Agile... Do I need it?

I went to this convention yesterday on AGILE concepts, techniques and retrospectives. Being relatively new the idea, I was very "open-minded" about the discussion there. In hindsight, they just mentioned what my grand-pa once told me - "Find the simplest way to do this math sum, boy, and you'e good for life!" Sure, granps! That's what these idiots (psuedos) are teaching those idiots (more psuedos). Isn't that always it?

Over a period of time, I've come across more intelligent fools who - like our dear friend Murphy (of the "laws" fame) puts it - will find the most ingenious ways to mint money. And the beauty of it is that there are fools (with a lot of money, I may add) who're willing to pay the previous ones that money. Waste, I tell you... total waste.

Anyway, so at this convention, there was this guy who made us believe that he spent 2 years (two freakin' years) trying to figure out how best to align 450-odd people to work on an enterprise-wide solution. Essentially, a company who'd hired this guy, wanted to convert all applications they had to an enterprise-wide-consistent architecture. Mind you, this guy is not a programmer; just a consultant who thinks he understands AGILE. Unfortunately, he doesn't. I mean, he started off by saying that "writing software is not engineering". Is that why the company paid him to, somehow, get an enterprise-wide-consistent architecture? Com'on man, quit fooling me, at least! He's improved now; he's spending 1.5 years now doing that. Without using AGILE, I've done the same in 11 months, my friend. And my team has 24000 people. Beat that!

Believe me when I say this, I am not a qualified engineer. I know I act more like one, but I am not one. That's why I am more level-headed than many of the in-duh-viduals that I constantly see around me.

Anyway, I digress a lot. Coming a bit closer to the topic... AGILE, to me, is another way to say that things work better when there's more communication. If you can find to incorporate more communication in your current methodology, you're AGILE. By more communication, I mean constructive, professional communication. You're getting work done, right? If so, you need to ensure that the rest of the people on your team are aware of what needs to be done as well; just so that when you decide to leave or retire (if it gets to that), there's some other in-duh-vidual who can carry the torch.

Let me ask you this: Can you work alone for everything? Your answer might be "yes" just to be cynical/critical (whatever). But deep down inside, I can bet that you know that "no" is a better choice. Let me try... can you make your own "wheat-bread-sandwich"? Yes? Then, can you make your own "wheat-bread"? Yes? Then, can you make your own "wheat"? Yes? Then, you must be a farmer, so can you make your own "software-to-make-that-wheat-bread-sandwich"? I'm guessing that I'll be able to ask the right question to get you to answer a "no"! Let's say, can you make your own children? There! So, chill.

Therefore, an axiom: No one can work alone for everything! And since the other postulate states that Collaboration requires communication. Viola! Eureka! Oh! (choose any of those moments) Better communication gets you better results. Hence, the corollary; if you've got good communication, you'll do well in your team.

Finally, most competitive folks are always on the lookout for short-cuts. That's my mantra to success. Short-cuts, not to do the things and leave them mid-way, or incorrectly. Short-cuts to do the same things more intelligently, efficiently, esthetically, ethically (find other such words). Sometimes, doing something correctly using the long way the first time helps it in the future. Also, why re-invent the wheel when some else already has? Maybe you can make a better wheel by modifying the existing one? You may need to think outside the box, or inside it, as the case may be.

Communication is the key!