Why Is Xp So Hard

RonJeffries said, "Our adaptive approach is at odds with management's usual "go that way and come back when you're there" thinking. Another issue, however, is that no matter how hard you try to be on top of things, and to communicate them effectively, you can always do better."

Hmm. So the PlanningGame didn't propagate up to CIO? Seems like getting that to happen ought to be a priority for your superiors; without it, they're effectively preventing the CIO from making informed decisions. Your CIO was wise - this was not your problem.

On the second issue, [trying again] continuous improvement is important, but so is accommodating surprises and disappointments. Sometimes you can't do better - the game is rigged, the deck is stacked, and when you discover that's so you need to not whip yourself or your team. One of the things I admire in the PlanningGame is its use of empiricism to banish the "usual" management demands; sometimes continuous improvement means making no change when no change is called for. -- PeterMerel

CIO understands the PlanningGame. That's why CIO supported us. New intermediate managers didn't understand. And whether you understand or not, it is difficult to change years of built-in company behavior. When your boss's boss thinks you promised to be done on Tuesday, your boss really does need you to be done on Tuesday. The trick is how do you do it. See FixedTimeBudget.

One of the difficulties in XP is that it is prone to TheAthleticSkier problem. My impression is that the curve of performance (ProjectVelocity) versus compliance (how well you adhere to XP practices) is very sharp, like the graph of X-squared. In heavyweight methodologies, you can actually gain ProjectVelocity when you drop from 100% compliance to 90% compliance (which makes me wonder how useful they are), or at least stays fairly level. -- RobMandeville

I would say that you can appear to gain ProjectVelocity when you drop from 100% compliance ... -- GaryBrown?

EditText of this page (last edited April 18, 2005)
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