The Art of Agile Development

Let the Right People Do the Right Things

A functioning team is not enough. You need to have the right people working well together. You need a diverse range of expertise. Once you find the right people, trust them to do their jobs. Instead of creating a process that protects your organization from its employees, create a process that enables team members to excel.

Give the team control over its own work. They’re the experts—that’s why they’re on the team. Trust them, and back up that trust by giving them authority over the project’s success. If you can’t trust your team, you don’t have the right people. No one is perfect, but you need a team that, as a whole, you can trust.

Note

Authority over day-to-day decisions extends to your agile process as well. Use the agile principles to change your own process rather than allowing someone to impose process changes.

Within the team, anyone can be a leader. Encourage team members to turn to the person or people most qualified to make a necessary decision. For example, when you need design decisions, ask your senior programmers for help. When you need business decisions, ask your most experienced businessperson to make the right choice.

Leadership doesn’t mean pounding on the table or shouting, “I’m most senior, so we’ll do it my way!” Leadership comes by leading. If the team thinks you’re most qualified to make a decision, they’ll follow your guidance. If not, don’t act as if you have authority over them, even if you think you do. Managers, rather ...