Mike Benner

One of the concepts in Agile Development is use automation tools.  These tools can run through a wide range of options, but typically you would have automated server builds, testing suites, deployment tools, etc.  These tools should be stable and reliable.  In the Rails world things change quickly and updates are pushed out a much faster intervals than other non open source environments.  This can cause your tools to become out of date and less than reliable rather quickly.

When this happens, you may find yourself, hacking together work arounds or just plain doing it manually because of your work load.  While this may seem like a good idea in the short term, the long term affects can become paralyzing and complete efficiency killers.  When you find this happening to you and your team, stop sawing.  Sawing with a dull blade will get you nowhere.  Not only that, but it can lead to bad habits.

Team members can become apathetic about the problems, can start to lose pride in their work and environment or worst yet, stop doing that extra step that makes them better because it "isn't worth the effort/time".  Visibility drops and the Agile process can start to break down.  If you find this happening, take the time to fix the problems.  Too busy sawing?  Work a second shift, come in on a Saturday, rally the team to do nothing but sharpen the tools.  A good team can get the process back on track rather quickly and the overall results will be seen almost immediately.

At Integrum one of our policies is a very open accountability.  Whether it being calling some one out on being late to stand up, not running tests in their project or just calling bullshit on an excuse, anything goes.  At first I was kind of blown away at this method, conversations I felt should be handled one on one and in private, were happening in front of the team and it was quite a shock to the system.  Then I witnessed a gigantic burn down chart for the day, placed in the center of the room and a developer sitting in front of it updating over its 6 hour range.  Yes, this was an extreme example and all done in fun, but you know what, it worked.

But it doesn't always work.  Some people will let it just roll off their backs and repeat the same behavior day after day, while others immediately get defensive and are too busy thinking of how to respond, deflect and excuse the problem to actually learn and adjust.  The latter of the group, don't realize they are not "getting in trouble", but are being helped and by it being an open forum everyone can typically glean some knowledge from the discussion.

For me personally, nothing beats the open accountability method.  Call me out, make me aware of something I may not even be aware I am doing.  However, with the wrong team members, typically people that aren't self motivated and don't strive to be better, this system only breaks down into public arguments and can actually make for an uncomfortable work environment and limit productivity.  

While I highly recommend this method, make sure you are staffed with the right group of people.  People that want to be better.  People that want to make their team members better.  Odds are if you have assembled a team that contains these like minded individuals, they will have already started this methodology and will embrace your companies official shift to Open Accountability.  When things start clicking prepare to see individual growth increase and team growth explode.