…is balance.
There are so many Agile books, articles, and posts that do one of two things:
- spend a lot of time pointing out how evil, backwards, or just plain stupid anything, that isn’t Agile, is.
- Spend a lot of time shouting (enthusiastically) about how great Agile is, and that you are stupid for not embracing it.
I like the idea of Agile, but I also believe something should be able to stand by itself, without resorting to insulting or degrading any alternatives. Let the good points of the methodology/ideology/whatever-ology be seen, and leave the reader to convince themselves, rather than trying to do it for them.
something should be able to stand by itself, without resorting to insulting or degrading any alternatives
At the same time, don’t just rant, and rave, about the fact that I “just have to” adopt Agile, or I’ll be considered a Luddite, a caveman, or just a person who is not willing to “see the truth”. Give me good, sensible, reasons, and I’m likely to keep reading.
Agile Estimating and Planning
A good example of something that doesn’t do either of the two things mentioned above is something that I am reading at the moment – “Agile Estimating and Planning” by Mike Cohn.
He steps you through the idea of Agile, with regards to planning, without once talking about Waterfall.
It’s a strange experience for me. With regards Agile I have wanted to believe. The problem was that every time I tried to learn more I met glazed eyed enthusiasts that just told me “Agile is good…Waterfall is evil”. Agile Estimating and Planning, however, has me nodding my head with every chapter I read.
What do you think?
Do you agree? Or am I just talking out of a hole in my head…?
Want to learn more?
Below is a selection of resources that I personally feel are relevant to this blog post, and will allow you to get more in-depth knowledge. I do earn a commission if you purchase any of these, and for that I am grateful. Thank you. (Important Disclosure)
Mike Cohn’s books: click here to see all of Mike’s books
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