[OSList] OST / Gaming
Diane Gibeault
diane.gibeault at rogers.com
Wed Oct 23 08:15:03 PDT 2013
Hi Dan,
Given our past conversations, I am happy - but not surprised - to see that you agree on the principle of a greater participant ownership for the methods or means of implementation of outcomes of the OST meeting in the Agile process.
Your intentions were already in part there. On the Invitation link under the Open Agile Adoption we do find the following :
If we mandate SAFe, you are asking for trouble.
If we mandate Kanban, you are asking for trouble.
If we mandate Scrum, you are asking for trouble
Thank you as well for your second response about the timing of training (i.e., after participants have chosen a method) and for sharing these insights with the Agile community.
I will point out a few examples where web information could reflect better this generic approach, not to convince you but to assist you in bringing more clarity on the Agile web pages.
The 1st is on the Open Agile Adoption web page, in the diagram at the top which describes the implementation phase as “Daily Scrums”
The 2nd is in the following statement which might have addressed the question of a ownership but not the one of a generic approach. Being a quote from the book on Scrum, it may be interpreted as “teams should be in control of their own Scrum processes” and that may have been the intent. “[A leader's] responsibility is to make clear to the team that THEY should be in control of there own work processes, and show them how to do that.” -POWER OF SCRUM book, page 31 (page 37 in earlier versions)
The 3rd example was a list of more than 6 technical methods, including Scrum, SAFe, Kanban, on a web page or document you had invited us to read for the Agile conference call I participated to last week on Aug.14. I could not find it this morning when I went back to some of the links you suggested. I may be missing some. Does that ring a bell to you or anyone else who was on the call?
I have not read all the web pages with the attention they would deserve on this question, so there may be other diagrams or lines that need some tweeking.
We do seem to be going in the same direction in this conversation, that is, creating conditions for opening more space.
Cheers,
Diane
>________________________________
> From: Daniel Mezick <dan at newtechusa.net>
>To: oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
>Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2013 4:23:49 PM
>Subject: Re: [OSList] OST / Gaming
>
>
>
>Great stuff in here; let me please address some of the juicer questions, responses inline:
>
>
>On 10/22/13 2:25 PM, Diane Gibeault wrote:
>
>Dan, you confirm that for Agile, the suggested practices (Scrum etc) are up for discussion during the OST, that invitation should be the way of doing business at every level, including the implementation stage.
Yes, and we must encourage the people to play.
>Yes, and play is a censored term in most orgs, so in OAA we use
'experiment' instead. (the sanitized term for play)
>
>
>>In that case, there are real advantages for Open Agile Adoption (OAA) to refer to these implementing practices in a more generic way.
>>
>>On the Agile web site, information on the implementation phase seems to be presented in a more prescriptive fashion, with specific structured methods listed. If that’s not the case, I may have read it too fast or it’s a presentation issue. Both can be easily fixed.
Can you please provide a link to "the Agile web site", where "information on the implementation phase seems to be presented in a more prescriptive fashion?" I do not know which site you mean...
>
>
>>Naming one or even a few structured existing tools gives the impression there is a limited number of options and that there is no room for participants to come up with or create their own ways to get a job done.
>>This can feel more like control and mandate, an opposite mindset to the “invitation” approach you favor Dan for Agile, an approach that is congruent with the spirit of OST which encourages invitation as a way of working and of managing on an on-going basis, so that organizations can be more agile.
Yes, and to be clear, a practice is 'agile' if it (at a minimum) does not offend the Principles of the Agile Manifesto, seen here:
>http://agilemanifesto.org/principles.html
>....and the values, seen here:
>http://agilemanifesto.org/
>
>Ideally, a strong practice will strongly honor the Manifesto
principles, not merely refrain from offending them.
>Scrum is a pre-fab set of practices and agreements (almost said the
G-word there...) that do honor the Manifesto.
>Hence the popularity of the Scrum form.
>
>
><CONFLICT WARNING>
>
> Many 'agile people' will totally disagree with :
>
> "...a practice is 'agile' if it (at a minimum) does not
offend the Principles of the Agile Manifesto"
>
> Disagreement is perfectly OK. Let's suspend disbelief for now,
and proceed...
>
></CONFLICT WARNING>
>
>
>And now to my point: they people can dream up any practice that fits
this criteria. If they do it is agile. They need not use Scrum,
Kanban etc. I always encourage them to dream and imagine and invent
NEW practices that fit them and their needs, subject to the Agile
Manifesto criteria. Now, it ain't as easy as it looks....
>
>
>>Sharing tool ideas before and during the OST meeting is not precluded but how it’s presented can make quite a difference on how it’s perceived by participants, i.e., how open and real the invitation is.
