Bolt or Jackie?

I was in conversation with someone who said he had experience of agile methodology at one of the companies he had worked at.

I asked him to describe agile development. The first statement that he made was, "It is for fast development."

Not quite correct. Agility is not the same as speed. Usain Bolt is the fastest human. I doubt if he is anywhere near the most agile. Arguably the most agile would be Jackie Chan. Though Mr. Chan would undoubtedly be quick, I doubt if he is a world class sprinter. I doubt if Mr. Bolt would qualify for the Jamaican acrobatics team.

Agility is the ability to respond to surprises. It needs muscular coordination, quick reflexes, flexibility, excellent sense of balance, and sixth sense.

A software process that focuses on speed wants to anticipate all surprises. It is about risk minimization. It invests in up-front detailed design and the associated processes to ensure that the plan is followed. It needs a clearly marked standard track to sprint down.

A software process that focuses on agility acknowledges that the only thing that can be said in advance about surprises is that they will occur. It is not about speed of development but speed of response to surprises. Speed of response to surprises needs leadership with a mindset that is willing to accept surprises - not sweep them under the carpet. It needs leadership with a mindset willing to invest time in keeping the code malleable at all times.

When I asked my interlocutor to name some of the agile practices, the only one he mentioned was morning ten minute stand-up meetings. Questioned as to how it was determined if the day's commitment was achieved, or not, there was no answer. (Expected Answer: unit tests that pass.)