How To Fail With Any Method, Guaranteed

Start out with a lack of experience
Because of this lack, put your faith in a method that should be able to help you
Apply the method half-heartedly, get bad results
Blame the method, don’t accept responsibility for your own results
Because you’re not responsible, don’t bother learning anything, get no valuable experience
Search for a new method that should be able to help you

Have you failed with a method? What did you learn? Don’t know what you learned, but you hate the method now? What can you learn from that?

Comments

Tobias Fors 12 February 2010 at 17:32

Hej Arne! Yes, one thing I've learned I must ask when people come to me and want to start using Scrum, is what end goal they hope to reach by doing this. If there is no clear answer to this question, initiating a change is not helpful.

Arne Åhlander 11 February 2010 at 00:33

Another good way to start if you aim to fail, is to start out without end in mind and to forget any strategies you might have.

Marcus Hammarberg 26 February 2013 at 20:03

Can I ship in a lack of reason for adopting the new method? Most changes that I have been part of, that have failed, have not had a good reason for doing the change initiative. There's no answer to: "So, why do you want me to change now?". On the other hand: with a strong reason for doing the change the success is halfway there. Everyone knows WHY we're doing this and their creativity and skills can be set free to reach the target. Great articles, Tobias!

Balázs Tornai 27 February 2013 at 13:06

Or trust a CSM advisor that paid a two days course to get certified in scrum :))) An other way is NOT checking the personal references (publications, twitter activity... anything) of your coach/counsel/change agent you apply to help with a given methodology. And worst of all: not having clear goals WHAT you want to achieve, or at least reasons WHY you want certain things to be changed. Cheers @Bal_A_gile