There’s No One Right Way

A few years ago, when I took my first steps into the world of Scotch drinking, I attended San Francisco’s WhiskyFest.

It included a panel presentation with four of the top Scotch reviewers in the world.

At some point, someone asked, “What’s the best Scotch, and what’s the right way to drink Scotch?”

All four panelists looked at each other and responded in unison: “The best Scotch is the one that you like to drink the most. And the right way to drink it is how you enjoy it the most!”

Very often, there’s more than one right way to do something!
A similar thing can be said about product development methodologies, frameworks, certifications, etc.

Many companies have tried to replicate Spotify’s model of Squads, Tribes, Chapters, and Guilds and failed.

The same happens to countless companies that have tried implementing OKRs but abandoned them shortly after.

When the outcomes don’t match the expectations, we blame the methodology: Waterfall is too linear, Agile is too flexible, etc.

The truth is that all these processes and methodologies, however well intended, are born from other people’s subjective experiences working, most of the time, at companies that are NOT your company.

In most cases, even if in the same industry, these companies are more different from each other than they may be similar. They are at a unique development, adoption, or maturity point, in a different market segment or niche value proposition.

So, to expect to copy the processes from other companies and expect the same outcome is unrealistic.

To quote Pablo Picasso: “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” But what’s not said here but is implicit in all of Picasso’s great work is that great artists steal techniques from others but adapt them to their unique situations, contexts, and needs — creating new techniques and forms of work that fit their unique style in the process.

“Adapt what’s useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.” — Bruce Lee

In essence, methodologies and frameworks are processes to help a group of individuals coordinate activities to achieve a commonly desired outcome.

The proof that they are valuable or not, as implemented, is in the outcomes and value that they help generate.

Don’t be so dogmatic as to follow a methodology or framework too rigorously just to claim it on your resume or some product development manifesto.

In the end, the best methodologies and frameworks and their implementation are the ones that help you get the most value out of them.

—

Give this post some ❤️ by 👏 and share it ♻️

👉 Diego Schmunis for more insightful content