The Hacker Way

A few days ago, Paweł Wrzeszcz sent me Erik Meijer’s talk “One Hacker Way” (watch here) from the GOTO Conference in Copenhagen. It is a very provocative talk, which is great. It questions the Scrum method and challenges the status quo in Agile. Given that Scrum is a dominant framework in software development, a critical view is healthy, especially as Agile has become a significant business machine over the past 20 years. When implementing Agile at Scale, core ideas can easily become distorted. (Check out Dave Thomas’ “Agile is Dead” talk here).

So, Erik’s talk is a call to end the status quo about Agile.

Critique of the Presentation

What I don’t like about the talk is its presentation style. It’s manipulative and presents a single perspective. Here are some examples:

• Comparison to McDonald’s: He compares Scrum to McDonald’s, implying a process with average predictability and quality, suggesting that any teenager could work there. Which programmer wants to associate with McDonald’s? It’s a biased metaphor.
• Hacker Identity: He establishes an attractive Hacker identity, contrasting it with the Agile team player.
• Preference for Coding over Standups: He states, “I prefer building software (coding) than doing standups” — is there a real opposition?
• Control vs. Freedom: He claims Scrum is about controlling, while Hacking is about freedom and innovation — really?
• Value of Discussions: “Every minute talking about software is lost” resonates with the old programmer’s anti-pattern of diving straight into code without considering the context.

Erik’s Hacker Way Recommendations

Erik advocates for the hacker way as an antidote:

• Focus on Impact: Solve the most important problems.
• Move Fast: Learn only by doing.
• Be Bold: Take risks and experiment.
• Be Open: Maintain transparency about decisions.
• Build Social Value: Contribute to the community.

These values are strikingly similar to Agile and Scrum:

• Focus on Impact: Aligns with creating business value.
• Move Fast: Reflects “inspect and adapt”.
• Be Bold: Embodies the value of courage.
• Be Open: Corresponds with transparency.
• Build Social Value: While not directly linked, it’s aligned with Agile principles.

Context Lacking in the Talk

The talk lacks context. Erik’s experience stems from working at Microsoft and Facebook. He shares the perspective of software companies with their own products. What about companies outsourcing services or having IT departments with developers? The hacker way is developer-centric, suited for developer-centric companies possessing their own products. It’s about experimenting, more than planning, focusing on innovation, which isn’t feasible in B2B services with tight margins. Developer-centric companies require highly skilled programmers.

Summary Context for The Hacker Way:

• Developer-centric software development company
• Having its own product
• Employing top programmers
• Focused on innovation

Meta-Level Message

Erik Meijer’s talk signals a segment of the community growing weary of Agile/Scrum. Agile has shifted more towards management than Software Craftsmanship, prompting the emergence of the Software Craftsmanship movement. The message is clear: developers are frustrated with planning and micromanagement, longing to return to coding. Despite Agile’s goal to streamline processes, the reality, especially with scaled implementations, can be cumbersome due to frequent meetings. It’s time for the industry to inspect and adapt to these insights.

(Text translated and moved from original old blog automatically by AI. May contain inaccuracies.)