Agile Processes
In my work as an agile and lean consultant, there’s sometimes a lot of discussion about “processes”. People I work with use different definitions of processes. Agile teams sometimes resist to processes, when they refer to the agile manifesto that says “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools”. So the question: What are agile processes?
My definition of a process is “the way we do things around here”. It can be documented in a process description or quality system.
But it can also be something that professionals do, simply because they have had similar training. What they have learned from experience, by frequently evaluating they way they work and look for improvements. A team may agree to do things in a certain way, based upon shared beliefs. So in my opinion a process is what people actually do. That can differ from what they say they do, or from what is documented. For me it is the actual behavior that counts!
It’s not the process that changes, it’s the people
Why do I use the definition “the way we do things around here”? The way to change results of an organization is by 
changing the behavior of the professionals that work there. Writing new process documents or changing an existing one doesn’t automatically result in change: a document is not a process. It’s what people do that counts.
Calling it “the way we do things around here” doesn’t mean that things should stay the same. “This is the way we do it” is not a process, it’s a denial, an excuse for not willing to change. If the way things are done isn’t effective, if it causes software to be delivered late, with insufficient quality, then things must change. My opinion is that change always starts from how people are working right now, not from how it is written down in a document.
Agile processes
Do you have processes in agile? Of course! As an agile team you agreed to work in a certain way, which is your process. Every sprint you discuss how you will deliver the user stories, which is also a process step. And you continuously improve the way of working with retrospectives. Most agile teams use a Definition of Done, which I consider to be a process definition, written by the team itself. Agile teams have shown to be a great way to deliver high quality software products. So yes, there are processes in agile, and agile actually has some process management build in. Also the newest CMMI V1.3 recognizes Agile, and Agile processes, so you can use a combination of CMMI and Agile to improve your business. You can even improve in an agile way, to continuously increase the value that your company delivers to your customers.
I’d like to hear from you: What is your definition of an “agile process”? How do you use it?
More information
Several articles are available that cover the agile topics mentioned in this blog:
Uncovering Better Ways to do Process Improvement
Becoming Agile and Lean
Agile Project Management
Golden Rules for Agile Process Improvement
About Ben Linders
Ben Linders is an Independent Consultant in Agile, Lean, Quality and Continuous Improvement, based in The Netherlands. Author of Getting Value out of Agile Retrospectives, Waardevolle Agile Retrospectives & What Drives Quality. As an adviser, coach and trainer he helps organizations by deploying effective software development and management practices. He focuses on continuous improvement, collaboration and communication, and professional development, to deliver business value to customers. Ben is an active member of networks on Agile, Lean and Quality, and a frequent speaker and writer. He shares his experience in a bilingual blog (Dutch and English), as an editor for Agile at InfoQ and as an expert on TechTarget. Follow him on twitter: @BenLinders
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All the best