Time For the Agile Old Guard to Retire
Time For the Agile Old Guard to Retire
That was then, this is now.
I wrote in my recent post “Agile Coaching is Evil” that :
The issues noted and addressed by the [Agile] manifesto and its signatories have turned out not to be the core issues affecting software development.
Yet, the Agile Old Guard (with very few exceptions, like the lovely Kent Beck) have not moved with the times. They’re still thinking in terms of code quality, designs, testing, architectures, processes, and so on.
The young Turks meanwhile have uncovered deeper, more fundamental blockers to effective software (and product) development. And they continue to push the envelope with fresh insights and novel combinations of knowledge from other fields. And thus, new solutions, too.
It’s come to the point where the Old Guard are now a serious brake on progress.
Let’s salute them for what they achieved, and then move on.
– Bob
Think Different
This could be an interesting post, but you don’t provide any evidence for the old guard being behind the times or how the new guard are moving us forward. I think I know exactly what you mean, but without any detail your post is just an assertion – opinion without qualification.
Can you expand with examples to enlighten us further and give an opportunity to allow the ‘old guard’ to defend themselves?
Hi Paul,
Thanks for joining the conversation.
This is a blog. Haven to assertions and unsubstantiated opinions. 🙂 The Old Guard already spend far too much time (their and ours) defending themselves. I’m hardly minded to give them another opportunity.
– Bob
I think a lot of the time some of those ‘old guard’ issues are still the core issues affecting *software development*. They are seldom the core issues affecting the delivery of value however. The Agile Manifesto never pretended to be about anything more than developing software, despite all the consultants trying to twist it into being relevant for entire organisations.
Bob.
The Agile community is a tribe, and there are roles in tribes. There are chiefs, scouts, and shamans, and Tribal Elders.
The Tribal Elders hold a special place in the life of the tribe.
This is the proper role of chiefs and other leaders to assume, as they grow past their prime.
The Agile tribe has many Tribal Elders.
In Boston at http://www.agileboston.org we honor 2 of these elders annually, via the GIVE THANKS FOR SCRUM event.
See http://newtechusa.net/agile-boston/boston-meetings/2011-11-22-3rd-annual-give-thanks-for-scrum-event/
Today’s young upstarts are tomorrow’s leaders. And a bit later, they are tomorrow’s Tribal Elders. Time flies like an arrow.