Are You Being Agile or Doing Agile?

Are you Being Agile
or Doing Agile?
by Brad Appleton
(with Abdul Raoof Siddiqui)
October 8, 2019

About the Presenter
Agile/DevOps/Lean Leader & Coach
Leading Agile adoption & scaling for teams and organizations since 2000.
» Disciplined execution of agile/devops practices via Practical application of lean/agile principles
» Maximize simplicity, quality & learning-velocity by Minimizing duplication, dependencies & delays
» Build autonomy & trust for development teams to Develop automated build-test-deploy pipelines
» Continually value ALL stakeholders throughout delivery to Continuously deliver stakeholder-value
Publications
» Software Configuration Management Patterns (Addison-Wesley, 2002)
» Agile CM Environments article series & blog (AgileConnection & CMCrossRoads, 2003-
2014)
Brad Appleton Are you Being Agile or Doing Agile? (Suburban Agilists – October 8, 2019) 2
Brad Appleton
Enterprise Agile & DevOps
Engineering Manager
<brad@bradapp.net>
linkedin.com/in/bradappleton

Contents
What is Agile/Agility? [5 min]
Being Agile vs. Doing Agile [10 min]
Agile – The Dark World! [5 min]
Brainstorming Activity [15 min]
Transitioning from Doing to Being [10 min]
Q&A – Open
References
Additional Resources [plus “Water-Scrum-Fall”]

Agile is a Mindset … Agility is a Capability
Defined by
Values
Guided by
Principles
Manifested thru
many different
Practices (and Numerous
Frameworks)
Agile is a
Mindset
For Business Outcomes
Time to Market
Predictability
Customer Satisfaction
Employee Satisfaction
Reliability
Resilience
Enabling Agility
… the Capability to
Create & Adapt to Change
for Competitive Advantage
in a VUCA Environment
Being Agile Doing Agile

What is Agility?
“The continual readiness of an entity to rapidly or inherently create
change, proactively or reactively embrace change, and learn from
change while maximizing value, through its collective components
and its relationships with its environment.”
-- Kieran Conboy, Toward a conceptual framework of agile methods
“The ability to both create and respond to change in order to profit
in a turbulent business environment.”
-- James Highsmith, Agile Software Development Ecosystems

What is Agile Development?
“An iterative and incremental (evolutionary) approach
to software development
- performed in a highly collaborative manner
- by self-organizing teams with "just enough" ceremony
- producing high quality software in a cost effective and
timely manner
- to meet the changing needs of its stakeholders.”
— Scott Ambler, IBM Practice Leader, Agile Development
“Ultimately, it is about:
- Embracing change rather than attempting to resist it
- Focus on talent and skills of individuals and teams.”
— James Highsmith, Cutter Consortium

Principles Guide Behavior Towards Values
❖ Values bring purpose to practices.
❖ Practices bring accountability to values.
❖ Principles bridge values and practices by
guiding behavior.
―Kent Beck, Extreme Programming Explained (2nd edition)
Values
Practices
Principles
7

Which comes first?
“Practices by themselves are barren. Unless given
purpose by values, they become rote.”
—Kent Beck, Extreme Programming Explained (2nd edition)
“Is it better to spend your time understanding principles
or studying practices? We observe that the best results
come from combining the two approaches.
Copying practices without understanding the underlying
principles has a long history of mediocre results.”
—Mary & Tom Poppendieck, Implementing Lean Software Development, Chapter 2 – Principles
8

Agile is a Mindset … Agility is a Capability
Defined by
Values
Guided by
Principles
Manifested thru
many different
Practices (and Numerous
Frameworks)
Agile is a
Mindset
For Business Outcomes
Time to Market
Predictability
Customer Satisfaction
Employee Satisfaction
Reliability
Resilience
Enabling Agility
… the Capability to
Create & Adapt to Change
for Competitive Advantage
in a VUCA Environment
Being Agile Doing Agile

Ways of Thinking (mindset),
Ways of Working (practices)
Are you Being Agile
or Doing Agile?
October 8, 2019

