Thoughts for a Holiday break.

I’m taking a break this week and possibly next. I didn’t want to just disappear for two weeks though. I leave you with a short simple thought.

As an Agilist I have a mindset I approach projects and planning with. I go beyond just projects with it though. It is the same approach I use in direct development of software. I use the same mindset in setting up my work space and picking the tools I use to do my job.

I even take this mindset beyond the workplace. In parenting two preschoolers an Agile mindset is essential. Imagine taking a road trip with preschoolers. What approach would work better? Creating a strict plan completely built up front with deviation only allowed in extreme circumstances or creating a loose plan with room for adjustment made available?

This is the Agile mindset. A mistake many make is in thinking the Agile mindset is about taking that road trip with planning limited to a vague idea of where you want to end up. In reality it is planning the important parts of the road trip (destination, overnight stays) and allowing for the details (gas stops, meal times) to be worked out as close as practical to the time they occur.

So practice this mindset over the Holidays. Go ahead and have a plan for visiting family, for how the evenings and mornings will go with your family. At the same time, be ready for things to change. Be OK with the fact that there are things about the time you don’t yet know. Allow reasonable change to occur. Sometimes, even the end goal will change by the time you get there.

Don’t just use Agile practices at work, start to really be Agile. Become an Agilist.