Yes, and the way to address this is to put the training AFTER the initial OST meeting in Open Agile Adoption. Because training before the OST (instead of after the OST) sends the "mandate/we-made-an-investment-in" signal. Agree 100% and join you in this idea.
>
>
>>Before an OS meeting, there is true benefit in reflecting on implementation with organizers but they should not become attached to tools or outcome. They must understand that the real discussion on implementation should take place during the meeting with all participants, and after with the emergent leadership.
Yes, and this is 100% the intent to Open Agile Adoption, because ENGAGEMENT is the jet fuel of high performance. (not practices!)
>
>
>>The IT industry tells us that a very large number of IT projects fail because they don’t allow people to discuss and co-create the implementation; they have no sense of ownership.
Yes, and this is an epidemic train wreck of absolutely epic scope worldwide
>
>
>>Letting the implementation systems emerge, allowing voices to be really heard, if not making a true choice of a way to implement whether it’s a system or tool or not, all of this can create that sense of ownership.
Yes, and this is the name of the game 100%. When people are not making choices, they are clearly not free to engage
>
>
>>Dan you said earlier (Sept 30 OS List) ‘I believe that people in the Agile/IT world (and people in general) tend to "medicate" their pains/worries/etc with processes. tools. frameworks. certifications. etc.’
Yes, and here is a blog post on that:
>http://newtechusa.net/agile/medication/
>
>Leaving the implementation processes open as you said today, is likely to help reduce that medication mentality.
Yes, and one benefit is that peace can and will break out
>
>
>>Diane
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Diane Gibeault & Associe.es-Associates
>> Tel 613-744-2638, diane.gibeault at rogers.com
>>
>>
>>
>>>________________________________
>>> From: Dan Mezick <dan at newtechusa.net>
>>>To: World wide Open Space Technology email list <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>
>>>Cc: World wide Open Space Technology email list <oslist at lists.openspacetech.org>
>>>Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2013 11:21:31 AM
>>>Subject: Re: [OSList] OST / Gaming
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>when a group is introduced to a definite process and OST is part of the equation, the net result is often that the process itself is treated like anything else in OST – up for discussion.
>>>
>>>
Bingo...thats the whole point. Whatever the suggested (formerly MANDATED) practices are, Scrum or whatever...are now up for discussion. This is the *entire* reason to use the OAA approach. Further, this is not manipulation, or its 1st cousin, persuasion. This is invitation in the truest sense if the word. If OAA is used for persuasion, this is a 100% corruption of the actual intent and purpose. OAA does not seek to persuade.
>>>
>>>
>>>As for spirit...give it time. Things may ripen presently, or not. I'm watching for signs of an up-trend.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>>On Oct 22, 2013, at 10:59 AM, "Harrison Owen"
<hhowen at verizon.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Dan – I guess it is time for me to come clean and reveal all my ulterior motives. Frankly, I could care less if you and others use OS by way of an introduction to Agile/Scrum. I have some reservations that, to the extent that SCRUM is a prescribed process (whether entered voluntarily or not), OST may not be quite what you want. My experience has been that when a group is introduced to a definite process and OST is part of the equation, the net result is often that the process itself is treated like anything else in OST – up for discussion. That said, it surely can’t hurt and is probably much better than whatever alternatives. As an old Swedish friend of mine put it, “OST is the WD-40 of group work. One shot will loosen up just about anything.”
>>>
>>>But all that is just the tip of the iceberg. I think the discussion will really get interesting and fruitful when we begin to take hard look at what I might call the “Agility Function” of OST. How does it work and why? How can we amplify the effect? I suggested that agility is a natural act. True? If so, could it become an everyday natural act?
>>>
>>>On your “favorite question” – OST as a Spiritual practice... I did write a paper some years ago for a book that never happened titled, “Open Space and Spirit shows up.” http://openspaceworld.com/spirt_shows.htm I confess that I share Linda Stevenson’s unease with talking about OS and Spirituality. But then again...
>>>
>>>
>>>Harrison
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Harrison Owen
>>>7808 River Falls Dr.
>>>Potomac, MD 20854
>>>USA
>>>
>>>189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)
>>>Camden, Maine 04843
>>>
>>>Phone 301-365-2093
>>>(summer) 207-763-3261
>>>
>>>www.openspaceworld.com
>>>www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
>>>To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of OSLIST Go to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>>>
>>>From:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Daniel Mezick
>>>Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2013 9:41 AM
>>>To: oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
>>>Subject: Re: [OSList] OST / Gaming
>>>
>>>Jenifer,
>>>
>>>
>>>Yes, and if you feel claustrophobic
*reading* about Agile, let's imagine how
claustrophobic the people inside these
'agile' organizations feel...
