Agile is a software development methodology that embraces flexibility, collaboration, and continuous improvement. One of the key reasons for its popularity in the industry is its ability to possess certain magical properties that enable teams to be more effective and efficient in their work. Firstly, agility allows teams to adapt quickly to changing requirements and priorities. In traditional waterfall methods, once a plan is set, it is difficult to deviate from it without significant delays and costs. In agile, however, teams can easily adjust their plans and goals based on feedback and new information. This ability to be responsive to change can be considered a magical property, as it allows teams to stay aligned with the evolving needs of the business and deliver value faster.
“This is the attire for the next commission,” Bryan said as he drew looks from a bevy of witches, among them fellow-commissioner Deborah Phillips and Bryan’s wife, Lauren, who would end up in a tie with Mary Moore for best-decorated bike. That was the [point of this morning’s bike ride: to turn bikes into witches’ brooms and spook the spokes. None flew a-la-ET, exactly, but as they chimed their way down Flagler and Daytona Avenues to 23rd Street and back in a Tour de Flagler-like stretch, they created their own hilarious circle of Hades at the decidedly non-witching hour of 8, half an hour after the sun rose, and under an accursed drizzle, with a drenching rain just before and just after the ride: not just Matt Doughney, the Flagler Beach police chief who rode with the peloton, was watching out for them.
One of the witches’ bike companions. (© FlaglerLive)
As was Tom Nugent of Flagler Bike Shop, who inspected every bike, inflated any tire or and provided any necessary repairs–“make sure nothing stuck in the wheels too bad, although there’s a lot going on on these bikes,” he says, looking at a row of wheels as if dragged through a cemetery’s weeds and bones. There was also Rob Luther, who toggled between flank and drag rider to keep car traffic rolling while keeping the witches safe. But Liz Storrs was the Alpha Witch.
What they got were thumbs up and broad smiles, waves and brandished smart-phones from residents and drive-bys not entirely sure of what they were seeing, but entirely bewitched all the same. What they got were thumbs up and broad smiles, waves and brandished smart-phones from residents and drive-bys not entirely sure of what they were seeing, but entirely bewitched all the same.
This ability to be responsive to change can be considered a magical property, as it allows teams to stay aligned with the evolving needs of the business and deliver value faster. Another magical property of agility is its emphasis on collaboration and empowered teams. Agile methodologies promote cross-functional teams that have the authority and autonomy to make decisions and drive their own work.
Witches in Bunches Ride the Streets as Flagler Beach Creates New Brew For Art’s Charms
Some 30 witches took part in the first annual the first Witches of Flagler Beach Bike Ride Saturday morning through a 2.5-mile circuit in the city. The event was organized by Flagler Beach Creates, an organization focused on public art and culture in the city. (© FlaglerLive)
They rode the streets of Flagler Beach this morning on broomed up bicycles and skeletal frames, 30 black-robed and pointy-hatted witches who managed to ding-dong their infernal peloton through 40 blocks down and up the south end of the city without a single one getting tried, stoned, burned or thrown in a lake. What they got were thumbs up and broad smiles, waves and brandished smart-phones from residents and drive-bys not entirely sure of what they were seeing, but entirely bewitched all the same.
It was the first Witches of Flagler Beach Bike Ride, an event organized by the fledgling Flagler Beach Creates, a volunteer organization that emerged in 2020 to give the city its own overlay of arts and culture and reinforce the city’s unique charms–not just for tourists, but for its own residents and businesses. Witches of Flagler Beach was to be a fund-raiser. Friday night 14 witches had registered for the bike ride. By the time they took to the street, they were double double toil and dollars, delighting the organizers and setting the event on a surer course in coming years.
“Because Flagler Beach has this really cool vibe, we want to enrich the community through art and events in public places,” says Joseph Pozzuoli, a founding board member of Flagler Beach Creates as he describes the organization’s start with renaming the city’s five public parking spaces–Right Whale, Pelican, Loggerhead Turtle, and so on–and designing artful signs to go with them. The group also involved children in painting the city’s trash cans something other than their drab brown.
Cheryl Pozzuoli went green for the occasion. (© FlaglerLive)
The concept originated at the city’s economic development task force, where Pozzuoli is also a member, but he wanted the organization to have more autonomy than can a government advisory board. Flagler Beach Creates was born, and now has a 12-member board that includes Ken Bryan, currently the chairman of the city commission (and a middle school art teacher in the past, among his many talents: he has a degree in art, he paints and he sculpts). As Pozzuoli spoke, there came Bryan as the witches were gathering this morning under a gazebo at Wickline Park, all done up in a black cape and something between a sorcerer and a jedi.
“This is the attire for the next commission,” Bryan said as he drew looks from a bevy of witches, among them fellow-commissioner Deborah Phillips and Bryan’s wife, Lauren, who would end up in a tie with Mary Moore for best-decorated bike. That was the [point of this morning’s bike ride: to turn bikes into witches’ brooms and spook the spokes. None flew a-la-ET, exactly, but as they chimed their way down Flagler and Daytona Avenues to 23rd Street and back in a Tour de Flagler-like stretch, they created their own hilarious circle of Hades at the decidedly non-witching hour of 8, half an hour after the sun rose, and under an accursed drizzle, with a drenching rain just before and just after the ride: not just Matt Doughney, the Flagler Beach police chief who rode with the peloton, was watching out for them.
