The Prettier the Slides, the Worse the Agile Transformation

If someone presents a beautiful slide deck for your Agile transformation listing all the steps to success, then you're being bamboozled.

The better and less risky your Agile transformation looks on PowerPoint slides, the more likely it is to fail.

The presenters are making shit up to make it look like they got all the answers, without even getting their hands dirty. They are busy painting a picture that this whole endeavour comes without risk and uncertainty. They’re actively working to fool you.

Executives often eat it all up. The illusion of control makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like a good cup of hot chocolate. We let our guards down if the slides look great.

If good-looking slides could provide all the answers, we would be seeing far more successful transformations.

Fix your problems. Use that learning to fix more problems. And then use that understanding to fix even more problems.

Don’t be lazy and buy the illusion that adhering to any framework is going to solve your problems. There are no shortcuts.

The problem with problems is that they don’t respect the boundaries or solutions your framework dictates.

Don’t let the frameworks fool you that they know more about your situation than you do — they don’t.

Do what works, and that’s all that matters.