Integrity

My favorite description of software development is Alistair Cockburn's:


    People inventing and communicating,

    Solving a problem they don't yet understand, which keeps changing,

    Creating a solution they don't yet understand, which keeps changing,

    Expressing ideas in languages they don’t really understand, which keep changing,

    To an interpreter unforgiving of error,

    Making decisions with limited resources,

    and every choice has economic consequences


Assuming this is a true depiction of software development it is no wonder that one of the most valuable characteristics of a great agile process is transparency. Great agile teams don't hide the messiness associated with writing software, they acknowledge it and engage the intellect and talents of the entire team to maneuver in this constantly changing environment.


That may sound easy but it is not. Often the challenges presented by such an environment involve painful decisions. The organization may not have the resources to fund the full scope of the project. They may not be capable of finding enough talented team members to deliver the desired scope by a key deadline. The team may not be capable of working together.


Confronted with these difficult situations, great consultants aren't afraid to stand up and facilitate the tough discussions about how to proceed. On an agile team you *will* be confronted with these situations. Do you have the integrity to help your team navigate to success?


One of the qualities we look for in potential Obtivians is the ability to demonstrate integrity in tough situations, because, as a software development consultant, you cannot be successful without it.