On Agile by Rockopera

Agile : a style for how to fix problems
Scrum : a game for fixing problems
Product Owner : picks which problems to fix
Development Team : makes stuff to fix problems
Scrum Master : helps people play the Scrum game better
Sprint Backlog : a list of problems to fix now
Product Backlog : a list of problems to fix later
Work Increment : the stuff we hope fixes a problem
Sprint : a turn in the Scrum game
Kanban : some rules for doing stuff
Sprint Planning : to pick problems to fix next
Daily Scrum : to check if anyone is stuck
Refining : to get ready problems to fix next
Sprint Review : to learn from what problems we fixed
Sprint Retrospective : to learn from how we fixed problems

Introduction

Hi! Welcome to my opinion on the product development mindset called "Agile"! I'm rockopera.eth, and this project is a collection of my thoughts on Agile-related topics, framed and reframed into different versions to then be taught in a highly modular manner. The style behind each version of a topic is inspired by how much time I have to speak, which led to choosing a target audience and context per style. This self-imposed constraint is an exercise in understanding the essence of a topic, and then curating words to communicate a specific level of meaning. What are those styles? Well, if I had only 2 seconds to speak about each style, I'd say, while hopefully demonstrating the 2-second style as I did before this introduction: From here on out, I'll prepend each thought with its format: "[topic] @ [style]", so if this seems repetitive, redundant, or weird, this is primarily meant to be a resource for personal utility, so... welcome to how I think.

Instructions

Read this.
Experiment with these ideas.
And if I die before I'm able to come up with a better means, and if you're feeling generous, please keep this memeplex alive by extending the registration of "rockopera.eth" on ENS Domains.

Agility in 6 seconds

6s @ 6s : Definitional, and packed with higher-level ideas, to unpack over coffee with a fellow adult.

Agile @ 6s : a mindset for making BIG things... by trying SMALL things and learning from BOTH... the customers and the makers
Scrum @ 6s : a framework for making BIG things... by trying SMALL things and learning from BOTH... the customers and the makers
Product Owner @ 6s : empathizes with ALL parties... then prioritizes what to TRY now and next... towards an INSPIRING vision
Development Team @ 6s: SOLVES problems... or LEARNS about them... by TRYING small things autonomously... and at a sustainable pace
Scrum Master @ 6s : coaches INTENTIONAL evolution... through continuous improvement at ALL levels... and at a sustainable pace
Kanban @ 6s : an approach that values doing a FEW things at a time... and continuously improving the FLOW of VISUALIZED work
Work Increment @ 6s : the FRUITS of labor by a FOCUSED team, READY for FEEDBACK from all parties, while DONE enough to SHIP
Sprint Backlog @ 6s : a SHORT and STATIC list... of HIGHEST priority stuff... that's READY enough to start
Product Backlog @ 6s : a LONG and CHANGING list... of LOWER priority stuff... that's sourced FROM FEEDBACK
Sprint @ 6s : the UNCHANGING TIME BOX for the Scrum framework... with SCHEDULED opportunities for PLANNING and REVIEWING
Sprint Planning @ 6s : to FORECAST what to do and achieve... by the END of the UPCOMING Sprint... that's NEXT HIGHEST PRIORITY
Daily Sprint @ 6s : to REFORECAST what to do and achieve... by the END of the CURRENT Sprint... and ASK for HELP face-to-face
Refining @ 6s : to DISCUSS as a TEAM the NEXT highest priority things to do... until they are READY enough to START
Sprint Review @ 6s : to get FEEDBACK from CUSTOMERS on WHAT was done in the Sprint... and how it fits in the context of longer-term plans
Sprint Retrospective @ 6s : to get FEEDBACK from the DEVELOPMENT TEAM on HOW they did in the Sprint... and then they decide what to try to be better

6s @ 20s : Assume an audience who has experienced corporate terms, and now balance the capturing of core ideas with it not feeling like simply listing buzzwords. Aim for density that inspires curiosity, but let's be real: likely a request for it to be said again, and slower this time.

Agility in 20 seconds

20s @ 6s : The utility and opinion I really want to say, to help a team last as long as the oldest corporations.

