# Why Agile Assessments Can Distract Teams from Productivity

DevFeed: [Why Agile Assessments Can Distract Teams from Productivity](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/are-we-agile-yet-grrrrr-30295.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.mdubakov.com/posts/are-we-agile-yet/>)

Published: 2008-10-21T15:41:57Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Blog by Michael Dubakov](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/blog-by-michael-dubakov.md>)

Topics: [Agile](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/agile.md>), [Development](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/development.md>), [Self-organizing Team](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/self-organizing-team.md>)

Tags: [agile](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agile.md>), [development-process](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/development-process.md>), [kanban](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/kanban.md>), [productivity](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/productivity.md>), [scrum](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/scrum.md>)

## AI overview

This opinion article argues that generic Agile tests, certifications, and assessments can distract software teams from their actual goals. It recommends focusing on team productivity, software quality, and customer satisfaction, while allowing teams to choose practices that fit their circumstances, including iteration-less or Kanban-based development.

## Source excerpt

"Are we agile?", "How agile are we?", "Are we more agile than they are?" Honestly, I am getting tired of these questions. Why do you care? Will it make you happier when you are able to tattoo "100% agile" on your body? Is it a goal to be "agile"? Definitely not! All agile tests are just a garbage. All efforts on agile process certifications/assessments are useless. There are so many factors influencing software development process that make impossible any certification. Your company is special, you have special people in the development team, you have special conditions, rules, and other external factors. CMMI, PMBOK, and other heavy approaches do not help to build legendary team. They only may help to build an average team and eliminate some quite obvious mistakes in the development process. The right question to ask is: "How can we be more productive as a team?". It is your project. It is your team. You have goals to improve team productivity ("Done-Done" stories in a period of time), create outstanding software and make customers happy. Agile Tests that answer question "Are we agile?" shift the focus to the wrong direction. Look, if your team has to pass an Agile "test", they will focus on passing it. That is a plain dumb goal and a waste of time. Let's say a manager reads about a famous agile test and sets the goal to pass it. Development team, as a complex adaptive system, adapts to the rules and environment. It will change development process and apply practices to pass the test as effectively as possible. However the team's productivity may suffer. Why? Simply because the test is too general and can't be applied to any team. Remember, your team is special. Let's take Scrum and famous Nokia test. The first question is "Describe your iterations" and the worst answer to the question is "We do not use iterations". Well, it is a Scrum test and Scrum insists on having iterations (sprints). But what if your team works more effectively without iterations? What if you