As we broaden the applicability of Agile principles from software to how we manage, I'm trying to encapsulate principles that apply in the wider context, and to develop "systems" or ways of conceiving of management that help us to visualize what we're doing. So the title above, Agile Management -- Principles and Systems (or AMPS as we will no doubt call it later), is the heading under which I'll put these encapsulations and visualizations.
Immediately I can think of some pitfalls to this process. First, "principles" and "systems" are very heady -- conceptual -- things. Yet one of the first principles we're trying to broaden is to emphasize individuals and interactions. So any principle that loses sight of the individual and impels us to act unilaterally (rather than interact) is moving in the wrong direction.
Let's take a concrete example. You have a set of projects you've asked a manager who reports to you to get done, but the results are not what you want. Not enough is happening, and sometimes the wrong thing is happening. What's the agile principle that applies here? First, direct interaction with the manager is necessary. Not only interaction, but respectful listening after you've asked the questions. There may be more impediments in the path of these projects than you imagined. Or the projects may be more complex than you believed. Then the manager may need coaching in certain areas, but hasn't asked for it. Or the manager may have ideas for getting the projects done that are simply not working. The only way to determine what's actually going on is to ask and to listen. Then, using your judgement and experience, you either coach, direct, or suggest to the manager ways in which things could work better. If you haven't done that, then you're not interacting with the individual in a useful way.
Too often, upper level managers, due to the press of time or overload from having too many direct reports, will severely shorten or skip over the step of listening to the responses of the individual. Or will jump to the conclusion that the individual is inadequate when a small amount of coaching would be very effective. In the old days we would call this incompetent management -- because the result is the waste of time and energy for both the individual and the manager far beyond the energy required to correct the situation. Today, we'll call it a failure to apply Agile Management principles. After all, it's the responsibility of the top manager to lead by example, and to make efficient use of everyone in the organization. That can't be done by applying pre-conceived ideas about people and their roles without listening to the individuals actually doing the work.
Maybe you'll find this old hat -- something we all knew from long ago. But we need to remember that management is primarily a matter of people interacting. What follows, if the interactions are effective, is productivity. And we all know that productivity underpins every aspect of being agile. Consider that statement a principle.
___________________________________
John Levy consults on Agile development and is an expert witness in computer & software patent cases. He has 30 years’ experience as a technology manager at Quantum, Apple, Tandem and DEC. His book on managing technology, Get Out of the Way, is due out in 2009. Check him out at http://johnlevyconsulting.com
Immediately I can think of some pitfalls to this process. First, "principles" and "systems" are very heady -- conceptual -- things. Yet one of the first principles we're trying to broaden is to emphasize individuals and interactions. So any principle that loses sight of the individual and impels us to act unilaterally (rather than interact) is moving in the wrong direction.
Let's take a concrete example. You have a set of projects you've asked a manager who reports to you to get done, but the results are not what you want. Not enough is happening, and sometimes the wrong thing is happening. What's the agile principle that applies here? First, direct interaction with the manager is necessary. Not only interaction, but respectful listening after you've asked the questions. There may be more impediments in the path of these projects than you imagined. Or the projects may be more complex than you believed. Then the manager may need coaching in certain areas, but hasn't asked for it. Or the manager may have ideas for getting the projects done that are simply not working. The only way to determine what's actually going on is to ask and to listen. Then, using your judgement and experience, you either coach, direct, or suggest to the manager ways in which things could work better. If you haven't done that, then you're not interacting with the individual in a useful way.
Too often, upper level managers, due to the press of time or overload from having too many direct reports, will severely shorten or skip over the step of listening to the responses of the individual. Or will jump to the conclusion that the individual is inadequate when a small amount of coaching would be very effective. In the old days we would call this incompetent management -- because the result is the waste of time and energy for both the individual and the manager far beyond the energy required to correct the situation. Today, we'll call it a failure to apply Agile Management principles. After all, it's the responsibility of the top manager to lead by example, and to make efficient use of everyone in the organization. That can't be done by applying pre-conceived ideas about people and their roles without listening to the individuals actually doing the work.
Maybe you'll find this old hat -- something we all knew from long ago. But we need to remember that management is primarily a matter of people interacting. What follows, if the interactions are effective, is productivity. And we all know that productivity underpins every aspect of being agile. Consider that statement a principle.
___________________________________
John Levy consults on Agile development and is an expert witness in computer & software patent cases. He has 30 years’ experience as a technology manager at Quantum, Apple, Tandem and DEC. His book on managing technology, Get Out of the Way, is due out in 2009. Check him out at http://johnlevyconsulting.com
No comments:
Post a Comment