Mindset: Do the simplest thing...

Introduction

The topic today is this idea expressed famously (in the Agile community) by Ward Cunningham: "Do the simplest thing that could possibly work, and then test."

He expressed it about programming (although I think he came to see it as a bigger principle that could be applied elsewhere). I want you to apply it to "everything," with of course the common sense to know when NOT to apply it.

Also: I am looking at the state of Agile, and what I see is that we have not explained the Mindset that we need. The right Mindset for Agile.

After that, we also have to explain better (-- all of this has been explained before, but not well enough and often enough) when NOT to follow some of these "Agile Mindset nuggets" (think: nuggets of wisdom).

The idea for today:

"Do the simplest thing that could possibly work, and then test." Ward Cunningham.

Again, we honor Ward Cunningham for many things. His part in the discovery (or pulling together) of XP (extreme programming). He invented the wiki wiki. He has a wonderful video on Technical Debt. Many things.

For Cunningham's explanation of this idea, see: https://c2.com/xp/DoTheSimplestThingThatCouldPossiblyWork.html

Note: C2.com is his site.

Again, he was applying this idea to programming and how to build a computer system. We want to apply it more generally, to do our knowledge work.

How Might the Idea Be Applied?

The simplest thing to start with might be a Team.

The simplest thing might be one product or one project. Let's see if we can get agile to work here (in our company) with that work.

The simplest thing might be Scrum, a bare incomplete framework.

The simplest thing might be adding one pattern from A Scrum Book to your existing framework.

The simplest thing might be one new idea, that your team discusses and agrees is worth trying. And then you think of ways to apply that idea. And then test: did that help us?

Why is this Simple Idea So Mighty?

Ah! Where is Archimedes and his lever?

Archimedes famously stated (in Greek), "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." Ah! Don't we wish to move the world!

By this I am partly saying: just by being simple, an idea gains more power.

But, at the same time, to those unused to paradoxes, it is hard to explain why it would work, and, in some sense, even harder to explain afterward why exactly it did work.

Still, like fools, we will rush in and hazard some explanations.

1. Smart people can only be successful with a simple idea.
2. Slightly differently, by being simple, it does not add complexity to an already-complex situation.
3. Simple is smaller. Smaller means it can be built or done more quickly (than bigger, usually).
4. The sooner we test, the more and better we can use the results from the testing. (Ex: We can remember enough to apply quickly what we learn.)
5. We are fairly likely to make a mistake. So, being smaller, it is easier to see the mistake or problem, identify the root cause, and fix it.
6. Often, when we show our small thing to others (eg, a customer), they tell us: "Now that I see it, it's not quite what I want." One advantage, we got this learning with less effort. And, within what we have built, there is less to fix. And what to add is simpler also.
7. "Difficult to see. Always in motion is the Future." Do what your mind can grasp now. (That is, one small step into the future.) Having stepped into a new "now", grasp that, and act on that in small chunks. You win or you learn, one step at a time.

Conclusion

Let us conclude. We could go on forever giving explanations.

Use the idea. See if it works for you. Use some common sense.

If you and the Team internalize this idea, I think your "way of working" will become more effective.

Tell us your results. And tell us when NOT to use this idea.

I close this time with these famous words: "To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven."

One explanation for the picture at the top: Peering very far into the future is hard; better to act on what we can see how, and then adjust since "the future ain't what it used to be." (Yogi Berra)