When Agile is Fragile

There I was, listening to a presentation at the Dallas PM Symposium when the speaker asserted that an Agile methodology would not be successful at a company steeped in formal project management methodology. He thought it improbable that Agile would work in this structured environment. While many nodded in agreement, I had a symphony of an epiphany.

Agile ain’t even agile anymore, it’s fragile. What’s that you say. Compared to the new tools that produce prototypes, Agile is downright stodgy. With Agile, a developer writes code in VB, C sharp or some other language and shows the customer the software. Customer provides feedback and repeat. Well, it’s more agile to have a business analyst (BA) use a lightweight prototyping tool (for example, Axure) to accelerate this process several fold. In the IT kingdom, prototyping tools shift the balance of power to BAs.

You see, you could use BAs to create prototypes in Agile or formal environments. And if you believe that prototypes are a faster version of Agile, you can -- and should -- use prototypes with formal PM methods. Why? Because users are unable to understand written requirements until they see the requirements in action.

Here’s the problem with most managers -- they’ve spent little time using their hands to shape code and see the code in action. As a result, they have no capacity to understand what they read when they peruse the latest technology briefs. So while methodist managers think they’re Mozart writing sweet rifts in C sharp, they’re really Mr. Holland writing an opus in D flat.

On a brighter note, renaissance men schooled and skilled in business and technology bend the improbable into the possible in nothing flat.

tags: Product Management

Comments

[Mike]

Steve,

I couldn't agree with you more. The thing I loved about the first visual IDEs was how I could do exactly what you said: wire together low-function, but visually representative prototypes in hours, not days or weeks.

The statement about agile and companies with strong formal PMM culture is balderdash. I know this from experience. It's a big org change management job, but it works.

Great post!

Mike

[Steve]

Mike,

Some of the older tools are better than the new ones. Still, I think the prototyping tools are moving in the right direction.

As you know, prototypes, instead of 100 page requirement docs, go a long way in making the customer experience better.

Steve