In considering a leaner approach to software development, many people in the agile community are starting to turn towards an iteration-less approach. Wayne Allen talks of trialling No More Iterations, while Amit Rathore talks about an iteration-less agile process. Heck, I’ve even given it a go with a couple of my projects. On the other hand, there’s a whole movement in Italy devoted to the Pomodoro (Tomato) Technique that focuses on time-boxed activities.
So who’s correct?
The short answer: They both are.
Photo of a “time box” from Great Beyond’s Flickr stream under the Creative Commons Licence
The long answer: When you compare people not working in an iterative fashion (i.e. one phase of analysis, one phase of development, etc), to those agilists now turning away from iterations, there’s a noticeable difference, and is what I will call, discipline.
Those arbitrary time boxed units that we call an “iteration” creates cadence for teams. Cadence in turn creates rhythm, where teams can focus better on developing the healthy habits associated with agile software development. Much like the way that beginning martial artists repeat katas, it helps the Novice, Advanced Beginner and the Competent (Dreyfus Model) understand each practice individually and develop the discipline to make them effective. They don’t need to worry about which practice combines best with other practices, and yet, still see some benefit. It helps the team synchronise, predict and potentially even enforce when activities happen, giving people the stability they need when they are learning. It forces people to make important decisions that, without the associated discipline, end up deferred.
In absence of iterations, you need a guide to achieve a similar effect to encourage people to use the practices in an appropriate order. I argue that those people who are Proficient or Expert (Dreyfus Model) don’t need the iterations because they understand when to use what practice and the value it brings. They move towards what looks like an “iteration-less” approach because they are instinctively doing things iteratively without the arbitrary time box. They have enough discipline to ensure all the activities happen at the right time without causing disruption. Unfortunately, in my experience, many never make this jump to being Proficient or Expert.
What to do about it?
Iterations are useful, with that usefulness limited to a certain context. The learning level of the people involved heavily influences this. Respect the needs of the people you work with, and understand that jumping into “no iterations” requires a level of discipline you won’t achieve without people reaching these later levels of mastery.
