#14 How to Scale Agile (when Agile breaks everything!) with Dan North
Jun 29, 2018
auto_awesome
Agile coach Dan North talks about pioneering work with Behaviour Driven Development (BDD), the Agile certification racket, and how Agile breaks everything. Topics include the early days of adopting agile methods, evolution of roles in Agile teams, lean operations in software development, flow-based management, sustainable work practices, Virginia Satir's family therapy, and the principle of positive intent.
Behavior Driven Development (BDD) promotes collaboration, solid engineering practices, and iterative delivery in small teams.
BDD has evolved into a generalized form of test-driven development (TDD) and emphasizes collaboration and iterative problem-solving.
Implementing BDD involves breaking established habits, shifting from control to flow and value creation, and overhauling financial planning and resource allocation.
Deep dives
Introduction to Behavior Driven Development
Behavior Driven Development (BDD) originated as a way to improve agile software development practices in the 90s and was formalized in 2001. The approach emphasized collaboration, solid engineering practices, and delivering work in small, iterative chunks. BDD focused on working in small teams and leveraging feedback based on small chunks of work. One of the aims was to dissolve the silos and promote cross-functional collaboration within software development teams. BDD also introduced the concept of using examples and scenarios to describe the behavior of the system, which guided the design and development process. BDD quickly gained popularity and expanded beyond software development, encompassing other roles within organizations.
The Evolution of BDD and its Applications
Over time, behavior-driven development (BDD) has evolved and been embraced by various practitioners who have expanded its applications. BDD's principles and practices have been integrated with other concepts such as Complexity Thinking and Real Options. The goal has been to create a more holistic approach to managing uncertainty, enhancing product management, and enabling effective decision-making. BDD has evolved into a generalized form of test-driven development (TDD) and emphasizes collaboration and iterative problem-solving. Multiple practitioners, including Liz Keough and Gojko Adzic, have contributed to the evolution and advancement of BDD, exploring its applications in different domains and integrating it with other frameworks.
The Limitations of Certifications and Prescriptive Approaches
There are two different models that emerged in the agile community: the certification model and the experiential model. The certification model, exemplified by Scrum, provides a structured, practice-based approach that can be easily certified but may become rigid and resistant to change. On the other hand, the experiential model, represented by XP (Extreme Programming), allows for greater flexibility and has continued to evolve organically without strict certification requirements. Behavior-driven development (BDD), following the experiential model, has maintained its success by avoiding formal certification and allowing practitioners to explore and adapt it to their specific contexts. BDD focuses on the underlying principles and values rather than prescribing specific practices or tools, enabling ongoing growth and evolution.
The Change Journey and Challenges of Implementing BDD
Implementing behavior-driven development (BDD) involves a transformative journey in organizations. The first stage involves breaking established habits and mindsets, challenging traditional ways of working, and introducing new practices and ideas. This initial stage can be met with resistance and skepticism as people adjust to the changes. Next, as individuals and teams adapt to the new practices, they may realize that existing tools and techniques are no longer effective or aligned with the new approach. Governance structures may also start to break down as the focus shifts from control to flow and value creation. Additionally, even the customer's role may change, as organizations embrace collaboration and involve customers in the development process. Finally, the traditional top-down funding model may no longer be suitable, leading organizations to question and overhaul their approach to financial planning and resource allocation. Despite these challenges, embracing BDD opens up new possibilities for more collaborative, adaptive, and value-driven ways of working.
The importance of incremental funding and the impact of egos in corporate decision-making
In this podcast episode, the speaker highlights the benefits of incremental funding and the negative influence of egos in corporate decision-making. The speaker explains how incremental funding, similar to venture funding, allows for an iterative and incremental approach to fund projects. However, at a corporate level, signing off on multimillion-dollar programs over several years is still preferred due to ego and the desire for recognition. The speaker shares an example of a program that received trophies for its massive sign-off, but ultimately failed and was considered wasteful. The episode explores the need to shift corporate culture towards a more collaborative and team-focused approach to build successful organizations.
Restructuring organizations along value chains and the role of controls and sustainable flow of value
This podcast episode discusses the concept of restructuring organizations along value chains and introducing the idea of sustainable flow of value. The speaker emphasizes that the entire organization, from HR to marketing to IT, should be aligned towards understanding and meeting customer needs. By aligning along value chains, organizations can optimize for safe and efficient flow of value. The episode emphasizes the need to consider sustainable flow of value, including the well-being of employees and the importance of managing both emergent and deterministic aspects of an organization. Additionally, the episode highlights the role of controls as enabling constraints to ensure the safety and risk management of the organization.
A conversation with Agile coach Dan North about his pioneering work with Behaviour Driven Development, the Agile certification racket and how Agile breaks everything.
For more on Dan North's work, head to www.dannorth.net.
Being Human is a FirstHuman production. For more on FirstHuman's coaching and leadership programmes, head to http://www.firsthuman.com.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
