From epic requirements to epic failures*

Many agile product development implementations fail for many different reasons thus creating substantial traumas and strong resistance to any further attempts to introduce any change, let alone a proper agile one. Most of the reasons arise from powerful misconceptions of what agile is and what agile is not in terms of its scope, discipline, complexity and purpose. Subsequently, its inadequate and partial application leads to customized distortions and, ultimately, to pure improvisation and chaos. Some of the most interesting failures come from poorly defined products, lack of innovation and human stubbornness in sticking to the known. The main “culprits” as I see it are lack of both integration skills and constructive behavioral styles.

I will present two case studies to illustrate common and not so common failure scenarios. I will claim that agile coaching skills are needed to hold the space for people to change their mental models and learn when to proceed and when to give up on agile.

*The talk will be held in English.

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