One of the witches’ bike companions. (© FlaglerLive)
As was Tom Nugent of Flagler Bike Shop, who inspected every bike, inflated any tire or and provided any necessary repairs–“make sure nothing stuck in the wheels too bad, although there’s a lot going on on these bikes,” he says, looking at a row of wheels as if dragged through a cemetery’s weeds and bones. There was also Rob Luther, who toggled between flank and drag rider to keep car traffic rolling while keeping the witches safe. But Liz Storrs was the Alpha Witch.
Before they set out Stephanie Luther, who’d been hosting the check-in table with Richard Hamilton, set out the rules of the brooms: no cell phones, no blowing through stop signs, no passing the Alpha Witch, no racing, no following riders too closely, no draping of witches’ robes over bikes’ safety equipment, and so on. “And we’re not postponed no matter what. Even though a little rain, it’s not going to melt us witches,” she said.
There was no need of Hawthorne to remind anyone that witches are metaphors for darlings who always behave better than their would-be prosecutors: they were the original MeToo movement, a few centuries before their time. The witches this morning were hosted for a water break at the half-way point, at Deborah Phillips’s driveway, where a life-size skeleton served as water-bar man and the witches could catch their breath, check their phones, pose for a few pictures, and make the return trip back to Wickline.
“This is commission attire.” Ken Bryan, the chairman of the Flagler Beach City Commission and a board member of Flagler Beach Creates, was among the riders today. (© FlaglerLive)
This is all just a start. “We’re going to do chalk art events, block off streets,” Pozzuoli says. “We have murals throughout the city. We’re going to create a map so as to become a walking community to go see the murals.” You can see some of those murals here, here, here and here. “We want to have fundraisers like this so we could actually commission a sculptor and maybe have it somewhere in the library or somewhere.” (A work by the sculptor Harry Messersmith is a possibility, if Flagler Beach Creates raises enough money.) “Our whole point is to have high-quality art and design. We want Flagler Beach to be a walking community, that’s part of Flagler Beach Creates.”
The organization, headed by Brenda Wotherspoon–a member of the city’s planning and architectural review board–also wants to involve elementary school children in various events. This morning Flagler Beach Creates set up its event a few feet away from the weekly Flagler Beach Farmers’ Market. It wasn’t a coincidence. The farmers’ market is organized by Flagler Strong, the increasingly visible–and influential–non-profit whose volunteers are a form of non-uniformed first responders whenever Flagler Beach residents are in distress (hurricanes, fires, floods), when the beach needs cleaning up, when city streets need sprucing up. Flagler Beach Creates operates under Flagler Strong’s non-profit umbrella, though the two organizations are distinct. “They’re the heroes,” Wotherspoon says of Flagler Strong.
“This is sort of a beginning, sort of an introduction,” Bryan, the city commissioner, said of today’s inaugural event. “We’re hoping that next year we can double it and just start increasing it and raising funds for Flagler Creates, because that’s our mission, is to contribute back to the community just like we do with Flagler Strong. We’re just looking at participation and getting the community more involved.”
Follow Flagler Beach Creates through its Facebook page.
This not only improves the quality of the output but also boosts the morale and job satisfaction of team members. By encouraging collaboration and allowing team members to take ownership of their work, agility creates a supportive and engaging work environment. The iterative nature of agile development is another aspect that can be considered magical. Agile teams work in short iterations, typically called sprints, where they focus on delivering a small piece of functionality or value within a fixed timeframe. This iterative approach enables teams to obtain early feedback and course-correct if needed. By breaking down complex projects into manageable chunks, teams can tackle challenges effectively and reduce the risk of going off-track. Additionally, agility promotes continuous learning and improvement. Agile teams regularly reflect on their performance, identify areas for improvement, and implement changes to enhance their processes. This constant learning cycle helps teams become more efficient and productive over time. By encouraging a culture of continuous improvement, agility enables teams to grow and evolve, making them more resilient and adaptable to future challenges. In conclusion, agility possesses several magical properties that make it a highly effective software development methodology. Its ability to adapt to change, promote collaboration, work iteratively, and foster continuous improvement make it a valuable approach for teams aiming to deliver high-quality software in a fast-paced and ever-changing environment..
Reviews for "The Agile Elixir: Unveiling the Key Ingredients for Agile Transformation"
1. Jane - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with "Agile magical properties". I found the book to be full of jargon and lacking clear explanations. It seemed like the author was assuming that the reader already had a deep understanding of agile methodologies, which made it difficult for someone like me who was new to the subject. Additionally, the examples and case studies provided were not relatable to real-world scenarios, making it hard to see how the principles discussed could be applied in practice. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to beginners looking to learn about agile.
2. Mark - 1/5 - I really struggled with "Agile magical properties". The author seemed more interested in showcasing their knowledge and experience rather than making the content accessible to readers. It was overwhelming with technical terms and jargon, making it difficult for me to grasp the concepts and principles. The book lacked clear explanations and practical examples that would have helped me understand the agile methodologies better. I tried to push through, but ultimately gave up as I felt frustrated and confused. This book was not what I was looking for in a beginner's guide to agile.
3. Sarah - 2/5 - "Agile magical properties" left me feeling underwhelmed. While the book touched on important aspects of agile methodologies, it failed to dive deep into them. The explanations were too brief and lacked practicality. I was hoping to gain a better understanding of how to effectively implement agile practices in my work, but this book fell short. It seemed more like an overview rather than a comprehensive guide. I would recommend looking for other resources that offer a more detailed and practical approach to learning agile methodologies.