Umamaheswaran

You know, I’ve seen teams approach projects in all sorts of ways, and it’s always interesting to see how different methods play out in real life. Also most teams claim to be agile, actually they operate more like a traditional waterfall process, just broken down into sprints. I like to think of it as “Agile in disguise.”

Let’s imagine, just for a moment, we’re tasked with building a car.

The Agile Way

So, with Agile, it’s all about getting something valuable and functional into the customer’s hands as quickly as possible. It goes something like this:

• First week: We kicked off by building a manual scooter. It was pretty basic but hey, it did the job. It got our customer moving from A to B, and that’s what mattered. Immediate value, right there.
• Second week: We then upgraded that scooter to an automatic one. It wasn’t a car yet, but the upgrade made it easier and more efficient to use. The customer was already getting around more comfortably.
• Third week: Next up, we transformed that scooter into a four-wheeler. Suddenly, the customer had a whole new level of comfort and capability. It was a big leap forward.

With each step, we were not just building stuff; we were constantly checking in with the customer, getting their feedback and tweaking our approach. It felt like we were really in tune with what they needed, and we could adapt quickly.

The “Agile in Disguise” Way

On the flip side, I’ve seen teams who plan everything upfront, just like the old Waterfall model, but then chop up the work into sprints. They call it Agile, but it’s not quite the same. Here’s how it went down with the car project:

• First week: We started with the chassis. Solid start, but on its own, not something the customer could use.
• Second week: Then we added the engine. Important, sure, but the car still wasn’t going anywhere.
• Third week: Tires came next. Again, essential, but the car was still sitting idle.
• Fourth week: It was only when we finally integrated everything that the customer got a working car.

This approach had its moments, but it lacked the vibe of delivering something useful at each step. The customer had to wait till the very end to see any real value.

The Takeaway

True Agile is not just about breaking work into smaller chunks; it’s about ensuring that each chunk delivers something tangible and useful.

It makes the process more dynamic, more responsive, and honestly, a lot more exciting. So, whenever I hear teams talking about being Agile, I always wonder: are they truly delivering value incrementally, or are they just going through the motions? Because, from what I’ve seen, there’s a world of difference between the two.