We Were Hired For A Hidden Agenda
Agile Development • IT Consulting • Kanban • Scrum • Software Project Stories
Ever been on a software development project where one team is putting pressure on another because of a hidden agenda? I was, and things got interesting...
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Ever been on a software development project where one team is putting pressure on another because of a hidden agenda?
I was once asked to investigate two teams that worked together to build a software product for doing taxes.
The first team contacted us and said they needed help with releasing software better.
So I planned to use an interview I’d come up with over the years.
It had questions I could ask people about how they work together.
Things like how they gather requirements, test the software, and approve releases for example.
While interviewing the first team, it became clear that they did’t like the second team.
The second team wasn’t following scrum, while the first team was.
The first team was convinced the problem was with the second team.
However after interviewing many people on both teams, we realized the second team was following kanban.
But they were doing it for a good reason – to respond to unpredictable changes in tax code.
So eventually we presented our findings, and though many people were pleased – our client was disappointed that we hadn’t only found issues with the second team.
In this episode, I share the story of how I had to avoid being used as a pawn in corporate politics at my client.
I hope it helps you avoid being put into a situation where you’re pressured to side with a group of people to force another to change unwillingly!
About the THRIVING TECHNOLOGIST show
On YouTube and all major podcast networks, Jayme shares teamwork and leadership strategies, guidelines for healthy company culture, and stories about real projects so you can have a sustainable career in the software industry.
Jayme Edwards
A family man and veteran of nearly 40 software projects, Jayme experienced many wins and losses over his career as an architect and consultant.
Now he's coaching software developers, managers, and business owners to overcome challenges in the IT industry - so they keep growing.