Changing Software Development: Learning to Become Agile

8.10. Conclusion

There are different types of change. Frequently, we find that external conditions impose change upon us, but sometimes we need to make change happen within. Some organizations adopt a continual change ethos but even here, from time to time, there's a need for radical change.

There's no shortage of change models that attempt to explain change or guide us through the process. Which one is 'right' depends on a number of factors – not least the type of change that we're facing. By looking at these models, we can change our own outlook and the way in which we think about change.

Initiating change requires some motivating force. Some forces try to push people into change, while others pull people towards the promise of a better world. The push factors may bring rapid results, but they are high risk. The pull factors of aspirational change represent a more sustainable model for continual change, but aren't without their own risks.

Common to all change is the need to learn, because, as this book argues, change and learning are the same thing. In order to produce change, one motivates the learning process and removes obstacles to learning and change. Humans are by their nature creatures who learn, and good software developers have an appetite for learning. If we work on the learning side of the equation, change will follow.