Mind your language (if you want to be Agile)
There are four key words in the first value of the Agile Manifesto:
“Individuals and their interactions over processes and tools”
Most of us can spend countless hours debating the value of focusing on people and the dangers related to focusing on processes and tools.
Interestingly, in our debates we seem to be oblivious to the reference to interactions and what it truly means to social and tribal animals as we, humans, are. It seems to be an almost-superfluous addition to the value. However, its place there is fully justified.
We often describe these interactions as the way we collaborate, the bonds we create and the relationships we establish. Those are the obvious ones. Interactions also cover the hopes and dreams we share, our common goals, our fears, the taboos that shall not be talked about, our values and beliefs, the way we communicate and, because of that, the language we use.
I think we often do rather poorly with these more elusive and intangible ones.
