Gaslight & Steam

I currently work as part of team using Agile practices. I’ve experienced some of the practices before and definitely see the benefits of methodologies like XP and Scrum. One thing we’ve struggled with on our latest project has been lapsing into a practice best described as “scrumfall.” In fact, at this point, even though we have daily standups and move tasks on the board, we’re really practicing waterfall development right at the moment. So when I came across the Waterfall Manifesto, I just had to share it with the team.

I liked the Principles with things like:

• Business people and developers must work together as fewer times as possible throughout the project. They both have other important activities to carry to waste their precious time in meetings. Furthermore, they do not speak the same language.
• The safer method of conveying information to and within a development team is by a formal document approved by the steering committee.
• At regular intervals, the team should meet to eat pizzas and drink beer. It helps developers to forget that they are working in a bloody software development project and confirms that the management really cares about people. (they do not mention pizzas and beers in the other manifesto, think about it…)

Maybe not as humorous as The Register’s Bastard Operator (and, more), but this was more apropos of our current state.