Back in 2001 when seventeen software developers met at a ski resort in Utah to brainstorm a lightweight development method to reduce overall corporate expenses. However 19 years later, this couldn’t be further from the overall goal; to create customer satisfaction, speed up production and provide complete transparency for everyone. Managers, Investors and Stakeholders are now musing for less ‘Agile Coaches’ and more prototypes, less ‘Chapter Leads’ and more designs, less ‘Product Owners’ and more actual products. What once enthusiastically started out as a big idea which would change the world is conglomerating into relics of post-it notes, graphs, wireframes and complicated code which only Alan Turing can decipher. What was introduced as a ‘fun project management methodology’ has turned into complicated mindfields of visual thinking which has dragged on for months, even years. During that time Project Managers have extended their 6 month contract into 12 months then 18 months. Software Developers have shifted their mindset from ‘let’s smash this out’ to ‘sorry, we’re too busy’ resulting in non-stop uninterrupted coding of who knows what?
The biggest change to everyone’s agile team this year wasn’t caused by the CTO, the CEO or the CFO, it was changed dramatically by the COVID-19. For most people, terms like Zoom Conference, Remote Working and Outsourcing have somewhat of a stigma attached to them. Let’s face it, I google searched what a ‘Pangolin’ is while on a zoom conference call while checking shares on my iPhone all managing to be super productive.
Maybe this is the wakeup call Australian staff are needing?
– Deliveroo has been in Australia since 2014 yet last month, they experienced the biggest uptake in restaurants signing up for the service.
– Zoom shares grew from $66 to $160 in less that 5 months
– Tech jobs up 17.3% despite Market Crash
– 5G is rolling out across Australia and by 2025 will cover 65% of the World.
– Coronavirus memes are up 300% since March 2020
~Novel Serialisation: Heavens Fire~
Everything changes for a season and a reason.
Agile teams may be smaller, productivity may be higher and there will be more flexibility and working from home. Instead of watching conspiracy theories about 5G or the New World Order, buy a comfortable gaming chair, do an online course in Becoming a Scrum Master and learn something new. It will be over before you know it.
Stephen Molloy is one of Australia’s leading Mobile App Strategists.
He Judged the B&T Awards, AC&E Awards, 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards,
App Growth Awards in Berlin. Busier than ever, he’s currently working on an
innovative platform with the Partners at EY Sydney.
