Intended Audience
We're hoping to provide value for current and aspiring members of agile teams, trainers, consultants, and course providers.
We've identified several target personas and groups corresponding with the agile skill levels.
People who are QUESTIONING the need for agile skills:
Susan, a developer, sees through the glitz of agile--and knows it won't change the big boss. Death-march projects have beaten the passion out of her, and she doesn't see the need to collaborate. It's safer to keep your head down and do what they tell you. Plus, all this talk about test-driven development, stand-up meetings, and retrospectives seems like extra work that will just make her 65-hour workweek even longer.
Justin, a software consultant with a long track record of success, has every reason to believe that his common-sense, pragmatic approach to software construction is all he needs to know, and doesn't get why anyone would need agile, or any methodological approach to software for that matter.
David, a great architect, has been doing phased development with rigorous change management for 20 years. He thinks agile methods are risky and lack rigor and forethought.
They are experienced developers who do not see the need for agile skills. They lack interest or even search reasons why not to do agile.
Most important facet of the agile skill inventory: pros and cons of particular agile skills compared to non-agile methods.
People who are LEARNING agile skills:
Anna, a developer, wants to improve her agile skills; she doesn't know where to go next.
Fred, a CD professor who last wrote code in 1978, has been told by the dean to start "teaching agile 101" next year.
Non-agile people who start to go agile. They want to go agile but have no idea where to start. They need guidance through the agile skills inventory so that they won't get lost. If they do not have a coach it's up to them to find a way.
Most important facet of the agile skill inventory: recommended way to start improving agile skills.
People who are PRACTICING to improve:
Anna, see above
Blue Team, who are trying to be agile, routinely miss their sprint goals, and don't yet understand why.
Sandy, the self-taught team member, wants to retain her credibility as others around her become certified.
Tim, an agile trainee, wants to trust the quality of the material presented to him.
They are new to agile development and successfully took their first steps learning a bunch of agile skills. They begin to get an agile mind set and want to know more. They need guidance on how to improve a particular agile skill.
Most important facet of the agile skill inventory: how to improve a particular skill.
People who are JOURNEYING to improve:
Tim, see above
Helen, an agile consultant, wants help being seen as an expert.
They are experienced agile developers who want to improve. They already have an agile mind set and want to learn and get better all the time. They want to be able to figure out, on their own, which next steps to take and which way to go. In-depth information, diversity and alternative ways are mandatory in the agile skills inventory to be useful for this user group.
Most important facet of the agile skill inventory: how to experiment with a particular skill.
People who are MASTERING skills and GUIDING others to improve:
John, a VP of Software Development, wants to improve his organization's skills, but doesn't know or can't choose where to turn.
Fred, see above
Sandra, a principal in an agile trade association, needs a coherent position on agile team member skills development, to support their vision of "transforming the world of work".
Charlie, a generalist agile trainer, wants a generally-accepted/reference curriculum, to avoid unknowingly contradicting sensible established practice.
Phil, an individual agile consultant/trainer, wants not to have to fight a misleading certification encroaching on his business.
AgileCo, who already provides a proprietary agile assessment, wants to avoid having the value of their assessment diluted.
XPCo, who already provides a group of services (consulting, training, ...) wants to retain its brand identity and differentiators (as "agile").
PlinkCo, who provides a proprietary agile assessment, wants to comply with (and perhaps influence) the emerging standard.
Helen, see above
Coaches, mentors, trainers, and leaders who want others to improve. Their main task is transitioning teams/organizations with different starting conditions to agile, which requires them to figure out individual ways through the agile skill inventory. They have to convince not only personae like "Cubie" and "Justin" but also management and decision makers.
Most important facet of the agile skill inventory: importance/usefulness of a particular skill and how to improve it.
People who are CONTRIBUTING to our repertoire of agile skills:
Geoffrey, a researcher of agile principles and practices, wants to focus his research on terra incognita in the agile skills landscape.
Ellen, an author with 15+ years agile practice, wants to share her in-depth experience.
Very experienced practitioners with a highly professional, hard agile attitude. Some of them are well known in the agile community, already contributing as conference speakers, book authors, method inventors, thinkers, etc. Some are newcomers with fresh approaches who will find the next breakthroughs.
Most important facet of the agile skill inventory: both broad and in-depth coverage of agile skills.
In addition to groups that correspond with skill levels, we have identified two other interested groups: those needing a basic Understanding and those wanting Certification.
People who need basic UNDERSTANDING of agile skills:
Amy, an HR hiring professional has been told to hire "a bunch of agilists", and doesn't know (at all) what makes "an agilist".
Tina, a computer book publisher, wants to continue to sell important books as agile certification helps move agile further into the mainstream.
Walter, a bank CIO, wants to convert his IT department to agile, to prevent it being outsourced.
Mortimer, a bank CIO wants to safely outsource IT to a "guaranteed agile" firm.
Meta-agile people who need basic understanding of agile skills. They usually have no clue about agile skills. They need a broad overview of agile skill terminology, agile concepts, and how all these things are related (web or hierarchy).
Most important facet of the agile skill inventory: overview of skill sets.
People who want CERTIFICATION:
Larry, a Ph.D from a prestigious non-accredited university, wants another certification because he perceives it will help him find work.
Oscar, an unemployed developer, wants to be certified because he thinks that collecting any certification he can will help him get work.
Mary, a tester, wants agile testing certification because that's what's expected by all the employers/recruiters she knows.
Unlike the people who want to improve to get better, these people want to learn to get certified.
Most important facet of the agile skill inventory: levels of a particular skill and agile skill levels in general.
References:
Source for this list is here: http://dhondtsayitsagile.blogspot.com/2009/10/agile-developer-skills-workshop-day-one.html.