I just submitted a paper on agile values and the underrepresentation of women in software development.

This is not an original topic but the research I’ve read has focused on how women who participate in agile practices, particularly XP pair programming have more favorable impressions of the work and of their ability to contribute both of which are correlated to entering the occupation.^1,2

My belief is that agile practices are tools but it is the agile values that give us the urgency, courage and insight to wield those tools towards a desired outcome.

That is, we are much more capable of making software development more tolerant and inviting of diversity if we believe we should do this as part of our core mission as Agilists to develop with craft and quality and to deliver value to our employers and our end users (do not forget).

So, the rough outline of my paper is this:

• The shortage of women entering software development and disproportionate share of women leaving mid-career is real and measurable and well documented.
• The problem is worse in IT than it is in almost all other areas of STEM because, unusually, the percentage of women in software development has actually declined over the last 20 years.
• This shortage and particularly the attrition of experienced women developers represents a material burden to our industry.

• Product teams that represent the diversity of their customers have a potential advantage in developing products that appeal to that diverse customer base
• Women are at least the equals of men when it comes to influencing consumer technology spending and online activity
• Therefore, it is in the interest of the industry to educate, recruit and retain women developers

• Agile is a collection of practices united by a coherent set of principles
• As agile becomes mainstream it is more important than ever that practitioners understand and embody these principles
• The creators of the Agile Manifesto realize this and are calling us to a principled approach to our work
• These principles are at stake when it comes to things that affect the competitiveness, insight into end users, and potential for innovation in our teams
• If we engage our agile practices behind this principled cause we can begin to remove the impediments within our own organizations to the recruitment and retention of women
• When we do, we will influence larger changes across the industry, within education and in society

I’ll go into more detail and try to defend my arguments in later posts. In the meantime, I’m happy to engage with anyone who finds fault in my premise.

¹S. Berenson and K. Slaten. “Voices of women in a software engineering course” in JERIC, vol. 4.1, Mar. 2004.

²O. Hazzan and Y. Dubinsky. “Empower Gender Diversity with Agile Software Development” in Encyclopedia of Gender and Information Technology. E. Taugh, Ed. Hershey, PA: IGI-Global, 2006, pp 249-256.

Short link: http://jkat.me/jZqQpF

Tag(s): agile, Agile Manifesto, pair programming, principle, women

Comments: 1

Dear consultant who uses “agile” as part of your brand,

I am a possible customer who embraces agile principles, practices agile techniques and has done so for years.

I admire the tenacity and talent it takes to build a business in consulting.

The best of you offer your clients techniques, language and a way of thinking that can better lives and turn around companies: advising them in ways to change their own organizations, bolstering their courage to experiment, helping them learn to iteratively learn, inspiring them to foster teams, empower individual contributors, incrementally improve, and helping them grow past dependency on your services.

Here’s how I judge whether a thought leader is a worthy mentor:

• Your reputation among those of your peers I know and respect.
• Do you provide context/share credit: “This is where it originated, this is who popularized or researched it, this is who’s written well on it. This is my version of it.”
• Do you espouse principles: “This is about defining work that builds equity because it offers real benefit to end users and a way of working that entrusts individual contributors of diverse talents to collaborate within teams to deliver that benefit.”
• Are you frank: “Most companies who try this fail. Most managers who try this will not change their own behavior enough to allow their teams to succeed for them.”
• Do you embody the principles: “It is about your team(s). Not me. I do not have right answers only experience, a willingness to listen, and techniques to help us figure out what you need to do to help yourselves.”

Conversely, these are the bad smells:

• Celebrating the widespread adoption of “Agile” without acknowledging most “agile” adoptions are crap.
• Celebrating scale not individual team excellence.
• Focusing on techniques not principles as if “stories” and “iterations” were magic.
• Talking about software tools before disciplined engineering practice.
• Talking about “value” and “productivity” as if a leader’s understanding of these terms were not a/the major obstacle to their workers ability to perform.
• Jamming agile practices into a contradictory way of thinking: “Agile process manager” anyone?
• Coining new jargon for a slight spin on existing practices: It looks like a timebox, smells like a timebox, tastes like a timebox. “I call it creato-inno-rations™.”
• Putting yourself above the problem: Just because you were really good when you practiced doesn’t mean you are a brilliant coach. Just because you’re a brilliant coach doesn’t mean you can do my job better than me. Just because you can do my job better than me doesn’t mean paying you to not do my job provides my company value.
• Overheated claims of personal invention/Not giving credit to others. Sorry guys (and I mean guys), Mary Poppendieck was talking kanban and software development fifteen years ago. You’ve advanced the craft, you’re changing minds, and you may be very good at what you do but you are not Archimedes.

As a potential customer, I need your honest criticism, I am impressed by your ability to learn from others. I respect determination and humility more than bravado.

Give credit where credit is due and do exceptionally well.

Short link: http://jkat.me/JpGgMv

Tag(s): agile, coach, Consultant, excellence, manager, Mary Poppendieck, organization, principle, software development, Team

Comments: none