The Agile Daily Standup - AgileDad

There's No Course Correction In Agile - Mike Cohn

Nov 20, 2024

The discussion challenges the notion of 'course correction' in Agile, pushing for a mindset of 'course adjustments' instead. It highlights how products evolve through iterative learning and trial and error, rather than a predetermined path. With feedback driving development, the podcast emphasizes that no one can foresee how users will react to features. Ultimately, it's about making informed bets and adapting to insights rather than trying to return to an assumed correct course.

05:24

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Quick takeaways

The notion of course correction in Agile is misleading, as it implies a single correct path instead of encouraging iterative adjustments based on feedback.

Successful Agile product development hinges on viewing the process as a series of informed bets, enhancing adaptability through continuous learning from each iteration.

Deep dives

The Fallacy of Course Correction in Agile

The concept of course correction in Agile projects is fundamentally flawed, as it suggests there is a single correct path to follow. Agile methodology thrives on iterative experimentation and feedback, recognizing that the optimal product features cannot be predetermined. The speaker emphasizes that developers often get trapped by rigid plans, which stifles genuine adaptability. Instead of correcting course when deviations occur, teams should view the process as making adjustments based on learned experiences during development.

Rethinking Course Correction in Agile Methodologies

5min

Last week a client mentioned they were using feedback they’d received on an MVP to make “course corrections.”
My ears bristle whenever someone talks about correcting course on an agile project.
There’s no such thing as course correcting in agile.
Am I crazy? After all, a fundamental part of agile is acting on feedback to improve a product.
My problem with the concept of course corrections is the way it presupposes there is one correct course and that it’s possible to know it in advance.
That’s not the case.
Sure, many products begin with a product backlog that describes what the product owner thinks will be the right combination of features to achieve the desired outcomes.
But on any non-trivial product, this recipe cannot be fully known in advance.
Successful products are created by iteratively homing in on the right combination of features. And that set of features can only be discovered through trial and error.
No matter how much research a team does before developing a feature, they never know how users will respond to the new feature.
Will they love it? Will they hate it? Will they use it? Will they use it as intended?
So a product owner or manager places a sequence of bets. The result of each bet guides the product owner in placing the next bet.
Course-correcting means there was a single, correct course. It implies that development has somehow deviated from this correct course and must be brought back in line.
Instead of talking about course corrections, I talk about course adjustments. As a team learns more, it adjusts course—which is the way to succeed with agile,

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