Monitoring and Maintaining an Agile Culture

by David Hussman

There are many ways to examine, evaluate, and discuss culture. There is also a wealth of writings in the agile community that directly or indirectly discuss the importance of project culture. Although perspectives vary, most agile texts repeat or reference themes that cannot be disconnected from culture. In a previous life, I spent a great deal of time locked in recording studios, playing the role of artist, engineer, or producer. Both software projects and recording projects quickly create uniquely powerful cultures on a project-by-project basis. Also, having been a teacher, I know that classrooms and teachers create cultures that are influenced as much by educational institutions as they are by teachers. In the recording studio, producers need to continually monitor the project's culture if they want to nurture the creative spirit. In schools, counselors provide a conduit for students to talk about struggles without fear of teacher recrimination, but teachers still need to provide an open door at all times.