Slides from Agile on the Beach 2018: What if waste is only a symptom, and not the problem? Borrowing Isabel Menzies' seminal 1957 paper, in this talk I highlight how uncertainty and pressure to deliver causes waste to increase, and offer several practices to reduce the anxiety caused by this stress, and hence decrease our wasteful behaviors

1. SW DEVELOPMENT
FORECAST FOR 2028
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Ilan Kirschenbaum
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2. @kirschi_ Photo licensed by Frank Schwichtenberg
2028
@kirschi_
2018
2018

3. TEXT MEET JOE
@kirschi_

4. @kirschi_
BACKGROUND:
WASTE IN
SOFTWARE@kirschi_

5. @kirschi_
SOME STATISTICS (2016)
30% of SW projects never complete
50% of the rest overrun on either time or budget or both
Average overruns 190% original estimate
Only 40%-80% of features delivered
(Big companies deliver less than small ones)
Conservative waste estimate: $160bn in the US alone!
https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/white-papers/chaos-report.pdf

6. @kirschi_
WHAT IS WASTE
IN SOFTWARE?
@kirschi_

7. @kirschi_
9 TYPES OF SOFTWARE WASTE
Sedano et al, 2017
Based on companies already implementing some kind of agile
Relating to waste resulting from agile practices
Source: http://sedano.org/toddsedano/2017/05/20/software-development-wastes.html

8. @kirschi_
BUILDING THE WRONG
PRODUCTS/FEATURES
#1

9. @kirschi_
MIS-MANAGING
THE BACKLOG
#2
@kirschi_

10. @kirschi_
REWORK
#3

11. #4 UNNECESSARILY
COMPLEX
SOLUTIONS
#5 IRRELEVANT
COGNITIVE LOAD
#6
PSYCHOLOGICAL
DISTRESS
#7 WAITING /
MULTITASKING
#8 KNOWLEDGE
LOSS
#9 INEFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATIONS

12. @kirschi_
2028 SW DEVELOPMENT
Technology advances help us reduce or eliminate waste
Robots help us do what we’re good at - being creative
Computers help us remember

13. TEXT BACK TO JOE
@kirschi_

14. BYE BYE JOE
@kirschi_

15. IN 2029, SKYNET, A
MACHINE LEARNING
SUPER COMPUTER
WILL ATTEMPT TO
DESTROY HUMANITY
IN 2019, THREE
ROGUE HUMANOIDS
WILL SET OFF ON A
MASSIVE KILLING
SPREE
IN 2045, MOST
EARTH POPULATION
WILL LIVE IN
SLUMS, ESCAPING
TO “OASIS”, A VR
GAMING WORLD
IN 2018, GOOGLE
DUPLEX PASSED THE
TURING TEST,
PLACING A VOICE
CALL WITH A HUMAN
IN 2018, INTEL,
VOLVO AND UBER’S
AUTONOMOUS CAR
ACCIDENTALLY KILLS
PEDESTRIAN
IN 2018, AMAZON GO
GETS RID OF
SUPERMARKET
CASHIERS
Google's "terrifying"
new artificial
intelligence
feature has prompted
concerns about the
takeover of the robots
and the abuse of AI.
The Independent,
May 2018
Arizona Tragedy
Will Not Slow
Autonomous
Vehicles
Forbes,
April 2018
Amazon Go And
The 2.3 Million
Cashiers It
Could Leave
Behind
Forbes,
Feb, 2018

16. ARE HUMANS BECOMING
DISPOSABLE WASTE?!
@kirschi_

17. @kirschi_
THE WORKING HYPOTHESIS -
WHY CAN’T WE GET RID OF WASTE?!
A wasteful software development process is a
social defense, symbolizing the fear of
becoming irrelevant in a state of constant
uncertainty combined with irrational pressure for
clarity and speed

18. @kirschi_

19. @kirschi_
2028
1957
Photo licensed by Frank Schwichtenberg @kirschi_
2018

20. A CASE IN THE FUNCTIONING OF
SOCIAL SYSTEMS AS
A DEFENCE AGAINST
ANXIETY
Isabel Menzies Lyth, 1957
@kirschi_

21. @kirschi_

22. @kirschi_
THE WORKING HYPOTHESIS
Underlying hypothesis, supported by evidence
The possibility of patients not getting better, despite of care,
creates unbearable anxiety

23. @kirschi_

24. @kirschi_
SPLIT
NURSE / PATIENT
DEFENSE
@kirschi_

25. @kirschi_
(IR)RESPONSIBILITY
ISSUES
@kirschi_

26. @kirschi_

27. WHY?@kirschi_

28. @kirschi_

29. @kirschi_
ON FREQUENT MOVES
Underestimating the effects of excessive moves indeed
manifested in psychological detachment: protect self against
threat of transfers: reduced psychological involvement. In
turn, reduced interest and sense of responsibility, and resulted
in Don’t Care attitude. Which then resulted in patients and
nurses [customer and developers] complaining bitterly.
Nurses [developers] felt guilty and anxious when they found
this in themselves; and angry hurt and disappointed when
found in others.

30. ANY ORGANIZATION THAT DESIGNS A SYSTEM
(DEFINED BROADLY) WILL PRODUCE A DESIGN
WHOSE STRUCTURE IS A COPY OF THE
ORGANIZATION'S COMMUNICATION STRUCTURE.
aka Conway’s Law, Mel Conway

31. THE END?!
@kirschi_

32. @kirschi_ Photo licensed by Frank Schwichtenberg
2018
@kirschi_
2018
2018

33. @kirschi_
PRAISE EFFORT

34. @kirschi_
SEARCH FOR THE
BRIGHT SPOTS

35. @kirschi_
DESIGN GOOD
DEFAULTS

36. @kirschi_
ENCOURAGE
INTENT

38. MEET JOE
@kirschi_

39. It is a huge company. Each can choose what he likes. I moved to Toronto to
manage this team. My specialty is optimization algorithms and
troubleshooting. I love business and I am thrilled when I manage to apply
Computer Science knowledge on real life problems and make real impact
every day.
What I do really impacts.
I wish I would get a fraction of the savings I bring to the company. My kids
could retire ;-)
Amazon Dev Manager

40. THANK YOU
Like us:
Visit:
Follow me:
Tweet:
CONSTANT
HIGHER
MORE
LEARNING
QUALITY
FUN
Ilan Kirschenbaum
@kirschi_
www.facebook.com/PracticalAgile
www.practical-agile.com
@Linkedin
@PracticalAgile1