What does Agile mean to you? An open letter to my Project Manager
Tags: jfdi, agile, techlead, projectmanagement
Published: 2022-09-10 15:27:42

---
title: What does Agile mean to you? An open letter to my Project Manager
published: true
description: When did we stop being Agile? Sometimes planning gets out of hand and we miss the point.
tags: #jfdi, #agile, #techlead, #projectmanagement
cover_image: https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/2be7bq1dmxgj9afwceyf.png
# Use a ratio of 100:42 for best results.
---

Dear Project Manager ( but also Product Owner or Producer, depending on team and organisation),

I understand that your _work_ is about **planning, organising, estimating**, finding a common ground between those grumpy developers and the ambitious visions and requests of stakeholders, clients and management.  


My _work_  though, is actually _do_ the work you _planned_. 


![A goal without a plan is just a wish](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/7b18zb9yimxd7ife6t6p.png)


> A goal without a plan is just a wish

is my mantra.  
I spend each Sylvester's evening with my wife and kids writing new years resolutions and doing retrospectives on past year ones.  I even use Trello for my family management. 

I define my personal, sport and career goals very precisely in a SMART way. 

- **S**pecific: target a particular area for improvement  
- **M**easurable: quantify or suggest progress metrics  
- **A**ttainable: ensure you can reasonably achieve your goals with the given resources  
- **R**elevant:  make sure your goals align with your values and long-term objectives
- **T**imely: highlight when your goal should be achieved  


![SMART goals](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/awx7aaseb3t86ty74oq6.png)

So believe me when i say that i am on your side when it comes to break down tasks, organise the team's work, plan ahead, be ready for the next steps, and last but not least, be really, literally, [_AGILE_](https://agilemanifesto.org/principles.html).


![Agile Manifesto](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/se78n9lld0oyoqq15vsu.png)


I understand that without a plan we won't get anywhere or we might get somewhere too late, but why not add some **Serendipity** in the recipe?

![serendipity](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/632grwatwtjlxbtq4yfa.png)

>Jira, Trello, Asana... 
Story, Task or Epic...
Confluence, Google Docs, Miro or Post-it...
Scrum or Kanban...
R&D, RPP or MVP...
Sprints and Roadmaps....
Guesstimates, Estimates, Poker planning, Accuracy, Precision,  Uncertainty multipliers and Buffer...
Sprint planning, Backlog refinement, Sprint Review and Retrospectives..

Can we please start _doing_ the work, instead of endlessly _discussing_ how and when we are going to do it?

![A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/wxyr2hu6si3z25hf3dc1.png)


> a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

We know where we want to go, and roughly when we need to be there. we also decided some stop-overs and what the main means of transportation will be.  Can we please now lift our asses from the couch and step out our home's doorstep?

We are all seeking adventure, challenge and have big dreams, sometimes life gets in the way, sometimes priorities shift. Planning is necessary, but we must be open to unplanned opportunities and accept adversities. Let's see what happens on the way. We will all be surprised by how everything unfolds.

Let's not worry too much. Let's start this journey. The ~~world~~ work is out there waiting for us.


Kindly, your Tech Lead

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Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@joszczepanska?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Jo Szczepanska</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/project-manager?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>