Doing Agile the TechLadder way: Adding a human touch

Agile may be popular but it certainly faces criticism. A chief complaint about the methodology is that it invites micro-management, as a quick search on software subreddits will verify.

But the solution doesn’t lie in replacing Agile, because underlying organizational problems are just as likely to surface even if Waterfall or Lean are used. The methodology isn’t at fault–the implementation is. The trick we’ve discovered is deceptively simple: to use the best practices of the chosen methodology and blend them with the company’s culture. Case in point: at TechLadder, we try to add a human touch to Agile. Over the years we’ve found that it has led to less micro-management while promoting more individual freedom, keeping in line with our core principles of “Driving with Trust” and “Value the You.”

Here are three ways in which TechLadder humanizes Agile:.

1. We Pass Around The Moderator Baton

Anyone working in an Agile environment is familiar with the concept of a Scrum Master or moderator. At TechLadder, we take this a step further and ensure that everyone becomes a moderator at some point in the project’s journey, irrespective of the team member’s experience. We’ve even seen greenhorn, junior software developers moderating stand-up meetings, “leading” their more senior colleagues.

Rotating moderators is a surefire way to groom junior talent, challenging them within the clear and reliable Agile constructs of transparent progress and dependencies.. On the flip side too, rotating moderators keeps the egos of those with more experience in check and gives them a chance to be on an equal footing with their subordinates. And most of all, this practice builds a sense of teamwork — there are no individual winners or losers.

We have a long-standing belief that the enemy is the problem, not the person. A democratic approach like this helps us live that belief in our day-to-day.

2. We Build A Culture Of Transparency

Based on the tasks allocated during a stand-up meeting, we ask engineers to log the answer to one simple question daily – did I deliver on my promise for the day? The answer, in true software engineering fashion, is either a 0 or 1. By removing both the qualitative nature as well as any punitive action for logging a 0, we look at what’s important – the work itself and how we can improve it.

This approach is a way for individuals to log and track trends and contributions plainly, both from an individual perspective as well as from a team-level bird’s eye one. We do all this with a tool called GlassWall, which works seamlessly in conjunction with our Agile tool, Jira.

3. We Don’t Track Deliveries By Points

This may seem like an oxymoron — isn’t a massive benefit of Agile to approach trackability through points? But here too, we at TechLadder have our own take. We do not track deliveries at all.

Instead, our engineers make a commitment for the day to themselves and their team and simply do it. This helps individuals plan, analyze and optimize their performance and leads to greater value delivery.

Last Words From The Human-Agile Proponents

If this article has left you thinking that TechLadder places more emphasis on the individual rather than the process, you’d be right. We pride ourselves on how we work, and not where or when we work. Why, a senior manager on one project could be a developer on another! We believe rotation like this helps us stay fresh and build empathy, and we show no hesitation in adding our own spin and values to Agile.

The same can be true for any organization. It’s important to not be beholden to any one methodology or tool, but to adapt them to each unique setup, employee base, project, geography, or industry. So go forth and Agile, in the way that’s right for YOU.

Doing Agile the TechLadder way: Adding a human touch

1. We Pass Around The Moderator Baton

2. We Build A Culture Of Transparency

3. We Don’t Track Deliveries By Points

Last Words From The Human-Agile Proponents

Author

Biju Rajesh

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