Scrum Manager how he handles the SCRUM for a team and how the team follows the scrum approach. There should not be tweak to Agile methodology...

The basis is wrong here. Scrum is management side of the world. Technology plays a big role in implementing any methodology (Agile). Scrum master is just a facilitator and it is team as a whole which runs the show. Agile is all about tweaks and it does not enforce any rules. It just guides us to avoid common problems and may be use some well known practices. Relate this may be to design patterns. It is not mandatory to use a design pattern but it will be better if you do. Also, particular design patterns are not enforced on you, you choose them. Again, Agile in itself is no magic. Its people who are the magicians. 

...the usage of leader in negative aspects is not correct too, there is difference between Boss and leader...

From last post

Yes, leader is different from a boss. I respect leaders, have a look above. I just wanted to change the mindset that is why stroke the word. 

When we say a leader then we are becoming followers, implicitly. Then leader gets loads of responsibilities and that is what transforms them into a boss (in your perception) at times. It is a team game and must be played like that. In any team sports (say cricket) we do not expect that leader (captain) will do some magic every time. He is a mortal too. What he is expected to do is, to be a team player and create an healthy environment. Be approachable and appreciate innovation, hard work etc. This actually gives enough encouragement and opportunities for the team to grow.