Collective Wisdom from the Experts 33
Why is it that most teams are afraid to throw away practices that are not really
helping the team? Why do teams start off with as many practices they can
think of, instead of adding the practices just in time?
This could be a symptom of the team not really understanding why it is using
the process in the first place. Or it could mean that someone who does not
fully understand the software development process is forcing a heavy-handed
methodology upon the team. In either case, the project becomes a “house of
cards” ready to disintegrate into a useless pile of code bits. Trying to change
anything, without understanding the true reason the project is expanding
without adding value, is useless.
In my opinion, a good project manager should have a healthy grasp of how the
team is working. He/she should be able to stand back and evaluate how each
process imposed on the team impacts the throughput of functional software.
A knowledgeable project manager should sift through all the possible activi-
ties a team might be asked to do and retain only those that are vital to the
success of this specific project. Once the leftover practices from projects past
are swept away, the team’s productivity and throughput should get better in a
short period of time.
“Less is more” is a very important philosophy when it comes to process.