Every so often I like to revisit some of the threads of thought that wove themselves into the agile movement. One of these is Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) theory which could be considered a science of adaptation. CAS concepts, found in several agile methods, are an important backdrop to many agile principles and practices. As quantum physics changed our notions of predictability and Darwin changed our perspective on evolution, complex adaptive systems (CAS) theory reshaped scientific and management thinking. In an era of rapid change, we need better ways of making sense of the world around us. Former Visa International CEO Dee Hock drew on CAS when he coined the word “chaordic” to describe both …

Read more

I recently had an MRI on my knee. The report was full of words like joint effusion, medial patellar plica, acute medullary bone contusions, and medial femoral condyle. While my doctor could easily read and interpret the report for me, my attempts to understand the report were doomed. This, in part, underlies the problem with documentation–the difference between context and content. Documentation can provide content, but understanding the context requires domain expertise. Knowledge sharing and documentation are definitely issues when scaling agile. Documentation isn’t the issue, understanding is. Do the developers understand what the customers want? Do the customers understand what the developers are building? Do testers understand what the developers intended to build? Do …

Read more