Agile @ 20s : It's a way of acting in the world where you embrace feedback, not just on what you're doing, by talking to customers, but also how you're doing it, by talking to the makers, and if you're so bold, why you're doing it at all, by talking to the leaders. And if you want better feedback, learn more often by doing less at a time.
Scrum @ 20s : It's a collection of ideas, from a study of successful projects, on how to build things and solve problems as a team, in an environment that's always changing. The roles and gatherings are defined to manage risk by making smaller things, then learning from both the impact of those things, and how they were made.
Product Owner @ 20s : Set a vision. Inspire people with said vision. Set a prioritization scheme towards that vision. Now prepare to disappoint people as you get ideas from customers and stakeholders because you have to be able to say "no" and "not yet", explaining the prioritization scheme, and priorities, that serve the vision.
Development Team @ 20s : This small and cross-functional team is the unit of productivity, a set of makers whose expertise is respected when crafting both how they work together, and the work itself. They aim to turn a concept into cash, empowered to offer a change unto the world as a nudge towards the team's and customer's desired futures.
Scrum Master @ 20s : Helps the team own their own evolution, is a trusted advisor to product leadership, and generally inspires Agility by modeling it in all aspects of life. Seriously. Embodying the role builds empathy and is good practice. Key tool? A frontlog: backlog for actionable items of improvement.
Work Increment @ 20s : The offering made with the intent to impact the world. The nudge to the present towards a future desired by both the customers and the makers. We don't know if it will actually have an effect - we can't assume success just because we finished making it - so we must seek feedback from the world. Has customer behaviour changed? Is anybody saying "thank you"?
Product Backlog @ 20s : Feedback from customers, requests from stakeholders, and other changes in direction all reflect a world in flux. Change may feel scary, but the option to adopt it is just that: an option. This list is not a "to-do" list, but a "can-do" list of these options, ordered by priority, embracing a world in flux.
Sprint Backlog @ 20s : The short list of things to do is a gift for a world in flux. It enables a team of makers to focus on... making. Its items are all of the next highest priority, understood enough by the team to start, and ideally doesn't change until its periodic refresh. An island of focus in a sea of flux.
Refining @ 20s : Part of figuring out if something is even worth doing is guessing if the benefit is worth the cost. While you can only really know how long something will take after it's already done, the team can better forecast the cost by discussing this task as a team: to understand it enough to start, and to frame it so it is actually doable by the team on the sooner side.
Sprint @ 20s : It's a period of time for a team to make stuff, together. The cycle ends with the seeking of feedback on both what was made, and the making process. The cycle restarts with the incorporating of that feedback via what to make next, and how to better make together. Every Sprint: make the next best thing, and continuously improve how we do it.
Sprint Planning @ 20s : The Sprint starts with the team picking what to work on next, and it's usually the highest priority stuff from a list of... stuff. Balancing other forecasted uses of their time and attention for the period that is the Sprint, this list is refined by the team asking themselves, "Do we think we can get all this done?"
Daily Scrum @ 20s : If the beginning of the period that is the Sprint is kicked-off with, "Do we think we can get all this done?", then the essence of the all-team, face-to-face, quick daily gathering is, "Do we STILL think we can get all this done?". So it's really a mini-planning session, where help is asked and offered. Keep it quick.
Sprint Review @ 20s : It's a review of what was done in the short-term past (what was accomplished in the period that is the Sprint), and what is planned for the short-to-mid-term future (priorities and roadmaps), where feedback is solicited from customers for both.
Sprint Retrospective @ 20s : It's a review of how the team worked together in the just-finished period that is the Sprint, where feedback is solicited from the team for what to try to make the next Sprint suck less, and maybe even awesome. This is the most Agile event, and magical in that it could rederive the rest of Scrum.
Kanban @ 20s : The name of the game is to optimize the flow of productivity, so visualize the work, and minimize work-in-progress. Promote change that is evolutionary, not revolutionary, but only after first respecting the people, practices, and policies in place.

20s @ 20s : Picture an appeal, in my most personal words, before a team embarking on a quest to survive for generations, and evolve through a future we cannot foresee. Not intending breadth, this final parting shot has depth from experience, or nuance from practice. And then the spaceship doors seal shut, so make it count.

Agility in 60 seconds

60s @ 6s : a parable for the ages, literally, imparting a truth both utilitarian and profound
60s @ 20s : There's something about each of these Agile ideas that's not just useful for the now, but deep across time. Not just for entrepreneurial ventures, impacting the world for profit, but also for communities, surviving long enough to witness their own archeological evidence. Like strong genes carried across peoples and generations, these are strong memes that could carry across cultures and millennia.

Epilogue

I am not Hermes Trismegistus, but thank you for reading what I consider my Emerald Tablet, not of Alchemy, but of Agility.
This is an opus to help us all rock, in the ways we best can.
Rock on, every peoples.