Self-organising teams

In The Manifesto for Anarchic Software Development I noted that one of the agile manifesto principles is for self-organising teams, and that those tend not to exist in software development. What would a self-organising software team look like?

  1. Management hire a gang and set them a goal, and delegate all decisions on how to run the gang and who is in the gang to members of the gang.
  2. The “team lead” is not in charge of decision-making, but a consultant who can advise gang members on their work. The team lead probably works directly on the gang’s product too, unless the gang is too large.
  3. One member of the gang acts as a go-between for management and communicates openly with the rest of the gang.
  4. Any and all members of the gang are permitted to criticise the gang’s work and the management’s direction.
  5. The lead, the management rep, and the union rep are all posts, not people. The gang can recall any of them at any time and elect a replacement.
  6. Management track the outcomes of the gang, not the “productivity” of individuals.
  7. Management pay performance-related benefits like bonuses to the gang for the gang’s collective output, not to individuals.
  8. The gang hold meetings when they need, and organise their work how they want.

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