Re: "I've tried it" doesn't instill interest

[back]

On Wednesday, Jan 8, 2003, at 19:20 America/Detroit, J. B. Rainsberger 
wrote:

> So said  Ron Jeffries  on  2002-12-30 --------------------
>
>> On Monday, December 30, 2002, at 10:20:32 AM, Dinwiddie, George wrote:
>>
>>> I'm also trying the grassroots approach, trying to get people to try 
>>> a
>>> single practice.  Right now I'm pushing TDD.  The same issues are at
>> work,
>>> here.  Saying, "I've tried it and it makes life so much easier" 
>>> doesn't
>> seem
>>> to instill much interest.
>>
>> This is perhaps the most fascinating observation of the entire thread.
>> Someone
>> thoughtful tries something, and cares enough about others to invest 
>> effort
>> to
>> offer it to them, and the others are not interested in the benefits.
>>
>> What's that about? Why isn't the reaction "oh really, tell me more?"
>> Honestly, I
>> do not understand.
>
> While I generally object to "Hear, hear!" I have to express my own 
> bewilderment at this exact scenario. If I do Great Things and you also 
> want to do Great Things, then why the hell aren't you curious about 
> what I did? In the reverse situation, I'd want you to tell me!

Two responses to this frequent plea:
1. Sorry if I'm harping on this, but: Technology adoption curves are 
*curves*. There are *always* people who don't want to change. In fact, 
there are so many of them, that we tend to call them the late 
*majority*.

2. Are you sure you've identified all of the implications of doing your 
work better? Are you sure you've identified the criteria by which your 
audience is gaging success?

I'm involved in a consulting project right now (in the manufacturing 
sector, not software) that is being sold by my direct customer inside 
her company as, "A system for automating and offloading much of the 
repetitive and time-consuming engineering design process, freeing up 
designers to spend more time on what's important." A colleague, who has 
done his time as a design engineer, asked me, "What makes you think I 
don't *want* to spend all day running a few long, complicated programs? 
And playing solitaire or surfing while they run?"

Among other things, XP demands a high degree of social interaction, 
engagement, and progress from all involved. There is no lengthy (but 
ultimately relaxing) analysis and specification phase up front, no long 
hiatus in the development cycle while QA has ahold of the code, no 
week-long group progress meetings where each of 50 people has 10-30 
minutes to speak about how things are going on their aspect of the 
project, and in general no time to kick back in your cubicle and play 
at being Larry from Dilbert.

In other words, you and your audience may have the same goals, but 
different values.

Regards,
Tozier
-----
Bill Tozier
[email protected]

"In the scientific world I find disinterested devotion to great ends 
that I hope will spread at last through the entire range of human 
activity."
   -- H. G. Wells


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