November 11, 2009

Cross-Check


No, this post isn't about hockey or chess.

I'm sure that you've heard a pilot, before takeoff, tell the flight attendants to "prepare for takeoff and cross-check." Until my most recent flight, I always thought that I had a pretty good idea of what "cross-check" was and what it meant. In the past I may have pretended to "know" what that really meant and made an educated guess...and gotten close, or been partially right.

But, that doesn't mean that I understand "cross-check" or can really have any educated discussions about it.

Yet, this is exactly what happens daily with software professionals when talking about agile. Those who have never read the Agile Manifesto talk about agile like they actually understand it just because they can define the word, make educated guesses, and maybe even be partially right. It also typically leads them to uneducated conclusions (e.g. agile is a fad).

Agile is most certainly not a silver bullet, but it cannot be dismissed until you truly understand what it is all about.


photo credit, Osdu

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