This article reports, in a simple way, some observations about the application of agile methods in IT processes. The main focus is not to detail concepts or show what must be followed, but to present certain points that are not applied or are poorly adapted and that interfere with everyone's productivity. With this, it is important to remember that the agile methodology allows planning internal processes in an incremental and iterative way, allowing greater malleability, collaboration and approximation between the interested parties and the development team, since, according to the Agile Manifesto, “The individuals and their interactions over processes and tools.
According to Schwaber and Sutherland et al. In the Agile Manifesto, “Responding to change is more than following the initial plan.” The result of this interaction is the possibility of identifying possible failures in the course of the process, generating good indicators for the team, as well as better monitoring of changes, allowing for more agile responses and in less time.
As a result, companies began to apply the agile methodology in systems development to their internal processes in order to increase value for customers. They continuously receive small deliveries of the product thanks to more assertive planning of deliveries and total transparency in the process. They also make the team more autonomous and mature, which allows the creation of replicators for new members of the company.
Agile delivers repeatable processes, reduces risk, allows for immediate feedback, provides quick turnaround, and reduces complexity. SoaresAna G.
However, it is clear that, in general, the use of agile methodology has become a race to get customers' attention. Even if the processes have not been well defined internally in the company, which results in adaptations that do not generate the expected results in Scrum or Kanban applications. And the definition goes through clearly determining the roles of the collaborators, carrying out the key ceremonies, encouraging the collaborator to improve or develop new skills that are used in this process.
The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Development Team. Schwaber K, Sutherland J. The Scrum Guide
Another fact is related to the employee who plays the role of Product Owner (PO) and the outsourcing of their activities to the Requirements Analyst, since these professionals are business analysts who do not have experience in the IT sector or who cannot understand customer needs and reflect this in backlog prioritization. Thus, requirements analysts are inserted many times in the process to intermediate the PO / Stakeholders and the Scrum Master / Development Team. However, such intermediation can create noise and cause some conflicts between process participants and result in a lack of quality in the product.
There is also the scenario in which the requirements analyst develops skills that allow, for example, to better assess the value of the customer's product and prioritize the backlog over this assessment. Or even manage to plan deliveries based on your understanding of the business. Therefore, what is perceived is that, many times, employees who play the role of PO do not have knowledge of the Product Owner's responsibilities.
Another adaptation that reflects negatively on the development team is the lack of a leader to monitor the process, applying management methods that value individuals and that reflect on productivity. However, when someone appears to play this role, they end up embracing two or more functions, such as, for example, development. And this division affects product planning, which is based on a certain number of members and for a period ends up suffering a drop in the team.
It is important to emphasize that the person assigned to the leader must be responsible for facilitating, guiding and mainly listening to those involved, not just focusing on numbers.
[...] the leader's attitude affects the office climate. If you want to add value by serving others, you will be a better leader. And your people achieve more, develop greater loyalty, and enjoy getting things done more than you could ever imagine[...] Maxwell, John C. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: A Proven Recipe for Developing the Leader in You
The fact that the subject does not have the characteristics expected of a leader does not make him ineligible for the role. Leadership skills are also achieved with study and dedication, which allows a better use of techniques to guide, motivate and give feedback to the team without any discomfort on the part of the members.
[...] some people are born with more natural gifts than others, the ability to lead is actually a collection of skills, and almost all of them can be learned and perfected.[...] Maxwell, John C. As 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: A Proven Recipe for Developing the Leader in You
Of the previously reported problems, the employees who suffer the most negative impact within the process are the development team, who often do not deliver the product in accordance with customer expectations, suffer from the lack of assertive planning of releases, with the lack of definition of functionality alignments and excessive demand, often making use of aggressive communication.
Therefore, it is necessary to implement a policy that disseminates agile practices among employees, with a focus on increasing the number of replicators within the organization so that the culture remains alive. Another important point so that the agile culture is not harmed in the company is to outline the project together with the client and not allow the imposition of rules that do not match the applied methodology.
Agile is not doing fast. Who gives the deadline is who executes. A fragile company accepts everything at any cost and the snowball explodes in quality. SoaresAna G.
In this way, when realizing the necessary understandings about the agile culture, it will be possible to actually apply the agility process in the company. And, above all, apply the best management practices that value the individual and his relationships with other team members. It is important to take into account their degree of satisfaction/happiness both inside and outside the company, since the external environment also influences productivity. As well as using non-aggressive communication during this process with a focus on team productivity, without losing concern for the individual.
Bibliographic reference
Schwaber, K Sutherland, Jet et al. Agile Manifesto. Available at www.manifestoagil.com.br. Accessed on 04/10/2019
MAXWELL, John C. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: A Proven Recipe for Developing Your Inner Leader. Rio de Janeiro: Thomas Nelson Brazil, 2007
Soares, Ana G. Agile Method vs. Waterfall. Lean Agile Coach Certification: UNIAGIL – Universidade Ágil. Available in https://leanagilecoach.club.hotmart.com/lesson/zK4kEBMJ7Y/metodo-agil-vs.-cascata. Accessed on 10/01/2019
Schwaber, K Sutherland, J. The Scrum Guide. 2017. Available in https://www.scrum.org/resources/scrum-guide. Accessed on 10/03/2019
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