Doing Agile versus Being Agile
“Don’t Do Agile. Be Agile!” –Alan Kelly
“Stop Doing Agile. Start Being Agile!” –Jim Highsmith
“Do. Be. Do. Be. Do.” –Frank Sinatra
Being Agile: Internalizing the mindset (values & principles) to
adopt & adapt the right practices to satisfy stakeholder needs,
and continually learn & improve thru feedback & collaboration.
Doing Agile: Adopting & executing prescribed practices without
sufficiently understanding (or aligning to) the agile mindset, and
subsequently not realizing the desired benefits/results of agility.

Source: https://agileinitiatives.wordpress.com/tag/being-agile-vs-doing-agile/

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/510947520216410359/

Source: Michael Sahota -- Being Agile is NOT the Goal! http://agilitrix.com/2016/04/doing-agile-vs-being-agile/

Source: https://medium.com/@whilpert/some-agile-or-serious-agile-4d33b8b89fda

Source: https://www.infoq.com/articles/od-approach-agile/

QUESTION: Must “Doing Agile”
ALWAYS happen first?
Does “Doing” Agile ALWAYS precede “Being” Agile?

Must “Doing Agile” ALWAYS happen first?
In a word: NO!
It is possible (even desirable) to “Be Agile” before you “Do Agile”
(as well as both at once, from the start)
For Example:
eXtreme Programming (XP) prescribes both at once.
» Applying & adopting principles+practices concurrently (and in concurrence)
Scrum is defined (by its creators) as a “generative, meta-process
framework” whereby
» Values & principles combine with the initial Scrum practices to generate the
situationally appropriate team process & practices (via inspect & adapt)
» Especially for the necessary technical practices! [i.e., domain-specific]
» This is the preferred approach! (rather than “copying” a process)
Also see https://medium.com/@wgcorrea/why-failing-agile-is-so-easy-ffc3ba179e42

Brainstorming Activity #1
Brainstorm activities/practices/symptoms you have
seen with teams that made you feel they are
“Doing Agile” vs “Being Agile”
Doing Agile Being Agile
[Facilitated by Abdul Raoof Siddiqui]

Doing Agile Being Agile
Divide into 2 or more groups:
Quickly come up with a team name [30 Seconds]
Brainstorm activities/practices/symptoms you have seen with
teams that made you feel they are “Doing Agile” or “Being Agile”?
Group will self-organize and put post-its in each column
Duration: ~ 8 Minutes
One Person from each group will summarize the key points that
their group talked about
Total Time: ~ 15 Minutes

Agile Theater: “Doing Agile” vs. “Being Agile”
Source: https://sercuarc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/SERC-Talks_2019.04.10_Mobasser.pdf

Scrummerfall, CrAgile and ???
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/scrumming-dead-brett-maytom/

DOD Guide to Detecting Agile BS
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2019/09/22/how-fake-agile-at-dod-risks-national-security

Transitioning from
“Doing” to “Being”
Are you Being Agile
or Doing Agile?
October 8, 2019

Ways to get from “Doing” to “Being”

Source: Martin Fowler -- https://martinfowler.com/agile.html
Essential Agility – Back to First Principles

Source: heartofagile.com
Source: modernagile.org
Heart of Agile & Modern Agile

The Agile Fluency™ Model
HOW AGILE TEAMS TYPICALLY PROGRESS AS THEY DEVELOP NEW CAPABILITIES
Source: agilefluency.org

Brainstorm activities/practices/techniques to help
transition from “Doing Agile” to “Being Agile”
[If there is sufficient time remaining]
Transitioning from “Doing” to “Being”

Divide into the same groups from before
Brainstorm activities/practices/techniques that can help teams
transition from “Doing Agile” to “Being Agile”?
Group will self-organize and put post-its in each column
One Person from each group will summarize the key points that
their group talked about
Total Time: ~ 10 Minutes
Transition from “Doing” to “Being”

Techniques to get back on track!
 Team Working Agreements & Spot Retrospectives
 Impediment Backlogs, Impact Maps & Journey Maps
 Lean Canvases (e.g.: Lean Change, others)
 Team Agility Monitors & Health Checks
 Liberating Structures (“The antidote for Zombie Scrum”)
 Agility “Guilds” and/or “CoPs” (Internal)
 Self-Assessment tools (not Maturity Models)
 Some Metrics and/or OKRs (Be very mindful/cautious)
 Really Great Coaches!
 “The FIRST thing to build is TRUST!”

