Scaled Agile (SAFE), Distributed Agile (DAD) now my proposal - CAFE Convenience Agile Framework (Framed) for Evidence

Agile in ideal scenario

Those who know Agile principles know that it is a culture and mindset - a radical transformation and change. But the reality? With my limited exposure in last 5-6 years I am truly amused at the way ITES partners, vendors and Fortune 500 big corporate have made Agile into a nightmare in reality.

Empowered teams, change adoption, communication with business and always collocation etc Multi skilled team, servant leader/ facilitator not a old type manager who imposes or plans and delivers work to team. Team who has no say or presence in planning etc change to empowered team.

More focus on continued delivery than evidence or documentation. Flexible or embracing change, communication than detailed documents and contracts etc is all the principles or concepts advocated. Comparative sizing based story point estimation and average velocity.

Sprint of 2 weeks maximum with team of 8 preferred with 35 hours per week per resource and automation and many such good practices recommended. What happens then?

Agile in Reality

The moment distributed and scaled Agile came itself I saw the dilution and violation of Agile concepts/ principle. Proxy product owner, Agile Lead , Dev Lead, paired/ virtual programming & collocation etc to manage the offshoring and outsourcing cost models. The statement that tools and technology can help overcome distance by virtual collocation.

Then clients creating a few certified scrum masters, agile coaches, project managers and they started dictating on how they wanted Agile in action. Evidence of grooming, daily stand up, demo/ review and retro was first demand. so are we Agile or are we practicing ISO?

Then came the demand to put all plans, efforts, documents (specifications, designs and then break it into user stories) in tools. And put user story, task and effort in tools and share photos etc for evidence of stand up. Retro and review if client cannot join use proxy owner and again put Minutes of meeting in tool or share point.

Proxy product owner from the vendor team as business has no time to participate. The proxy has no power to close a user story and access to tools also overruled. Then came the ultimate - Defects logged after sprint separately by another vendor and not business. release date fixed and backward sprint planning.

Listed Features to be made as user stories and done within prefixed date. Then came SLA's which were for user story completion, design completion, defect leakage, incident response and resolution like typical SDLC and ADM no sign of Agile in existence.

I decided to create a new framework which fits this sort of diluted, circumlocution and abomination of Agile. Convenience of Customer made to a new Agile with a framework focusing on Framed/ documented evidence....

Welcome to Convenience Agile Framework /(Framed) for Evidence

So a new Agile is born under the carpet, rarely spoken, under pain of many threats an Agile adoption happens. With SLA's for everything, all ownership diluted, all concepts ripped and all back to old ISO and CMMI and pre-stone age immature, heavy handed old manufacturing concept based mismanaged authoritarian hierarchy based IT.

I name it CAFE - people come have a coffee and once finished go. Employees, vendors and managers do the same with a client account in a client account for a client account to appease client managers or so called leaders for survival and job.

CONVENIENCE AGILE FRAMEWORK/ FRAMED for EVIDENCE - CAFE

Why else clients ask SLA for user story, for design, ask for functional specification or ask team to work in between on defects, incidents and still not allow reprioritizing? Why the product owner is not available and a technical or product analyst from client becomes proxy product owner who cannot even change stories or move them out of one sprint or reject stories or ad hoc requirements?

Why team is given release date and list of stories or features and not allowed to reject or plan?? FORTUNE 500 companies do it offshore / onsite model and expect teams to work late hours and 15-16 hours to make overlap happen. WHAT AGILE IS THIS?? IS THIS TRULY AGILE AS PER THE MANIFESTO AND PRINCIPLES???

TOUCH YOUR HEART DEAR AGILE EXPERTS AND LOOK AT YOUR ORGANIZATIONS AND TELL ME -- ARE YOU TRULY AGILE???

THE ONLY AGILE THERE IS CONVENIENCE AGILE - CAFE only...