In the previous article, we said that Agile is not a silver bullet. Agile has its adaptation scenarios. The traditional waterfall style is not useless. So Agile and waterfall style are not a substitute relationship. We need to choose and tailor appropriately according to the specific situation. Today we will come. Let’s talk about what management methods should be used in different scenarios.
What is the difference between waterfall, iteration, incremental, and agile?
Before starting to introduce the scope of agile trials, let's distinguish several life cycle concepts.
1 The waterfall is also called the predictive life cycle . The typical feature is that it is executed in the order of the process from project initiation, requirement analysis, functional design, coding, testing to final release. There is a clear handover between the stages, and the results of the previous stage are the latter In the first stage of input, customers can only see the true face of the product after the final production release; therefore, the characteristic of the predictive life cycle is that the degree of change is not high and the frequency of delivery is low;
2 The frequency of incremental life cycle delivery will become very high, but each increment is more like a small waterfall, which is also a clear difference from real agile, and although the speed is faster, the frequency of change Still not high, still expect to follow the original plan to promote steadily;
3 The iterative life cycle is very similar to the traditional waterfall, but at each stage, it is hoped to meet expectations through continuous iterations, and then enter the next stage, such as combining the version update of the prototype and continuously polishing the requirements. Until the requirements pass the review, unlike the incremental life cycle pursuit of speed, iteration is more like a process of continuous learning and improvement. In summary, the degree of iterative changes has become higher, but the frequency of delivery is still very low, and customers are still needed Keep plenty of patience;
4 Agile Agile is more like a combination of iteration and incremental models. Through continuous iteration, embrace change and continuously deliver business value (the degree of change and frequency of iteration are both high).
Therefore, through the introduction of the life cycle model, everyone can understand that each model has its scope of application. Which one is more advanced and which is more advanced. It is not certain that in the near future, agile will become the so-called Traditional method.
Cynefin model
After understanding the characteristics of common models, we will explain from the perspective of different scenarios. Now I share a content with you, called Cynefin model. The Cynefin framework was first proposed in 1999 by Welsh scholar Dave Snowden in Knowledge Management and Organizational Strategy. This framework is used to describe problems, environments and systems. Explain what environment and what solution is suitable for use. This model divides the scene we face into five parts as shown in the figure below. Yes, the center point is also a scene.
First of all, let’s talk about the scene in the lower right corner. We call it the simple domain (Simple). The simple domain is as simple as its name. There are best practices to learn from, so the countermeasures we take can be: sense –Categorize –respond , such as this scenario: We divide 5 people into a small team to make a game. The rule of the game is to give the team a box of Lego and ask them to classify Lego by color. This is simple enough Right, so after the team understands the rules, it can perform actions by looking at the right Lego. For example, everyone is responsible for sorting out one or more color pairs of Lego, and soon we can get the desired result.
Look at the scene in the upper right corner. We call it Complicated. Complicated may have some good practices, but some analysis should be done according to the actual situation, so the measures to be taken should be: sense-analyze -Response (respond) , that is, to understand the situation first, analyze and plan based on the actual situation, and then solve the problem. It is still an example of Lego. If the current requirements become, in addition to color classification, Lego should be built in order of higher and smaller. Compared with simple scenes, there are more requirements, and the team needs to communicate first. , And then comprehensively analyze the situation of Lego and the rules of the game, and then deal with it according to the method agreed in the group.
The scene in the upper left corner is called the complex domain. The scene in the complex domain may not be able to find a foolproof strategy through advance planning. It requires the team to explore and sum up the experience and lessons in order to finally reach the goal. The recommended measures are: Probe-sense-respond ; if the requirements of the Lego game become: the team wants to build a house with Lego, under this requirement, everyone may think of different houses in their minds. It is also impossible to reach agreement through simple language description, so after a short communication, you need to try to build a house. During the construction, some people may propose that the house needs a door, and some people may say that the house needs a roof while building it. Only by discussion can we align our thoughts and build a house that meets the requirements step by step.
The scene in the lower left corner is called Choatic. In such a scene, we may be affected by various unpredictable factors, so other processing strategies are not applicable. The most effective method is: act-sense (sense) )–Respond , that is, try to do it first, understand the environment and the disturbances you are in through actions, and gradually establish order; if the requirement of the Lego game is to build a house, but the team members cannot speak, and build In the process, there will be people who will continue to interfere, such as adjusting a member of the team to another team, letting everyone pause for 5 minutes, and listen to some irrelevant comments. In this environment, we can only start building the house first. By aligning thoughts with actions and summarizing the impact of the environment, we strive to transform chaotic scenes into complex scenes.
The last scenario is the right part in the middle. We call it Disorder. In this scenario, no method will be effective. What we need to do is to classify the problem and assign it to different scenarios, and then pass Respond to the suggested measures corresponding to the scene.
The reason why the Cynefin model was introduced above is to express that agile is not a panacea . In the Cynefin model, agile methods can be used in complex domains, but the most agile domain is the complex domain. For simple domains, everything is more Clearly, we can use the traditional waterfall style, make a plan, and execute step by step. For the chaotic domain, it seems that agile cannot ensure success. Whether to use agile or other management methods, it is necessary to go through continuous action (sense)-response (respond) to find a suitable method.
Agile family
Now, agile is no longer just a method applied in the field of software development. Agile sales, agile HR, and agile performance are all using or drawing on the idea of agile in various fields. Here is a video about agile family and agile thinking such as how to introduce among the families, how to manage a good boy, how to create an open, transparent, equitable, pleasant family atmosphere, watch the video below, I hope you can gain something.
