Implementing Scrum: The Blog

Welcome to the Blog at ImplementingScrum.com.

Please take a few moments to look around at our current content and entries from the site. To the left on the screen you can find Categories and all our Archives.

While you are reading this site, please take a moment to Subscribe to Implementing Scrum via Email and receive any new comics or other announcements we publish on a regular basis. I promise your email address will not be sold, rented, or otherwise given to anyone else to use.

View All Cartoons...


KISS. Keep IT Simple Stupid.
www.implementingscrum.com -- Cartoon -- May 6, 2008

Interested in becoming a Certified Scrum Master?
Come to my next workshop!

Welcome back to yet another week at www.implementingscrum.com.

I sincerely apologize for the lack of a new posting last week. Sometimes even I need to remind myself that I am human.

And.

The cartoon for this week really says it all.

Keep IT Simple Stupid.

In the past, I have seen the “KISS” stuff look like: “Keep it simple stupid” or “Keep it super simple” or many other variations.

Note the capitalization of “IT”?

That’s where you and I come in a lot of the times.

So.

Really.

Keep IT Simple Stupid.

I am not calling you stupid. If anything, this is a great reminder for “me” to not get stupid.

A few weeks ago I was with a client (actually doing the work thing, which I doooo actually “do”!) and they have been spending a lot of time planning for their agile rollout.

What is a lot of time?

This will vary.

Let’s just say it looked very much like a waterfall process — nothing near agile.

And I had to tell them this.

Will “they” listen?

Who knows.

But.

It was a great reminder to me that taking months and months planning for an agile rollout of more than ten teams at one time is not a good idea for people starting agile stuff.

What is my recommendation?

Get ready for “Captain Obvious.”

Start with one project.

Today.

Now.

And stop the planning game.

Really.

Get good at what you do.

And the only way to do this is to get started.

One project at a time.

Don’t worry about the enterprise rollout today when you have not started even one project.

Scary thought?

Yes.

Reality?

It does work.

Worry about the “enterprise” stuff later.

Start producing working software.

Today.

Think about it and challenge the way you currently do things today.

Results will vary, but all will surprise you.

Gotta run… Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here.

You can also enter The Forum to discuss this entry and other Scrum topics. Thank you!

Originally Published:
May 6, 2008

2 Responses to “KISS. Keep IT Simple Stupid.”

  1. Implementing Scrum -- Scrum Blog -- Comic Strips and Blog Entries for Scrum, an Agile Software Development Technique. Says:

    […] […]

  2. The Random Musings » Blog Archive » Simply, things happen in waves Says:

    […] Was it orchestrated or simple coincidence that a colleague, Corey Jackson, blogs about keeping things simple in an article named It’s Not that Simple. . . or is it? Then a day or so later Mike Vizdos writes an article on his Implementing Scrum blog called KISS. Keep IT Simple Stupid. […]

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.