Is Your Development Partner Really Agile?
Test: “Is your software development partner really agile?”
Score 1 point for each statement that describes your development partner. Score 0 if this has nothing to do with your current development team. In the end, you will learn the bitter truth!
1. Changes to the plan—no drama!
Your partner does not panic when you ask to redo a feature or change priorities (again). Instead of “It’s impossible!” they say: “Let’s discuss the deadlines.”
2. Demos every 2-3 weeks
You are shown working versions of the product regularly, even if they are not fully polished. There is no behind-the-scenes golden plating and development to perfection.
3. Retrospectives are sacred
After each stage, the team analyzes how it went and improves processes. And you see that the changes are actually applied and work!
4. Problems are communicated immediately
You learn about bugs, delays, or risks not after the fact but at the moment they appear.
5. You are part of the team
You are invited to team meetings. They gladly convert your rough ideas into clear requirements, and again they invite you to review, provide your feedback and approval. You are not just a customer, but an active participant.
6. All tools are open to you
You’re invited to each and every collaboration tool (Trello, Jira, etc). You can see who is doing what, what tasks are in progress, and where there are the bottle necks.
7. They speak the language of business
They discuss goals and values, and not just technical details. If you are not an IT guy, you will still understand and be able to contribute by providing context, priorities and requirements.
8. Focus on value, not on the amount of work
The team prioritizes tasks that really move the project forward at this very moment and does not just blindly follow the plan. If you ask, “Why do you do this?” they will clearly explain how the task affects your business goals.
9. Feedback = law
Your comments don’t just disappear in neverending Slack history and meeting notes. They are added to the backlog and discussed along with other tasks. And yes, the team does not hesitate to share their feedback, too.
10. No rituals for the sake of rituals
Scrum meetings, kanban boards and other attributes are not for fun, but for real benefit. If something doesn’t work, they change it.
Results:
10 points: Your partner is an Agile guru! They don’t just talk; they breathe flexibility.
7-9 points: There is potential, but sometimes, there is a waterfall hiding in an Agile jacket.
1-6 points: Most likely, you are working with an “Agile showcase”. True flexibility is where there is transparency and trust, not just beautiful words.
0 points: Congratulations! You have found a master of illusions. It’s time to find someone who doesn’t confuse Agile with astrology.
P.S. Agile is like marriage: you can’t be “a little faithful”. Either entirely, or… well, you get the idea?
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