I really like articles like this one from Harvard Business Review that explain exactly what we are trying to do with agile software development without using the agile vocabulary. Instead, it uses that language of our typical business sponsors to explain why the common assumptions made about our work are wrong.
Incorrectly assuming that product development is like manufacturing, many companies try to apply zero-defect, efficiency-focused techniques to product-development processes. This mind-set and other management misperceptions have given rise to six fallacies that undermine product development:
- High utilization of resources will improve performance.
- Processing work in large batches improves the economics of the process.
- Our plan is great; we just need to stick to it.
- The sooner the project is started, the sooner it will be finished.
- The more features we put into a product, the more customers will like it.
- We will be more successful if we get it right the first time.
This article explains why these assumptions are wrong and offers ways to overcome the problems they create.