TriYoung, Inc. has adopted the Agile method. Each member of our team was asked to take one of our core convictions and present on how it relates to the Agile way of thinking. Today we have chosen core conviction of “Fearlessness: Perseverance without barriers”.
Our first step was to look up the definition of fearlessness. According to thefreedictionary.com, fearlessness is the trait of feeling no fear, braveness, bravery, courage, courageousness - a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear.
Then we looked at what we said fearlessness means to us as a team. Our core conviction says, “Perseverance without barriers”. The barriers we are referencing the limits of the software. So, we are not scared to look beyond the limits of software. We create alternative data solutions to extending capability of current systems. This provides use with endless possibilities for integrating software.
Next, we wanted to identify some potential fears for adopting agile. The first that was mentioned was being too busy to learn something new. Since Agile is a step process we determined it can be applied in steps. The second was the fear of no planning or designing phase for the project. We realized Agile will allow the design to emerge as the team works together. A third reason we may experience fear is not being able to set dates on a project plan. For Agile we can set expected start dates for a sprint but as a team, we will have to learn to embrace the unexpected. One final fear of Agile is the thought of all these new meetings. The Agile meetings are short stand-up call and usually only around 15 minutes.
Finally, I asked what does fearlessness in Agile process look like for our team? It means we will not be fearful of things not going well but instead we will learn from the things that did not go so well. In order to identify areas for improvement, we all need to be willing to give and accept feedback and criticism. We must be open to change, be honest about challenges, risks and ask questions to learn from each other. This will allow us to continue to take on difficult challenges and overcome setbacks while constantly improving.
In conclusion, we decided our core conviction of “Fearlessness: Perseverance without barriers” aligns with the Agile process and way of thinking.
