Some anecdotes with the Peetic team and other slices of life.
Some dialogues and slices of life imagined around an agile team, notably that of Peetic. How relaxing it is to do the questions and the answers, all alone…
Here are the German dog without a tail, The devil is in the details, How we managed to build a mega architecture at the beginning of the project that met all the needs, Potato Saturday, They’re adults, Sociocracy, frustocracy, Ok
The story of the German Dog without a tail
Ah I remember the first iterations we estimated in points (from the Fibonacci sequence). But well in the end we barely used them, our commitment we felt it (the gut, always the gut). Today we continue to estimate in dog or cat (Ah yes, a German dog takes longer to complete than a poodle even without the tail! well yes we’re at Peetic) but no more points: the management was misusing these estimates and it was blocking us despite everything (I’m not even talking to you about man-days…)
Ha ha you remember Pierre’s face when we told him we were doing two labradors and a Siamese! At the beginning that would have been impossible! And also the moment when he was comparing the velocity of the teams…pffffff nonsense.
Well today we understood that the important thing was elsewhere: Pierre has his projection on the schedule, his budget, his scope. His reports are perfect… ha ha ha! And for us it’s discussions and comparisons, that’s fun and effective.
The devil is in the details
So Sarah, happy?! Scrummistress? Scrummasseur? Woof. No I’m joking I’m just an old male chauvinist.
Yeah you said it not me.
But how did you reveal yourself in this role of scrummaster?
Well you know I’ve gotten along very well with Lionel for a long time and so when we had to ease all these tensions and we found ourselves without a scrummaster after Denis’s departure, well I thought to myself: why not?
Ah yes Denis… too bad right? At the beginning I sincerely thought that the project manager was the right person to become scrummaster. And at worst I told myself that changing the human resources rules, the titles, and all that jazz would have taken too long. So basta Denis = project manager = scrummaster. Plus Denis wanted it, he imagined that he kept “his” power. But well we understood that the “power” of the scrummaster was something else. Not what Denis imagined.
Yes the poor guy was quite unhappy. Nobody got what they wanted. Neither us, nor him, nor the organization. Damned habit of not daring. But if he had wanted to rejoin the team or become Product Owner, instead of being Scrummaster how would you have done it? I mean for his salary? For his career plan?
Within the team? honestly I don’t know. But I should have really asked myself the question. And Product Owner you could forget it, Sylviane would never have wanted it, a project manager responsible for the product, crime of lèse-majesté!
But he would have been good!
I know, but what can you do…
You should have tried.
Uh is this my interview or yours?
Ok ok (smile) listen we quickly came to a decision with the others. I was the new scrummaster. And as I was saying my good relations with Lionel helped ease the situation and everything is going in the right direction again.
Coool
You know, the devil is in the details. You saw Clara. A change of team and environment and she’s a different person.
Ah yes I’m amazed. And tell me so you stopped all coding and all estimation, you manage to be neutral.
Yes, in the end it’s truly a full-time job, and fascinating. Remember we all used to say that scrummaster was the boring thing on the side of the table, the water carrier. You know I was super proud to succeed at certain things. Let’s just say I was playing diva and flexing my muscles sometimes. But it was really deserved. Well you’re not going to believe it, but I still feel as much pleasure and pride in making … others succeed.
Ha ha! Great fulfillment.
How we managed to build a mega architecture at the beginning of the project that met all the needs
Did that work?
No, never.
Potato Saturday
I’m sick of aaaaggiiillllle. Wait they take us for robots! Monday planning, Friday review and retro, and Saturday potato! Does it ever stop?
But what’s frustrating you like that? The repetition? The product isn’t evolving it’s always the same thing?
No it’s true the product is constantly evolving. And so if 3 months ago we were on a fairly classic ecommerce shop, we’re arriving today at dealing with quite innovative subjects. That’s cool.
Ok so? The stress?
Not anymore. I need to lift my head from time to time. To breathe, to take a break.
Don’t you do it?
No.
But who’s stopping you?
Ah easy to say, you don’t think Sylviane will accept that.
Have you tried? And anyway taking a break what does that mean?
Taking a break? Having a less sustained pace, taking more time to try new things, the continuous integration platform could use some oil.
Suggest it to Sylviane. All of this is only beneficial to the project. And anyway seeing you burn out won’t help anyone. Do you agree all this is beneficial for the project?
Well yes, it’s obvious.
Good well you have your conscience for you, the pleasure of duty well done. Eh eh.
And if she still doesn’t agree?
Well do it anyway. Right?
And if they blame me?
How long to find a new job around here?
They’re adults
We’re stuck, we didn’t get unanimity within the team on the solution to take.
Ah. And so.
Well we’re stuck.
And your commitment?
We won’t be able to keep it, unless we arbitrarily choose without unanimity a solution.
Why are you stuck on this question of unanimity?
Well it’s agile self-organization.
Oh really? You read “unanimity” in “self-organization”?
Ok but if we take Laurent’s solution, Sandra is going to pout and vice versa.
It happens. I’m not worried they’re adults, they’ve all been wrong at least once.
Sociocracy, frustocracy.
Wooooow hey, did you see Jean-René’s team next door.
Yes they were fed up with him, they took sociocracy as an alibi to unseat him!
Sociocracy? Frustocracy yes.
Ha ha Jean-René, you know he’s the smooth talker. It excites jealousies. Some people don’t like a head sticking out. Any head that sticks out is accused of manipulation, especially if it’s the scrummaster! They decided to have a vote to elect the new scrummaster, but in fact all they wanted was to make an example.
But that’s not what sociocracy is?!# !
I know but well, you know…
And so?
Well they elected David.
And?
Well you know David he speaks little, and in bytes.
And?
And Jean-René’s code is as monolithic as his speech is fluid.
And?
The communication completely changed within the project.
And?
The project was stopped.
Ah?
It hit the wall.
Ouch.
Nothing worked anymore.
Oh.
Ok
You want my point of view on the question?
Ok.
I will be effective and relevant for the organization if I act as a senior developer within the teams. I can unblock many situations, bring many solutions, support many people.
Ok.
And I will be happy that way.
Ok.
Naturally, at 45 years old, being a senior developer in France is like admitting a mental perversion. None of that here. We would need a real HR path for technical aspects, real awareness and recognition of this branch, and a salary accordingly.
Ok.