Why volunteering is to be Agile?

Twenty years ago the Agile Manifesto was written, and above any framework and method, it is in the Manifesto where I prefer to base my agile mind. I think that every kind of agilist remember the 4 Values but it is also crucial to remember that we have 12 principles as well. Until here it is ok, but why I see the values and principles of agility applied as a base for voluntary work?

When we read "Individuals and interactions over processes and tools", I'm able to understand that volunteering is totally about that. My first volunteering experience was in karate, I started the practice when I was 13 facing my second depression. I was just able to know the martial art because it was a volunteer project. My parents did not have money to pay for a sport practice, I came from a poor family that lives until nowadays in a low-class neighborhood in the interior of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Over the years I became a Senpai (a karate practitioner that is not black belt yet but helps the Sensei with training and new students in the dojo) and our will was just make the children and teenagers interact like they are, meet a different kind of sport, have contact with the Budo philosophy, discipline the body and mind and understand that a life outside drug trafficking, go to the jail and die before the 20 years old it was possible. Thus, despite see value in the kata, kumite and self defense practice (processes and tools) we valued more each life and different kind of experience in childhood and youth of each one in our dojo (Individuals and interactions). My Lean life started in karate.

When we look for the last three values of the Manifesto "Working software over comprehensive documentation", "Customer collaboration over contract negotiation" and "Responding to change over following a plan", I just remember a volunteer work where I colaborated with for some months already here in Portugal. The initiative started in the pandemic beginning due to a COVID-19 outbreak in an association of food distribution for people in need. Knowing about thtat, some people have mobilized to help, because those who are hungry are in a hurry (responding to change over following a plan). We couldn't wait until the local government do something, then we spoke with a director of a local school in order to obtain permission to use their kitchen that was unused due to the pandemic situation. Then, the announcement for volunteers in our own social media was made. We was looking for people to cook, prepare the packages, design the delivery routs, and people with the possibility to drive and use their own car to help with the delivery process. Since the January 2020 until today, April 2021, we have not fail with any meal for those who need, then we can translate "working software" as people being fed over just think about "how could there so many people needing food in our world" (comprehensive documentation), just do it. "Customer collaboration" can be translated as volunteers engaged to achieve a common goal over trying to convince private sector do something (contract negotiation), it is just what I feel that it is correct to do it.

Currently I'm part of the IPMA Young Crew Portugal (YCP), that is a kind of voluteering focused to develop people until 35 years old in Project Management competencies based on the Individual Competence Baseline 4 by the International Project Management Association - IPMA. And here I address some of the 12 principles of the Agile Manifesto that I see clearly in our work in YCP. One of the principles in the Manifesto says: "Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software." Translating that from IT to YCP work, our customers may be the companies where we (volunteers) are working for, the portuguese project management community which we create webinars, workshops and events. Even ourselves who are looking for competencies development either by learning from someone, or by teaching. That continuous delivering it is about the value of our self-development, experimentations, failures and adaptations.

The YCP cross-functionality is a reflection of the principle "Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project." We are self-organized in "tribes" and projects avoiding the hierarchy. In the Internal Affairs for example, the tribe where I'm wearing for now, the hat of Head, we prefer to working as a networked structure. It means that each one of us have totally distinct backgrounds, culture experiences, ideas, perspectives and we collaborate closely to achieve our goals and deliver outcomes. Always looking for the YCP people development despite the projects we have, the work performed to create our projects is focused in developing our competencies. Moments of failure is totally expected, it is where we have the possibility of run our continuous improvements, our adaptations.

The principle "Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done." makes me rember what I read in the book Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility. In that publication, Patty McCord tells about the Netflix culture where she worked and contends that adults must to be treated as adults, not as children. We do not must control people, the processes must be controlled, people need to be developed. Fred Kofman, author of the book The Meaning Revolution argues that, people desire purpose to work, purpose to keep motivated, rewards, mainly money rewards can be a disgrace for a company. That is why I see so much agile mindset in YCP and in any kind of volunteer work. I did not received any money as reward, I received competencies development, I have the purpose that is support the young project management community or help someone have a meal with dignity. That is what keeps us motivated day-by-day, a purpose. The possibility to act as adults with freedom and responsibility about our work and the understanding that if we fail we just had an opportunity to improve, to implement Kaizen.

At last but never least, the principle "Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential." That one fits just perfectly with volunteer work and resume it everything. The voluteering just not require complexity, we work with what we have. We do not look for tools, methods, whatever. We just solve problems, we just see solutions, we just deliver value, we just make someone happy. That is what about volunteering is, that is what about be Agile is, it is besides Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, XP, it is about people and outcomes. Tools and framework exists to facilitate our daily work and clarify our way but agility it is simple, we must not complicate it. Be volunteers, have purpose, let's be Agile!