SCENARIO
The organization has adopted new ways of working
Management needs info in order to commit, outwards and upwards.
The inevitable chain of guesses begins – time, scope and cost commitments.
PROBLEM
PM becomes sprint commander (in words of Ron Jeffries) and disguises wishful lies as controlled outputs for managers’ outward and upward facing jobs.
Guesstimates, since no real team involvement in work estimation, are suited to management demands, and updated as milestones are not met. The circle of lies repeats itself until either the project is cancelled or somebody gets fired …
SOLUTION
Wishful lies can be hedged through the understanding of work, breaking it down to smallest possible value delivering units, managing work to reduce waste (work not needed or needed at a later stage), and a more accurate estimation.
OUTCOME
A more educated prediction allows for sooner delivery of usable value.
Early feedback loops validate the work done and facilitate commitment.
Frequent review and adaptation of the workflow allows for increased efficiency.
This may well be the foundation for business agility
Adaptive Ways 