Same Agile words, very different Waterfall meanings
When a bike puncture is fixed or a broken bone is fully healed, one would normally expect the problem to be solved once and for all.
Where for a healthy diet or a fit body, one would normally expect to put in a repeated effort.
What’s the underlying difference?
The 1st instance appears to be a one-off exceptional event that nudged a system out of its stable state. And the fix put it back in place.
The 2nd instance appears to be a status of dynamic equilibrium that require a continuous and ongoing effort.
Nowadays that modern ways of working (Agil-ity) are mainstream, so is its terminology. But people often refer to the same words with very different meanings. Some with the 1st “one-off” instance in mind, someone else with the 2nd “continuous & ongoing” instance in mind.
This is a possible explanation for the persisting confusion and different views around terms like
- collaboration,
- knowledge sharing,
- code design,
- UX/CX design,
- refactoring,
- test automation,
- continuous integration,
- release automation,
- planning,
- change management,
- transformation,
- …
How do you think about them, as “one-off” or “continuous & ongoing”?
Taking a fun angle, have a look at this Agile Theatre Naming Convention below.
Am I missing something important?
In this image, Theatre is intended as a representation of a fictional reality aimed at hiding the reality itself, and preserving it as it is from any chance of change.
On this topic Ayan Chakraborty shared with me this pertinent quote:
<< What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet. >>
from Romeo & Juliet by Shakespeare.
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