Esther Derby’s Rules for Change
1. Strive for congruence.
Congruence is the foundation of integrity
and open communication in times of change.
2. Honor the past, present and people.
Paradoxically, honoring the past makes it
easier for people to let go of it.
3. Assess what is.
People think change starts with a vision. But
it really starts from where you are now.
4. Pay attention to networks.
Work—and change—happens through webs
of relationships.
5. Experiment.
Little changes allow people to learn, see how
the system responds, and contain disruption.
6. Guide, don’t standardize.
Allow for local variation.
7. Use your self.
You are your most important tool for change.

References – Articles, Blogs & Papers
 The Unbearable Lightness of Being Agile
 Why Failing Agile is So Easy
 https://www.infoq.com/news/2013/01/right-way-agile/ (also see "Why Agile Works" minibook)
 https://medium.com/@hugomesser/the-paradox-of-agile-leadership-doing-versus-being-agile-2ac97f5d1733
 https://medium.com/@Intersog/how-being-agile-is-different-from-doing-agile-9098e8b679f1
 https://nonfatdesign.com/are-you-doing-agile-or-are-you-actually-being-agile-c495990ffbf5
 https://agilebusinessmanifesto.com/agilebusiness/doing-agile-and-being-agile/
 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/being-agile-vs-doing-why-important-differentiate-rash-khan/
 https://www.thetalkingmachines.com/article/doing-agile-versus-being-agile-empirical-results-250-projects
(or see this link if that works better for you)
 https://agileforall.com/agile-antipattern-doing-agile/
 https://www.hrdconnect.com/2017/05/17/why-the-difference-between-doing-agile-and-being-agile-is-so-critical/
 http://agilopedia.blogspot.com/2019/02/doing-agile-vs-being-agile.html
 https://postshift.com/enterprise-wide-agility-doing-versus-being/
 https://trailridgeconsulting.com/blog/doing-v-being/
 https://blogs.dxc.technology/2018/05/06/the-agile-maturity-pyramid-whats-the-difference-between-doing-agile-
and-being-agile/

References [continued]
 https://www.slideshare.net/lazygolfer/doing-agile-isnt-the-same-as-being-agile
 https://www.slideshare.net/adamzolyak/dont-do-agile-be-agile-37509916
 https://www.slideshare.net/krlooney/austin-product-camp-11-agile-doing-vs-being
 https://www.slideshare.net/MustafaSavac/agile-mindset-117766421
 https://www.slideshare.net/agiledays/ewan-developing-the-agile-mindset-for-organizational-agility-
46933062
 https://www.slideshare.net/lazygolfer/doing-agile-isnt-the-same-as-being-agile
 https://www.slideshare.net/Brindusa1/from-doingtobeing
 https://www.slideshare.net/caoiltedunne/the-heart-of-agile-64787901
 ThoughtWorks: Are you being agile or doing agile? Joanne Molesky
 https://scottfulton.co.uk/the-7-red-flags-to-help-you-spot-agilefall/
 http://www.hci.org/lib/doing-agile-vs-being-agile-hr-s-role-transforming-culture
 Paper on "Elevating Teams from Doing Agile to Being Agile"
 https://www.leadingagile.com/2016/09/reclaiming-agile/
 https://www.softed.com/assets/Uploads/Resources/Agile/The-Agile-Mindset-Ahmed-Sidky.pdf
 https://disciplinedagiledelivery.com/agile-transformation-factors/

