Process
Description
Processes are appropriate when:
- The work is repeatable and predictable.
- The quality of the outcome can be specified and measured precisely.
- The knowledge needed to produce the outcome can be documented and transferred explicitly.
- Variability among the people who carry out the process must be minimized.
The process-based models of software engineering (CMM-SW, CMMI, ISO 9000) rest on the premise that if processes are good and are followed consistently, the results will be predictably good.
Difference from practice
The distinction between process and practice is one of Scrum Manager's most significant conceptual contributions to the vocabulary of agile management:
- In a process, people serve the procedure.
- In a practice, the procedure serves people.
In agile practice—TDD, pair programming, retrospectives, Sprint Planning—the outcome depends on the team's tacit knowledge. The procedure is a guide, not the engine of the outcome.
Common mistake
Applying process logic to work that requires practice. Trying to turn agile management into a mechanical process—with fixed steps, checklists, and compliance metrics—destroys the benefit of agility without providing the predictability of well-defined processes. The worst outcome is an organization with the bureaucracy of processes and without the expert judgement of people.
See also
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