On November 28, 2020, we began the reread of Great Big Agile by Jeff Dalton. Since jumping over quite a few chapters last week I have received a few emails asking what was up. For the record, I have not had any significant traumas falling during my daily runs and walks (I was asked – I think tongue in cheek). During the re-read, we primarily focused on the chapters that revolve around the Agile Performance Holarchy (APH). I chose not to focus on the almost encyclopedic listing of techniques that is an important feature of the book, but not most groundbreaking. The listing of techniques is useful even if not using agile methods. For example practices such as continuous integration or arc of conversation aren’t dependent on using a specific framework.
Changing gears a bit, I often carry my copy of great big agile with me when I travel for work and have recommended it to a number of clients. This is one of the reasons my backpack is heavy. I find this book very useful and that is high praise. One of the reasons I find it useful is that the book provides me with a framework for thinking about all of the parts needed for an agile transformation through the APH. The second reason is the ideas and concepts Jeff lays out that underpin the APH. As a reminder, the top level of the model consists of six performance circles. Each circle is broken down into several holons and each holon includes a list of contributing performance level outcomes. These outcomes describe a continuum of behavior.
In one of the email exchanges that I’ve had with Jeff during the re-read, Jeff indicated that there are a number of things that he wanted to address in the second edition. The APH and Great Big Agile will evolve. One of the mantras in agile circles is “inspect and adapt.” Until the next edition of Great Big Agile arrives, this edition will be in my backpack or credenza, whichever is closer because I use it!
Next week we begin our re-read of Fixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems by Ryan Ripley and Todd Miller. Please use the link to buy your copy and get reading. By the way, Fixing Your Scrum is also on my credenza, which ought to tell you something about how I feel about this book. Next week we all go through the logistics of the re-read and the front matter. The front matter we will cover is the prefix and the forward.
Previous installments of this re-read can be found at:
Week 1: Re-read Logistics and Front Matters – https://bit.ly/3mgz9P6
Week 2: The API Is Broken – https://bit.ly/2JGpe7l
Week 3: Performance Circle: Leading – https://bit.ly/2K3poWy
Week 4: Performance Circle: Providing – http://bit.ly/3mNJJN7
Week 5: Performance Circle: Envisioning – https://bit.ly/2JEVXdt
Week 6: Performance Circle: Crafting – https://bit.ly/3ntsX69
Week 7: Performance Circle: Affirming – http://bit.ly/35OvFgC
Week 8: Performance Circle: Teaming – http://bit.ly/366CYk0
Week 9: Using The Agile Performance Holarchy – http://bit.ly/3aqs75U
