The Dogmatic Agile - Agile Testing Days 2017
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The presentation critiques the 'deliberate blindness' among some agilists, using the metaphor of dogs to represent honesty and commitment that should be valued in agile practices. It argues that the agile methodology has become dogmatic, with rigid adherence to processes leading to more problems rather than solutions. The author suggests treating agile as a cultural and skill-based approach rather than a strict process to improve its effectiveness.
The Dogmatic Agile - Agile Testing Days 2017
- 1. TM Rahul Verma A Fellow agile So,ware Tester. (The lower case ‘a’ is inten8onal) www.RahulVerma.net A Cri0que of Deliberate Blindness of Wannabe Agilists. The Ma0c Agile
- 2. DISCLAIMER All dogs in the stories in this presentation are imaginary. So, are the monks. Pictures have been added to appeal to your senses. The real people in pictures have nothing to do with the story line. No animals were harmed in the preparation of this presentation ( as if you were expecting that! J) Monks in the storyline belong to a fictitious sect. They sell Ferraris for motivational speakers. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net
- 3. In Loving Memory of My Childhood When I had the honesty To Call a Fart a Fart. And It was not considered a Revolutionary thought. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net
- 4. Our Silence About What wrongs Agile is doing to us Is more dangerous Than the Noises about Agile. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Industry Wisdom:
- 5. “A person reveals his character by nothing so clearly as the joke he resents.” ― Georg Christoph Lichtenberg It takes courage to say what I would say. It would take a lot more courage to listen to what I’d say. I am counting on you. This presentation is your test, as much as it is mine. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net
- 6. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net I’d tell the Indian Story of Agile
- 7. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net And I firmly believe It’s NOT just an Indian story.
- 8. A typical Indian Agilist. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net
- 9. We are NOT Blind people Exploring an Elephant. We are deliberately Blind. We see the Elephant, but are occupied with the tail. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net …It’s not a good position to be in.
- 10. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net dog ˈdɒɡ/ noun a domesBcated carnivorous mammal that typically has a long snout, an acute sense of smell, non-‐retracBle claws, and a barking, howling, or whining voice. What is a dog?
- 11. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net I love dogs. I use the term ‘dog’ very affecBonately. A dog is honest, commiLed, grateful, loving and … preLy agile. And they have beauBful eyes too. What is a dog? In Sufism, Baba Bulleh Shah, compared dogs and humans, and found how dogs are beLer than humans in commitment.
- 12. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net The Monk Who Loved His Dog
- 13. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net And Years Passed By… More and More Monks Loved Dogs
- 14. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net These days, if you are a monk in that sect… • You must have a dog. • The dog must disturb you if you are praying. • There are training centers to specifically train the dogs for this purpose. • You must love the dog. • There are cerBficaBon centers for this purpose. • The dog can not enter the temple. S/he prays from outside. Specific postures available for all breeds, sizes and shapes. • A monk can not have more than one dog at a Bme.
- 15. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Yesterday, in one of the temples The dog was not found. So, the monk didn’t pray!
- 16. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net I am Dogma.
- 17. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net dogma ˈdɒɡmə/ noun a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontroverBbly true.
- 18. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net There were other monks too. They loved a dog called Agile.
- 19. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net We are uncovering beVer ways of developing soWware by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value: Individuals and interac0ons over processes and tools Working soWware over comprehensive documenta0on Customer collabora0on over contract nego0a0on Responding to change over following a plan That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the leW more. hVp://agilemanifesto.org/
- 20. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net This dog was about Back to Basics. • People are your biggest asset and biggest liability. • A bird in hand is worth a bird sancturay in a magazine. • Customer should FEEL like a King. • When you can’t avoid change, enjoy it.
- 21. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net What Could Go Wrong with such a Beauty?
- 22. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net The Inevitable happened. The CONSULTANTS. And Agile had flavors….
- 23. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net It’s good to have flavours. What’s not good is what happened next.
- 24. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Hence came Processes Practices Rules Complexities More Consultants Dogma
- 25. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net For example, the morning ritual… Scrum Meeting
- 26. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Sorry… Wrong Slide They should stand up.
- 27. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net For example, the morning ritual… Stand-Up Meeting.
- 28. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Sorry again. What’s the matter with me. These were still learning how to Stand- up from a Consultant.
