Let's Call It A Crappy Week At Work

It's not like anything terrible happened; just lots of little bad events. I actually commented to one person - who I trust not to take me too seriously when I say things like that! - "Sometimes I despair of us ever actually succeeding at Agile..."

Between the disconnect some departments are still exhibiting when interacting with the Feature Teams, and the pressure we're getting to crank out product while we still haven't really gotten our Agile feet under us, it certainly feels, at times, like we're out of control. Having been at the centre of the Agile Experiment since it's inception, I've been exposed to so many aspects of it that I often forget most of the people around me haven't been. I keep expecting them to get it, and some of them just don't. Given my personality, it's hard not to get frustrated when that happens. It's a little like teaching: every year, a new crop of kids arrive who are going to struggle with the same Grade 5 math you've been teaching for years, and so you have to start all over again with the basics. Clearly some individuals excel at that sort of thing - great teachers are almost criminally under-appreciated, in my opinion - but I'm not one of them.

On the other hand... it's an amazing cultural transition to experience, especially for someone in my role who sees much more of it than most, and here they are paying me to be a part of it! If I could just maintain that attitude every Monday to Friday, I'm sure I'd enjoy the ride a whole lot more!