Agile in Non-Traditional Environments

Host: Don Shanks

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Question: Can Agile be used in non-traditional environments?

A sample non-traditional environment would be something like a Church project where no one is familiar with Agile or any of the typically associated methodologies.

Situation:

• Not trained in Agile
• Should we target Agile or "agile"
• There is a defined point of success

Techniques:

• Go Slow
• Could be 2 weeks to 2 months depending on the project and skills available
• Team Building
• Common methods like
• Stand-ups
• Reviews/Inspection
• Retro/Debrief
• Enable Communication
• Look for Patterns
• Understand the adversary
• Hierarchy of Purpose

Examples:

• High School Math Class
• Employee Development
• HROs (High Reliability Organizations
• Police
• Fire
• Hospitals
• Oil Rigs

Some Reading or Reference:

• Managing the Unexpected
• Beyond the Checklist

Other questions discussed include "Can spiritual development be managed in an agile fashion?"

Discussion of the origins of Agile discovery before Toyota, tracing it back to fundamental processes of continuous learning, adaptation and modification.