The Art of Maximizing the Amount of Work Not Done
When anyone of us was fascinated well-nigh "Agile" and started learning almost information technology by trying to collect materials on internet, so Agile values and Principles in the Agile Manifesto appeared as a commencement result. And those 4 values and 12 principles acts as a outset step for us to get-go learning Agile. Gradually when we thought we understood virtually of them and motion ahead to acquire more than and so get to know that Agile revolves around those 4 values and 12 principles only. If we understood them well, then its non difficult to adopt agile and get successful using this methodology. Then we once again come back to go more insightful of those principles. At least I did the aforementioned.
Then I was going through those 12 principles over again and again, and convinced that I understood most of them thoroughly, except the one standing at 10th position. Though this principle has word "Uncomplicated" in it, I realize very presently that its nigh difficult to understand among all of them. Lets revise it again:
"Simplicity — the art of maximizing the amount of work not done — is essential."
Afterward reading information technology, lot of things strike in our heed. Few of them are like what the hell "fine art" is doing in this technology field. And why only this principle is referring about art and not others. We are trying to make more and more than circuitous things then why it refers virtually "Simplicity". Nosotros mostly endeavor to practise more than work. In fact it is the need of this manufacture, demand from our management and on that our operation gets measured, and then why anyone volition try or what is the necessity of "maximizing the amount of work not done". And they are saying information technology is "essential". Damn, its confusing more. Its not that simple equally it looks from birds eye. Lots of things lies underneath.
Lets u.s. apply incremental arroyo hither to minimize this confusion. We will move to side by side confusion afterward trying to resolve the beginning one. Now lets effort to understand well-nigh the "fine art". Its called equally an art, because practicing this principle is an art and that 1 needs to truly main. While edifice product using agile methodology or lets say even with whatsoever methodology, as a team or private, we have to make many decisions. In case of Agile, most important decisions are like valuing (prioritizing) the user stories in the product backlog, when to transport product in to the market place that is not fully developed and then on.
Those decisions are taken based on instincts, ones agreement almost product, market conditions, business need and so many other factors. Yes, we take tools to help u.s. about analyzing these factors, forming a patterns, getting reports from them but they works only till this point. They smoothing our work to take decisions merely non taking decisions on our office. That'due south the chore as a team we have to finish. Nosotros have to weigh reality in terms of time, technical restraints, budget and doing that is a kind of art and not scientific discipline.
This principle also focuses on "Simplicity". In fact it is the existent essence of this principle. Flavors of agile like 'Scrum' believes most on this principle where we put everything 'Short and Elementary' (kind of Kiss Principle). In scrum, we have unproblematic job board to runway the progress, requirements are described in elementary user story format (As a < type of user >, I want < some goal > so that < some reason >), simple medium like 'Velocity' to summate work completed. At initial iterations nosotros can likewise emphasized on shipping unproblematic product with minimum functionalities those are like shooting fish in a barrel to use and to achieve Minimum Feasible Product (MVP).
Similar Scrum one of the term used in Extreme Programming is "You aren't gonna demand it" (YAGNI) also defines the simplicity. Traditional evolution method asks to continue both eyes on hereafter and practise coding as per information technology for reusability. Whereas XP says to do it whatever require at present and that likewise keeping it uncomplicated. Instead of both eyes, its like just keeping one eye on future and other to concentrate on present. We do many additional things apart from what is needed at this moment presuming that they may be used farther down the road. But we may never walk on the road we assume and any work done at this moment keeping both eyes on that route becomes waste.
Then comes the discussion, "maximizing the corporeality of piece of work not washed". Here Agile Manifesto developers would like to distinguish between the work that adds value vs the work done to produce features that is barely used. We can employ 'Pareto Principle' or "80/twenty rule" here in many means.
Firstly, it is about the features of product used vs their price. Equally per Standish Group 2014 survey about Exceeding Values, only xx % of features of the Very High to Loftier Value projects are more often than not used past customers . Here value of projection is measured on "Triple Constraints" i.e. Price, Time and Scope. And then from the showtime pie nautical chart shown below, nosotros become to know that only 40% of projects delivers Very High to High value. Second pie chart convince us that only twenty% features of those high value projects are used more than 'OFTEN'. Nosotros can utilize this survey to any project/production. Just accept the example of cell phone or digital SLR camera nosotros take, which consist 100 of features but the almost often used by united states of america are hardly few. Even so they are at that place. Other meaning of it is that those projects spend most of their Cost, Time to deliver 80% of features which have depression to no value.
Secondly it is about, results vs efforts. 80% of our results may actually come from only twenty% of our efforts. The idea is to focus on the important xx% of endeavour that gets the majority of the results. Because speed-to-market is important and so evangelize the mostly used lxxx% of features in only 20% of the time? As per great direction consultant Peter Drucker, "There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." It teaches us to focus more than on piece of work that is essential to create value to customers and ultimately to project.
Now consider in a higher place cases from the product owner perspective who actually decides what features should exist built in to the product. This nosotros can accomplish by having the skill of identifying the work that is non suppose to do then ultimately reaching to point where we can maximize those work. It can exist done by identifying whether said features are "must-have" or just "dainty to have." Once we arrive at a list of must-take features, we tin can easily put all the dainty-to-have features into the "work not done" bucket.
Feeling more than in the "work not done" bucket, helps to boom downwardly the truly valuable features that deliver the highest business concern value. This principle reinforces Jeff Patton's advice to minimize output and maximize outcome. Information technology means that that we need to concentrate on the features that would help the client capeesh the "outcome," which ultimately may have no correlation with the number of features produced by the "output" (Development Effort).
But again its not easy to take the decision about selecting and moving features to not doing bucket. As for different stake holders, different features look of import. But we tin can accomplish to understanding point past using any of the prioritizing techniques. So, along with moving features to "Done," it is also essential to create a list of features that are non going to be washed at early on stage of development , irrespective of time and resources constraints.
Keeping these things in mind helps us at every stage in production development. In real world, for most of projects it happens that because of time constraints team has to remove most of items from backlog. At the later stage similar this, decision is taken just considering the time required to develop those features rather than value of it. This chaos can be avoided by post-obit higher up Active Principle from offset of project.
At last I would say this is something I understood about 10th principle based on my experience while working in projects following Agile Methodology, dealing with such customers and trying to deliver best to them using it. Identifying what is needful and 'must have' vs 'should have' depends on nature and context of project and many other things. So following certain practices like TDD or BDD in ane project may exist overhead for some small projection.
And then we take to primary the fine art of deciding wisely while applying this principle.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/simplicity-art-maximizing-amount-work-done-essential-amol-sande
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