- 29. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Yesterday, I… Today, I… No issues. Hey, that was my line…. Respect me. I am an introvert. Where’s love? Jaldi Karo. 15 minute hone waale hain. Yesterday, I barked. Today, I’ll bark. How many 0mes I should tell you that. What did I say yesterday? What Should I say today? Why is this guy blocking me? Yaar, I’m a fresher. Looks like fun.
- 30. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Working From Home? No Problem. Stand-Up Meetings are flexible. Now, stand-up.
- 31. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Meanwhile, at another Stand-‐up Mee0ng… A Team Member Fell Sick. He couldn’t stand-up. So, he was fired.
- 32. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net What’s the problem with Dogma? • You are fighting an evil something. • You introduce a new way of doing things. • The new thing becomes dogma and adds to the problems. Given enough time, stupidity and blindness, everything becomes a dogma.
- 33. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net The Agile Dogma Has Become More and More Formalized • You need Agile. • You must call yourself Agile. • If something goes wrong, you didn’t do Agile right. • If you are not Agile, something is wrong with you. • You can not tailor Agile. Either you are ‘fully’ Agile or nothing.
- 34. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Meanwhile, An Indian Tes0ng Services company gets an email: I’ve a product which I want to get tested. How much would you charge? That’s the complete email.
- 35. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Today the Indian industry wants “Agile Testers” (whatever that term means) It’s like ordering a Pizza at a Burger Store. How would you find what you never created?
- 36. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net There is Agile found in books and conferences. Agile in the wild Is a very different story.
- 37. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net In an implemented form, Agile faces the harsh realities which Agilists promptly blame on anything but Agile.
- 38. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Am I saying Agile is bad? No! But we have created a mess out of it.
- 39. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Suggestions
- 40. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Stop treating Agile as a process.
- 41. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Treat Agile as a Culture and Skill Problem. Culture is what people do when nobody is observing them. Skills govern what they can achieve when they are on their own.
- 42. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Don’t be a Thought Sheep Signs: You think that you are a thought leader, while blindly advocating something devised by someone who became famous.
- 43. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Process is not a Goal. Different needs – Different Processes Don’t fit in.
- 44. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net You are more than a buzzword. Develop Yourself. People at this stage make lot of noise around buzzwords.
- 45. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Last but not the least Please don’t mix Quality and the Dogma0c Agile in the Same sentence. Quality is serious business.
- 46. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Thank You. rv@testmile.com rv@talentreboot.com @rahul_verma +91-‐99022-‐83387 www.RahulVerma.net
- 47. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Picture Credits hLp://www.123rf.com/photo_17171224_relaxing-‐dog-‐at-‐the-‐beach-‐with-‐flowers-‐ garland.html hLp://www.dreamsBme.com/stock-‐images-‐prayer-‐hands-‐image6532654 hLp://www.dreamsBme.com/royalty-‐free-‐stock-‐photos-‐praying-‐hands-‐ image5720928 hLps://s-‐media-‐cache-‐ak0.pinimg.com/736x/00/5b/ c2/005bc2f41d8fcacff52ad54883daac05.jpg hLp://www.creaturecomfortscheshire.co.uk/linksandinfo/ hLp://lifepart2.com/wp-‐content/uploads/2013/12/10000-‐Monks-‐5764.jpg hLp://www.wikihow.com/Make-‐an-‐EffecBve-‐Missing-‐Pet-‐Poster hLp://www.theillogicalindian.com/wp-‐content/uploads/2015/09/1280x720-‐V8d.jpg hLps://rumadak.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/shu-‐ha-‐ri.png
- 48. © 2017 -‐ Rahul Verma www.RahulVerma.net Picture Credits hLp://www.alexblauhorn.com/english/images/photos/sad_monk.jpg hLp://www.anniemany.com/2013/02/running-‐speed-‐of-‐german-‐shepherd.html hLp://agilemanifesto.org/background.jpg hLps://thehydrant.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/dog-‐sleep-‐circle.jpg hLp://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/69045/Fart/ hLp://puppypictures.org/main.php/d/77599-‐2/Cheerleader+costume+for+dog+standing +up+with+its+two+legs.PNG hLp://www.funny-‐animalpictures.com/media/content/items/images/ funnysheep0089_O.jpg I’ve tried to keep a track of all images used. Please let me know if your link reference is not there, so that I can include the same.