Being Agile

Photo by Jason Crane

There are those in the community who talk about "being Agile" rather than "doing Agile."  I'd like to avoid getting into that debate but share two examples of how Agile-thinking has bled over into parts of my non-work life.

Example #1 - The Gear of Theta Tau

I am the Editor-in-Chief of my fraternity's magazine, which is published twice a year.  While it has been adjustment for me to get used to finalizing a magazine rather than software to Done Done because there are no more changes or tweaks after it has gone to print, I have found it extremely helpful to track the progress of articles using a kanban board.  Right now I am using an electronic tool, and it allows me to see articles that are still in the Idea stage, those I am waiting to receive or need to write, ones ready for editing, and articles that are ready for design.  Since I receive articles throughout the year, I can get a visual sense of whether I have enough content for a magazine issue or if I need to take action to generate more.  I used this method for the latest issue of the magazine, and I can see that I already have some content for the next issue.

Example #2 - Trebuchet

Some friends of mine started the DFW Trebuchet Society a few years ago, and I decided to participate this year.  While my role was primarily focused around safety, I also helped us stay true to our planning by making sure our kanban board was updated each week.  We had to find the right balance of planning/design vs building, and I think we were pretty successful.  Our team, Hello Trebby, performed well and looked cute too.