Agile and the Hippies

Agile and the Hippies

Eric Lefevre has just reported similarities between Lean Software Development and Buddhism. In his post, he has compared stories of the Buddhism and some Totyota Way’s disciplines and concepts.

It is amazing also to look at Claude Aubry’s post on the heritage of Mai 68 events by the Agile methodology.

Does Agile is for the hippies?

More seriously, is it a way to say Agile is more a philosophy than a methodology?

I do agree on that point. It reminds me the first (and third) principle of the Agile manifesto that place the human at the middle of the method.

I thing also this kind of communication on Agile can be dangerous. Most of the big boss may not understand this way. In a world driven by the money, there’s no place for philosophy (they thing). They might thing Agile is made for old homesick hippies.
But it’s not.
Agile is made for normal people that just want to run together to achieve a common realistic goal: the customer satisfaction. Is it not what we are paid for?

It is crucial that operational management can be run independently of contracts.
It will be still a long way to change the mind of industry, especially when outsourcing.

That’s why I thing the best way is to share with other, to coach (more than train) and the best: to guide (mentor)