Additional
Information /
Resources

Values vs. Principles vs. Practices
“We need all three to combine into the optimum blend:
– We need values to use as filters for our decisions.
– We need principles to give us ideas about what values look like when
they come out of the clouds and into actual work on the ground.
– We need practices to … practice, to understand and build skill in our
craft.
Three go in, one optimum blend comes out.
That's where our skill as practitioners of Agile becomes
critical, creating the blend of values-based, principle-
guided, practice-grounded environments where project
teams can succeed at delivering value to the customers.”
—Diana Larsen, Agile Alliance Newsletter, Nov. 2009
40

Source: https://medium.com/@timplatt/being-agile-vs-doing-agile-part-1-de9589bca1a1

Source: https://medium.com/leadership-motivation-and-impact/fixed-v-growth-mindset-902e7d0081b3

Pragmatic Agile vs. Dogmatic Agile

Pragmatic Agile vs. Dogmatic Agile
Henrik
Kniberg

Agility in the Enterprise

Agility in the Enterprise
“Adopting a disciplined approach to agile delivery
requires the courage to rethink some of the agile
rhetoric and make compromises where necessary for
the benefit of the ‘whole enterprise’ and not just the
whole team.
• In our experience most agile projects make compromises that
are not classically agile in order to get the job done.
• Rather than hiding this and fearing reprisals from those who
would accuse you of regressing to a traditional approach, it is
better to have the courage to take a pragmatic approach to
using agile in your situation
―Scott Ambler and Mark Lines, Disciplined Agile Delivery
47

We are uncovering better the only ways of developing
software by doing it and helping teaching others do it.
Through this work we have come to value:
Individuals and interactions over and not processes and tools
Working software over and not comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over and not contract negotiation
Responding to change over and not following a plan
That is, while since there is no value in the items
on the right, we value only the items on the left more.
Dark Manifesto for Agile Software Development
We believe, that like most innovations, Agile has followed
the Gartner Hype Cycle and it has now reached the
Trough of Disillusionment, where it is currently stuck.
Moreover, we believe this is due to a “guru phenomenon.”
However, we think that Agile can make a step forward.
Our experience lead us to the conviction that through the
application of a suitable quality improvement paradigm
Agile will be able to reach what Gartner’s experts call the
Slope of Enlightenment and eventually the Plateau of
Productivity.
darkagilemanifesto.org/

References: Agile is Dead/Not Dead/Undead/in Crisis
 The Agile Crisis – A Primer
 Agile Is The New Waterfall
 Agile is Dead (Long Live Agility) –Dave Thomas
 I Want Agile Back –Tim Ottinger
 The Death of Agile & Beyond? (InfoQ.com)
 Developers, Abandon Agile –Ron Jeffries
 Why Engineers Despise Agile –Stefan Wolpers
 Why “Agile” and especially Scrum are terrible
 Dear Agile, I’m tired of pretending!
 Maybe Agile is the Problem? (InfoQ.com)
 The Failure of Agile –Andy Hunt
 DarkAgileManifesto.org
 A criticism of agile software development
 Imposition and Dark Agile –Ron Jeffries
 Weaponized Agile –Simon Powers
 The AIC and “The Agile Industrial Complex”
--Martin Fowler
 Agile dead? Quite the opposite! –Alistair
Cockburn
 The End of Agile? No. The End of Undisciplined
Agile – Scott Ambler
 The Anti-Agile Manifesto: A robust response
 Bringing Back Agile – Tim Ottinger
 No Frameworks: Taking Agile Back! –Scott
Ambler
 Disrupting the AIC –Peter Merel
 Curing Agile Cancer: Stop Whining! Start
Improving!
 Taking the Agile Manifesto beyond software
 Communities of Need & Community of Solutions
 ModernAgile.org | HeartOfAgile.com
 GROWSmethod.com | XScaleAlliance.org
 AgnosticAgile.org | AgendaShift.com
 AgileBusinessManifesto |BusinessAgility.Institute

Are You Being Agile or Doing Agile?

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