Agile | Processes and tools aren't evil
The Agile Manifesto clearly states Individuals and interactions over processes and tools, better known as People over processes.
Many people I talk to interpret this definition as follows: Remove all processes and tools and base everything upon excellent communication and interaction between all parties. Processes and tools equals clutter, waste, too much noise...
Is that was is meant by 'People over processes'?
Not really, the word OVER is very important in the above definition and often misinterpreted. It means that communication and interaction are prefered OVER processes and tools. It doesn't state they should be used INSTEAD OF. There is a clear difference between both.
Let me explain...
In a healthy organization both are important and they shouldn't be treated as opposites. The process should be there to serve the people and if they become to bloated they should be fixed so that the roles do not turn around. If you look at methodologies like Scrum, Lean or XP they clearly state you should have processes, having processes is part of a good methodology and you have to grow them within your organization, constantly monitor and improve. A process you have today will probably be unproductive within the year, things change within the organization, so should your processes. But process optimization only works when people communicate and interact often.
You can talk about riding a bike from A to B but at the end you'll still need the physical bike to get there. The bike serves the person, the person doesn't serve the bike.
A while ago I found an article where someone rephrased the definition as Humans over robots.
Humans over robots, that says it all doesn't it, the message is so much clearer. Humans and robots can and should work together, but the robots are there to serve the needs of the human.
Crush ... kill ... destroy
Is that was is meant by 'People over processes'?
Not really, the word OVER is very important in the above definition and often misinterpreted. It means that communication and interaction are prefered OVER processes and tools. It doesn't state they should be used INSTEAD OF. There is a clear difference between both.
Let me explain...
In a healthy organization both are important and they shouldn't be treated as opposites. The process should be there to serve the people and if they become to bloated they should be fixed so that the roles do not turn around. If you look at methodologies like Scrum, Lean or XP they clearly state you should have processes, having processes is part of a good methodology and you have to grow them within your organization, constantly monitor and improve. A process you have today will probably be unproductive within the year, things change within the organization, so should your processes. But process optimization only works when people communicate and interact often.
You can talk about riding a bike from A to B but at the end you'll still need the physical bike to get there. The bike serves the person, the person doesn't serve the bike.
Humans over robots, that says it all doesn't it, the message is so much clearer. Humans and robots can and should work together, but the robots are there to serve the needs of the human.
Crush ... kill ... destroy
posted by Maarten Volders at
2:36 PM
0 Comments
