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Larry’s Top Ten Agile and Scrum Myths

Top ten agile myths - Larry Apke

Top ten agile myths - Larry Apke

I gave the Larry’s Top Ten Agile and Scrum Myths talk to the Java Users’ Group in Phoenix recently and people have asked me what the top 10 myths are. I have posted a copy of the powerpoint, but for quick reference, I have listed below.

  • Myth #1 – Agile is a Framework/Methodology
  • Myth#2 – Agile Means No Documentation
  • Myth#3 – Agile is Less Disciplined / Easy
  • Myth#4 – You Can Achieve Agility Without Organizational Change
  • Myth#5 – Agile is Scrum
  • Myth#6 – Scrum Will Lead to “Hyperperforming” Teams
  • Myth #7 – You Must Get 100% of all Stories Complete or You’ve Failed
  • Myth #8 – Scrum Master = Project Manager
  • Myth #9 – We Can Do Scrum Without a Product Owner or Many P.O.s
  • Myth #10 – With Scrum We Can Make Changes Whenever We Feel Like It

Now feel free to rip into these as you wish!

– Larry Apke

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Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us and Why Agile Works

In Daniel Pink’s bestseller Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, the author persuasively argues that what motivates people in the knowledge economy (of which software development is squarely seated) “is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world. ”

People are no longer motivated by the carrot and stick approach of past Tayloristic, manufacturing, assembly line business. What motivates new workers, and what has been supported by a wide range of scientific studies, can be summarized by the acronym AMP which stands for Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose.

As an Agilist, I am always curious why in one company an Agile implementation succeeds and in another it does not. While there are many reasons for Agile implementations to fail, one thing that many have in common is that they fail to take into account the three factors Pink describes in his book.

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Larry’s Presentation to Java Users Group

Last night I had a wonderful experience presenting to the Phoenix Scrum Users Group on Larry’s Top Ten Agile and Scrum Myths. It was a very friendly audience and there were a great number of comments and questions from folks representing the whole Agile spectrum.

I have uploaded my PowerPoint file of the presentation for those who are interested.

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Recent Agile Speaking Engagements

Boy it’s been some time since I have blogged! I have been busy with all things business, personal and have had a great number of recent speaking engagements with any free time I have been able to find. I am passionate about Agile and love the opportunity that speaking brings.

My most recent gigs included a bunch of talks when my body was suffering a annoying fall head cold.

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Are You a Scrum Master? Be a Gardener.

I have recently been reading Jurgen Appelo’s book Management 3.0: Leading Agile Developers, Developing Agile Leaders. For those wondering what management’s role in an Agile organization should be then this is a good read.

In my current consulting gig I am coaching someone to replace me as a scrum master so we spend a great deal of time talking about Agile, Scrum and what it means to be a scrum master.

One of the things I have always used as a metaphor is the concept of Scrum Master (and managers) as gardeners. Though I may have heard it somewhere and forgot it or it may have reached my subconscious somehow, I came up with the metaphor of gardener because my in-laws live with me and are retired. They spend a great deal of time gardening. It is from their work bringing forth trees, flowers and mountains of vegetables that I took my cue.

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Product Versus Project Management

I spent a great deal of time trying to find others who have written about product versus project management, especially as to how it relates to Agile. Unfortunately, it is not a hot topic. This is a shame – it should be.

I have had the pleasure of working with teams and organizations that are successful with Agile and others who are not that successful. Those that are not successful are those who cannot see a difference between product and project management. While the differences may be subtle, it can make all the difference in the world.

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