Dear Coach,
I wanted you to know that I'm speaking at Agile 2013.
And it’s all your fault.
Three years ago, you came into my team’s bullpen and told me
to put away my requirements document. Instead, we were going to write “tokens
of conversations” on index cards. Huh? I thought you were a little crazy. When
I worried about documenting the details, you sighed and said, “Just put some
notes on the back of the card.” Ok, more than a little crazy.
I tried to withhold judgment, which you know can be
difficult for me. J
I was eager for a better way of working so I was willing to see where you were
taking us.
Then you put two keyboards and two mice at all the shared
pc’s. Huh? You told me that it was better to have two people working on one
thing than two people working on two different things. You gave reasons like
knowledge sharing and cleaner code. I found the idea unorthodox, but
intriguing. (And I’ll admit that it was more than a little comical to watch one
of the resistant developers move his mouse around while you tried to drive.)
You patiently and repeatedly had debates with our QA folks
about the value of automated acceptance tests. By then I was drinking the
kool-aid and couldn’t believe people were arguing against automation. I was
impressed with your calm persistence, which paid off. We began the test
automation journey and eventually the BAQA’s were learning Ruby so we could
help write the tests. This BA was writing code – it was awesome!
Those are just a few examples of how you challenged our
assumptions and stretched our skills as you helped us uncover better ways of
developing software. It was a bumpy ride and I thought I would wear you out
with all of my questions. But you didn't give up. You taught everything
you knew to anyone who wanted to learn.
You left before I wanted you to, which is probably a common
sentiment for good coaches. But you made your mark. I always had a drive to
make things better; you gave me the words and actions to channel my energy. So
I will face my fear of public speaking and share my story at Agile 2013. Just
know that I have you to blame for it. J
All the best,
dzw
What about the tech writers? How did documentation fit into this process?
ReplyDeleteWe did not have a tech writer on that team. If supporting documentation was needed, then we collaborated with a tech writer external to our team.
DeleteI gave a talk recently (with a tech writer) on how tech writers and can "survive agile". Like everyone other product development task, I think the core tenet is "write less, more often".
Deletehttps://speakerdeck.com/stevenjackson/agile-technical-writing-tips-for-surviving-the-transformation
Absolutely agree! Thank you for sharing the slide deck. [BTW - I recognize that story example. :) ] That role just didn't exist on my first team. My current team has a tech writer and she's invaluable.
DeleteWill see how u do solo.
ReplyDeleteI like to think that we are never "solo." There is a huge community of people enthusiastic about helping each other and I'm glad to be a part of it.
Delete