There are many quotes to the effect that perfection is a path and not a location (my wording in this case). To me, this is the essence of agile vs waterfall (and, to a degree, SAFe).
Agile trusts that high performing teams, following processes that support continual re-evaluation, will produce higher quality deployable results with the same amount of resources.
All methodologies have processes (or ceremonies). Properly followed, they can all produce good results. Whether one methodology will produce better results than another is fairly moot, because it isn’t the methodology alone that influences the results. It is where the focus of the team is while following the methodology that makes the difference.
A team that is focusing on a date will almost always have to skip some steps to make that date.
A team this focused on the completed product is almost always going to miss an import use case (very simple products excepted).
A team that is focused on absolute perfection of every task is going to miss business expectations.
A team that is focused on sticking to an iterative process and willing to course-correct their approach to improve the next iteration will always produce better deliverables.
Leadership is less about providing direction and more about communicating where the team should focus to be successful. The goal is to have a shared vision and foster the flow state that will support realizing some version of that vision at regular intervals.
Or, to use another similar quote, “This is the way”.
© Scott S. Nelson
