Return guest, Quincy Jordan, is joining Dan Neumann once again! Quincy is a Principal Transformation Consultant and has been with AgileThought for about one year now. Previous to that, he has served as a Principal Consultant and Agile Coach at SCRUMstudy.com for over six years. Quincy’s mission is to help companies and people who are ineffective in their own mission by assisting them in transforming from what they are to what they desire to be.

This week they’re getting their hands dirty and talking about living off the Agile landscape. Quincy explains the differences between Agile “Gardening” vs. Agile “Farming,” where the Agile farming metaphor came from, and key “farming” practices.

 

Key Takeaways

• The background behind the Agile landscape “farming” metaphor:
• • In farming and gardens, there is great attention to detail and a lot of care put into it, similar to the nurturing needed with Agile
• Agile Gardening vs. Agile Farming:
• • What you need depends on the business outcomes you’re trying to achieve
  • Agile farming requires thinking outside of your immediate environment and scaling beyond your environment
  • Inward benefits from agile gardening vs. outward benefits from agile farming
  • One isn’t better than the other but it is important to choose the right tool
• When scaling:
• • Programmers should pull back their vantage point to get a more aerial view, focusing on overall outcomes and things going on in the environment
  • Teams need a vantage point that is an up-close picture to really see all the detail
• Key Farming Practices:
• • Farmers need to actively protect the environment
  • Just like farmers use crop rotation for soil depletion, it is important to rotate teams to avoid transformation (or Agile) fatigue
  • Rotation needs to take place, whether you rotate teams across different functions or rotate within the team
  • Keep the team together regardless of how you’re rotating it
  • When an environment is new, similar to a farm, they have to ready the soil of the environment
  • Preparation is key
  • If you want teams to collaborate well, an accommodating, structured environment needs to be prepared for the team
  • Farmers must be concerned with “where” before “what,” and “timing” before “time”

 

Mentioned in this Episode:

Tampa Bay Agile Meetup

SAFe Model

Agile Coaches’ Corner episode: “Communities of Practice with Quincy Jordan”

 

Quincy Jordan’s Book Pick

The Age of Agile: How Smart Companies Are Transforming the Way Work Gets Done,

by Stephen Denning

 

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