We need to tach the agile reformation.

I have a love affair with teachers.  My Aunt was a teacher and an elementary school principal.  My first wife was a teacher, and my current romantic partner is a teacher.  I owe my career and success to teachers who invested time and energy in me.  Teachers are the glue that holds society together, and without them, the world would collapse into a puddle of ignorance — teachers matter.

I some respects, I have become a teacher myself. I have spent the last few decades of my life learning software development and project management.  Now, I am sharing my knowledge with others and helping make business better one project at a time.  Being a scrum master and agile coach means being a teacher.  The Agile manifesto and principles of agile are the foundation of a massive ecosystem of learning about how to make work more sustainable, satisfying, and sane.  It is a calling, just like teaching.

The world of agile is continuously changing. After the creation of the agile manifesto, we did not know how to scale agile to larges organizations; software testing was not part of the conversation, and many though it would only work with technology.  Today, thanks to the contributions of thousands of people we have solutions to those challenges.  We use agile in Human Resources, Education, Marketing, and Finance.

To me, the reasons for Agile's growth are clear. The emphasis on transparency, inspection, and adaptation prevents organizations from being dogmatic about how they do things. It is a pragmatic approach that makes an effort to deal with the chaotic nature of the contemporary world. It is also a worldview seen through the lens of engineering, where people fix problems and discover solutions. Finally, it is an optimistic approach to the world where we make small and steady continuous improvements one sprint at a time.

The agile reformation is not entirely unicorns and glitter.People resist change, and large organizations are notoriously hard to transform. I have suffered numerous personal and professional setbacks in this field. Every reformation has a counter-reformation. Still, the hard work and dedication to teaching others how to do things better keep the movement moving forward. My love affair with teachers began when I was a child. The love has grown stronger as I have become a coach in the agile reformation.

Until next time.