The Evil Hat

"It's ok to get things wrong if the cost of putting it right is cheap"

I liked this quote. Even if the English sucks.
I didn't like anything else in this talk - Learning and Perverse Incentives: The Evil Hat by Liz Keogh.

Liz has clearly had bad experiences with Project Managers, and Everything Is Their Fault.

I'm first in line when they announce sign up to a Manager Free Universe. But you will never get me to say that "managers" or indeed "management" is always wrong or unnecessary.

I am being unfair to Liz? Oh, possibly.
I like talks which inspire me through positive messages, humanity, random acts of goodwill, suffering and hardship overcome. I still cry at Watership Down. This talk was at best an extended reading list "I read this book and it is good and you should read it too" and a continual invective against Project Managers. They demand too much. They shout at developers. They have no people skills.
This is not my experience and not my belief.

One story for illustration? A PM who shouted at a team of devs for being continually late for stand up lost their trust and respect because he shouted at them. But it was all ok eventually because the devs were smart and decided to enlist the help of people who were better at time keeping then them - the testers - and got them to call on them on the way to stand up.

Every single word of this story made me wince.
Don't be late for stand up. I have a zero tollerance on this one.
A self organising team surely must be able to suggest a new time for stand up if the current one isn't working out.
Naughty PM, mustn't shout. But, damnit, this kind of attitude sucks.
How far is it to stand up?? If you can't see the stand up area from your desk, it's in the wrong place!
WHY ARE TEST IN A DIFFERENT ROOM AND WHY DO YOU THINK OF THEM AS A DIFFERENT TEAM??
Sorry about the caps.
Self reliance, man. Agile 101.

But I did like her quote about getting things wrong.