Agile has gained a lot of traction in large enterprises in recent years but I’m concerned about the specifics of how teams are implementing it. I’ve seen everything from traditional eXtreme Programming (XP) practices to Scrum, but nothing scares me more than the teams that self-identify as “agile” but do nothing more than hold a daily team meeting.
Agile means different things to different people, but it doesn’t matter which methodology is used as long as the principles outlined in the Agile Manifesto are adhered to. Holding a daily hour-long meeting does not an agile team make. It’s almost anti-agile.
I’d like to see teams bust out Kent Beck’s White Book and get back to basics. Focus on building reliable software. Examine processes critically. Write tests. Automate everything. Put it all in version control …. everything in version control. If you want a more modern, large scale view on the same principles then get a copy of Continuous Delivery and read it cover to cover.
But please … skip the one-hour “stand-up”.