Interview with Brian Marick at Agile 2008

Posted by Amr Elssamadisy on Feb 23, 2009

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Agile Manifesto

In this interview with Brian Marick at last year's Agile 2008 in Toronto he tells us all about micro-scale retro-futurist anarcho-syndicalism.  What IS micro-scale retro-futurist anarcho-syndicalism?  You don't know what it means?  That is the point, Marick states:

I made it a practice at times in my career to pick names that are so incomprehensible that nobody can possibly have any preconception as to what I am talking about so they will have to ask.

In this interview Marick shares with us his ideas on how to go back to Agile's roots and have people come of teams saying "this is the best project I've ever worked on" instead of we suck less.

He also goes back to what he thinks are mistakes in the Agile manifesto and tells us about his current plans to implement his ideas that, if successful, will take us back to the glory days of the original Agile movement.

 

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   Why the lost fire?

   by Lionell Griffith

   Agile has lost its fire because its become a religion. Its a bunch of must-do things with the reasons to do them disappearing from center stage (ie. by the rules, for the rules, and nothing but the rules forever, amen).
   
   One thing is for sure, rule based behavior will ultimately fail. The reason is simple. The rules were developed in a certain narrow context. They worked in that narrow context. However, that they worked spelled their doom. The context changed. It always does. The change was not noticed. The rules were followed. The process failed but the rules could not be at fault because they were the "right" rules. The rules continued to be used and they continue to produce failure.
   
   But...but...but...Agile works. Does it? Well... its popular ... its used in more and more places ... everyone knows that .....
   
   No Agile doesn't work because its no longer agile. Its a vast set of REQUIRED practices. Its sacred *Rules* are to be slavishly follow without knowledge, understanding, or thought and especially without modification or exclusion. Its a crank you *must* turn that is supposed to produce results.
   
   Agile has lost connection with the one thing that made it agile: the fundamental human values that made work worth doing for its own sake. Values guide action within context and assist achieving purpose in a changing environment. Rules dictate action without regard to context or purpose beyond following the rules.
   
   What everyone knows must be questioned. What everyone does must be challenged. Those who insist on the sacred *Rules* be followed must be required to prove they apply to the given task and that they support the intended purpose. Further, they must prove that the intended purpose is coherent with the fundamental human values that make work worth doing in the first place. Once that is accomplished, the fire will return and Agile will once again become agile.
   
   Is Agile, agile enough to do this? At least Brian appears to be moving in that direction. It remains to be seen if the Agile Gods are so inclined.
   
   
   Me? I am a Micro-Scale Retro-Futurist Anarchist team of one. I was agile before Agile hit the ground and started to crawl. I still am agile. Agile? No way! I don't follow the sacred *Rules*. I follow the values in context to meet a purpose that matches the fundamental human values.

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   sounds like steam punk

   by Aaron Sanders

   steampunkworkshop.com/

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