At some point, I’m sure you will have heard the idiom, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”. Meaning having something for certain is preferable to the uncertainty of possibly getting something better.
I was reminded of this saying recently during the painful search for a new winter coat for my not quite (but-very-nearly-and-definitely-already-acting-like-one) teenage daughter. For any of you in similar circumstances, you’re probably sympathetically nodding your head anticipating the ensuing arguments and period of misery for all involved.
As my daughter is quite small for her age she can still fit into children’s sizes which, are of course,
‘all way too babyish’!
With only a handful of brands making adult styles in the smallest of sizes, the main challenge was to find something acceptable that fit. It also needed to fulfil some practical considerations, like being warm and have a hood. And, being of an in-between age and size, I wasn’t prepared to spend a lot on a coat to last just one season. So, having outlined the requirements and set a reasonable budget, we began exploring the options.
After a few fruitless shopping trips, hours poring over the internet, several disagreements and a serious discussion about why parents who buy their children Moncler coats for school must have more money than sense (seriously!), we were both exhausted.
I had literally run out of ideas of where to look next when I happened to pass a TK Maxx and thought I’d have a last-ditch attempt to find something in there. If you haven’t shopped in one of their stores before, clothes are sorted by garment type and size only. Price, brands, style, materials are all mixed together on the same rail and finding anything you like in your size is a minor miracle.
But, I struck lucky and among the three extra small items on the coat rail I found something which I thought was ideal – especially the price which was a fraction of the others we had looked at. After momentarily weighing up the worst-case scenario of having to return it if she really didn’t like it, I had nothing to lose and a lot to gain – ‘buy winter coat’ ticked off my to-do list, and miserable daughter, temporarily at least, placated.
To my delight, she loved it, and wore it indoors for the rest of the night. For me, it was within budget and met my pre-requisite criteria. To satisfy her, it was within acceptable style and colour parameters with a bonus soft furry collar. Result!
The bird, or in this instance, the coat in the hand proved to be worth more than continuing the search for the perfect one that ticked every box. The value of having something tangible, that she could wear immediately, whilst perhaps not quite perfect, was better than nothing at all.
Agile vs waterfall
The experience got me thinking about how Agile versus waterfall methodologies for software application development are a lot like this. Do you wait for the flawless design (which can be as elusive as the perfectly-fitting-exactly-what-you-were-looking-for outfit in TK Maxx, or get up and running with a design which may have imperfections, but can be improved over time?
The Agile model (which does not rely on luck) uses iterative development to break a large application into smaller chunks. Each chunk is designed, developed and tested in short iterative cycles called ‘sprints’, at the end of which a working product can be evaluated by the business and customers to determine what changes are needed to produce a satisfactory end result. Incremental development then builds using the smaller chunks to complete the full application.
In contrast, traditional waterfall development postpones coding until design of the entire software application is complete. This tends to mean a long development cycle before you get anything tangible to test and use, and bugs, complications and feature changes tend not to surface until very late in the day which can inevitably cause serious delays.
Advantages and disadvantages
There are advantages and disadvantages of each method but, with Agile because everyone is involved and informed throughout the development process problems tend to be solved as you go. Collaboration and communication become as important as technology. And although you may not have the perfect finished product to start with, at least you’ve got something up and running which can be, as my daughter will testify, better than nothing.
Which methodology you chose will largely depend on the scope and nature of the project. Nevertheless, think about your measures of success before you make your choice. For a lot of customers, a tangible beta product represents the bird in the hand. Visible progress towards the end goal and preferable to the wish-and-a-promise of the moveable feast at an uncertain point in the future. These customers will be satisfied – maybe not 9-10 promoters at first, but unlikely to be 0-6 detractors.
As for my daughter’s coat, she’s highly likely to grow and change over the coming year so when next autumn rolls around I know I’ll probably have a similar iterative experience. However, that gives us the chance to review the requirements and think about whether a longer lasting solution at a higher cost might be viable. But, at least she has a coat to keep her warm till then.
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