>>>
>>>...when they are told by an entirely
well-meaning authority,
>>>
>>> that they must "do" something, and even "be" something...entirely unfamilar...without their explicit consent.
>>>
>>>
>>>Is this or is this not the definition of a
closed space?
>>>
>>>And finally, my favorite question: Is OST
actually a group-spiritual practice?
>>>
>>>Dan
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>http://newtechusa.net/agile/spirit/
>>>We all want rapid and lasting Agile adoptions.The Open Agile Adoption technique (OAA) can help. The OAA technique is drawing deeply from the book SPIRIT by Harrison Owen. It’s an amazing and even essential book for any person who is serious about achieving a rapid and lasting Agile adoption. In a very real sense the book SPIRIT by Harrison Owen, first published in 1986, is the first (and perhaps the only) book written on how to achieve a rapid and lasting Agile adoption.
>>>"...I have written this book for friends and colleagues, known and unknown, who find themselves in the midst of a transforming world, and are resolved to look beneath the surface to the underlying source of change. This source, which has become manifest in the form and structure of our organizations, I call Spirit." – Harrison Owen, Prologue, SPIRIT: Development and Transformation in Organizations. (Circa 1986)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>www.OpenAgileAdoption.com
>>>http://www.infoq.com/articles/open-agile-adoption-1
>>>http://www.infoq.com/articles/open-agile-adoption-2
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>On 10/22/13 8:14 AM, Jenifer Toksvig wrote:
>>>Harrison, you said:
>>>>
>>>>>> ... our conversation always
seems to have (must have?) some frame of
reference with certain metaphors and
images. [...] It is not so much about
right or wrong but rather capacity to
communicate. <<
>>>>
>>>>It’s all about Story, yes, absolutely. I
was just saying to Dan in an email that
I had never heard of Agile until this
conversation, so I went to read all
about it... and then had to stop reading
about it because, as a story, it makes
me feel claustrophobic. Especially as a
story that is being linked to OST.
>>>>
>>>>OST is my guide in so many ways. It’s my
comparison story: the thing against
which I find myself measuring life
stuff.
>>>>
>>>>- because it’s not a story. Oddly, I
think I made that strong connection with
OST because it seems to me that it is
just how things are, rather than how
anyone might want to say things are.
Which is not that odd at all, actually,
now I come to think about it.
>>>>
>>>>Although I am not in any way religious,
perhaps those who are feel the same way:
that their belief system is not a story,
but the core truth of the world. It
seems strange to me that they wouldn’t
challenge it to make sure it isn’t a
story in disguise, though. I challenge
OST every day.
>>>>
>>>>In fact, maybe that’s what I mean by
‘comparison’. I don’t measure life
against it, so much as measure it
against life, and I am continuously
delighted to find that it is simply a
description of how life happens, nothing
more and nothing less.
>>>>
>>>>How wonderful, how refreshing to find a
true *description* in a world full of
takes and truths.
>>>>
>>>>When I write stories, I think the
characters already exist in the place of
potential, and all they do is choose me
to be their conduit onto the page; I’m
the right conduit for a specific few. I
am not at all surprised that OST chose
you. Thank you for being open to being
chosen, and for staying open when you
recognised it for what it was.
>>>>
>>>>Jen x
>>>>
>>>>Jenifer Toksvig
>>>>www.acompletelossforwords.com
>>>>
>>>>The Copenhagen Interpretation
>>>>www.thecopenhageninterpretation.co.uk
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>OSList mailing list
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>>>
>>>--
>>>
>>>
>>>Daniel Mezick, President
>>>New Technology Solutions Inc.
>>>(203) 915 7248 (cell)
>>>Bio. Blog. Twitter.
>>>Examine my new book: The Culture Game : Tools for the Agile Manager.
>>>Explore Agile Team Training and Coaching.
>>>Explore the Agile Boston Community.
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>OSList mailing list
>>>>To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org
>>>>To unsubscribe send an email to OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org
>>>>To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
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>>>>
>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>OSList mailing list
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>_______________________________________________
OSList mailing list
To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org To unsubscribe send an email to OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org
>
>--
>
Daniel Mezick, President
New Technology Solutions Inc.
(203) 915 7248 (cell)
Bio. Blog. Twitter.
Examine my new book: The Culture Game : Tools for the Agile Manager.
Explore Agile Team Training and Coaching.
Explore the Agile Boston Community.
_______________________________________________
OSList mailing list
To post send emails to OSList at lists.openspacetech.org
To unsubscribe send an email to OSList-leave at lists.openspacetech.org
To subscribe or manage your subscription click below:
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