

Agile Backlogs. Sigh. - DanielBMarkham
http://tiny-giant-books.com/blog/agile-backlogs-sigh/

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keeptrying
This is a great point. I know it sounds shallow but its a really really good
point.

This is the reason that even though lots of shops think they are agile, in
essence their processes are really just granular waterfall.

I had one pm who wouldnt know what "agile" was if you asked him but he ran his
product more agile than I've seen anyone else do.

We would sit every 3 days, with his excel sheet. He would then pick the next
important task to do. No priortities, no color coding, no gantt chart - just
linear list of what needs to be done and what could be done in the next week.

He stored the things we couldnt do on a "backlog" excel sheet.

Every meeting we would pull out the main excel sheet and he would decide
whether he needed something brand new to be built or something from his
"backlog" excel sheet. I never had to look at the backlog at all.

We would keep releasing the software weekly and delivering features. It was
the best business relationship I've ever had in my life.

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jeffclark
Funny, was just talking about this at lunch earlier.

I've been trying to wrap my head around how to continue building my 1-person
project (boxrowseat.com) in an agile-ish format. Not that I'm getting confused
with the work to be done, but so that when I do bring in number 2, we can
continue on the right path.

Any suggestions from those more experienced than myself?

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rhizome
Process will emerge, and once you take another person on it may be apparent
that Agile is the exact wrong methodology for you two. So, don't worry about
it. At all. Just make your stuff.

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jeffclark
Solid. Thanks.

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rhizome
5 paragraphs talking _around_ "agile backlogs" before you get to the ad at the
end for their forthcoming book on...guess!

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bwarp
Spot on.

Why do you need a book on backlogs? That's just insane.

That's like buying books on driving cars: "volume 4: the steering wheel" and
"volume 5: the indicator stalk".

