Marek Blotny's Blog

Conventionally role of developers in a project was fairly narrow. Project Manager was assigning tasks to developers; they were working on it and when done whole process was repeated for another task. Usually developers where left alone with their task, not bothered by the outer world.

Now, consider how different expectations are for developers in agile teams. Agile methodologies are tailored for cross-functional and self-organizing teams. That means a set of completely new responsibilities:

• Requirements are usually not very detailed so it’s up to a developer to refine them by asking questions and talking with business people.
• There is no PM who is assigning tasks, team should self-organize and take tasks which are available on their own.
• There is no PM who is estimating everything and committing on behalf of team. Developers are involved in estimation process and are asked to make a commitment.
• In cross-functional teams there are no specializations in some narrow aspects of software development or one specific technology. Everyone can pick up any task.
• Developers are not only responsible for coding … they are responsible for getting story/task done.
• Team should be able to reflect and adapt to the situation they are in. Finding the most effective techniques/processes is part of being agile.

That list can be much longer but I think you already see my point here. Developers in agile teams have to take much more responsibility on their shoulders. They are not only focused on coding, focus has been shifted towards communication, interactions with clients and other team members. Developers have to be now effective communicators. Understanding and using business terms is a must. Remaining with technical jargon is simply not an option.

Transition to agile developer can be shocking. Not everyone will be able to cope with this challenge. Some developers simply may lack interpersonal skills necessary for it. Others may not be keen to change their focus and attitude. So what’s the reward for the efforts?

I think agile methodologies give developers a chance to influence the development process, change it into more effective and this way improve quality of their own work. Their ideas matter, their actions can make a difference. Agile make developers empowered to change things and self-organize. I think many people will find such environment stimulating and motivating.

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