f3yourmind

Software is all about delivering something useful to a customer.  That’s it – nothing else.  Politics is about acquisition of power.  Nothing else matters.  Now mix the two together.  How often have you heard a developer say something like “It’s not my problem, it’s just politics”?   That poor developer doesn’t stand a chance.  Imagine trying to deliver software while there is a raging power battle going on.  I don’t think software delivery stands any chance of success in that battle.  In fact, software delivery just becomes a tool for the politicians.

When someone is plotting for power, nothing else matters, not in the least software delivery.  I’ve been there and done that.  It’s just messy, soul destroying stuff.  These days, I look for the power battle and try to focus on software by raising the delivery stakes to higher than the power battle.  If I can’t do that, then the software was never the focus in the first place.  Then I recommend pulling the plug.  Regardless, that’s my cue to leave.  Not because I am a coward, lacking courage, but for the simple fact that those power grabs are completely meaningless, except for the power-hungry.

As long as there is a political game being played, you simply won’t deliver software on time, on budget and keep customers happy.  BTW you can just forget about collaboration too.  That space will always be filled with contempt.

Let me put it another way: Any attempt at being agile in a political environment will always lead to failure.  While you are trying to learn, others are trying to gain power.  It doesn’t work!

I finally uploaded the slide deck for the SD Times Practical Scrum webinar.  Get it from SlideShare (and embedded below).  The original webinar is available here (registration needed).

SD Times has started a series of Leaders of Agile webinars.  The last was on Continuous Delivery with Kent Beck facilitating a discussion with Jez Humble and Timothy Fitz.  The next in the series is on Practical Scrum which will, again, be lead by Kent .  I think it will be a interesting perspective coming from the person that brought us Extreme Programming and so much more.

Sign up, it’s free.

http://www.asterix.com

My son borrowed Asterix and Cleopatra from Claremont Library last week.  It’s been ages since I read anything from that series.  But page 2 really had me chuckling.  There is an image of the page online, but it’s bit hard to read.  So, here’s the dialog.

The scene: Cleopatra has been challenged by Julius Caesar to build a grand palace that will prove that the Egyptians are an advanced nation.  She summons Edifis, her architect.

Cleopatra: Edifis, I have summoned you because you are the best architect in Alexandria – which is isn’t saying much.

Edifis: Oh!

Cleopatra: Don’t answer back! Your buildings are flimsy.  You can hear every word the neighbours say.  The ceilings fall in!

Edifis:  It’s these modern materials… Actually, what I really want to do is build pyramids and …

Cleopatra: Silence!  You have just three months to make good.  You are to build Julius Caesar a magnificent palace here in Alexandria.

Edifis: Did you say THREE MONTHS?

Cleopatra: If you succeed, you will be covered in gold!  If not, you will be thrown to the crocodiles!  You may go.

(Edifis walks out)

Edifis: (thinking) Three months!  I’d need supernatural powers to do that!  I’d need someone who can work magic.

Edifis: (shouting) Got it!  I know the very man!  He can work magic!

Now, where have we seen that before?

(And just get the original book and read on about mule-driving the slaves to haul huge blocks of stone … classic!)

Sourced from http://www.sahistory.org.za

At the Scrum gathering I had a tiny little conversation with Lorraine Steyn of Khanyisa Real Systems and Henrik Kniberg of Crisp about some of the values in our organisations.  At the top of Henrik’s value list was Freedom.  It seemed straight forward enough, until I started thinking about what freedom means to me.

My early perspective and experience on (the lack of) freedom is based purely on oppression of apartheid.  Ok, that’s over, so I am now free. Right?

Then John Lennon’s Imagine lyrics sang through my head.  If we’ve nothing to kill or die for, will we have universal freedom?

Hold on, what about when Janis Joplin sang Me and Bobby McGee – “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose”?  That sounds too dreary for a concept that should make me happy.

Tonight I saw a quote by Maria Montessori on the wall next to my wife’s desk at home.  It’s been there forever and it says:

“The  essence of independence  is to be  able to do something for one’s self.”

I like this the most.  Be able to something for yourself and you will gain independence which sets you free.  It also reminds me of the self-organising mantra in Scrum-land.  Self organising implies that the team wants to be able to manage themselves so that they achieve independence (freedom).  But, there is a little spark of conflict in here.  As individuals we also have priorities and values, which is not necessarily aligned with that of the team.  Is it acceptable to compromise just to subscribe to the homogeneity of the team?

I think it’s a long walk to freedom.