Ref:
http://java.dzone.com/articles/top-10-negative-personas-daily
Agile teams should be holding a
daily standup meeting. Don’t think of it as a daily planning meeting. Think of it as a daily opportunity to have a
shared understanding
of what is getting done and what lies ahead. During a daily standup
meeting, participants sometimes exhibit negative personas that will
detract from the meeting. As an empowered team, it is your job to
self-manage and encourage good behavior. Some of these behaviors are so
common, we don’t even realize people are doing them. So, I’m giving them
some names. Next time you hold a daily standup, see if anyone exhibits
any of these 10 behaviors. If you think of some behaviors that should
be added to the list, I would love to see them.
Daily Standup Meeting Negative Personas
10. Pat Decker the Obsessive Phone Checker
This person does not always pay attention and is constantly look at her (or his) phone. Did a BFF just
like something?
Did someone on Twitter just favorite that pic of the team board? In
addition to checking her phone, she likes to share what she sees with
others during the standup. “Pssst, Bob, check out this Vine video or pic
on Instagram”. She’s not so loud that she’s overly disruptive but now
Bob missed what someone else said during the standup.
9. Stephen Craig who is Always Too Vague
This person can get stuck on the same task for days but doesn’t want
anyone to know. When speaking to the team, they are crazy vague. Stephen
will offer very few details until the team pushes for a deadline. He
(or she) will use language like “Yesterday I was working on task 123 and
today I will be working on it some more”. No other information is
volunteered. When asked if they need any help, they clarify they have no
blockers or risks.
8. Bobbie Bainer the Team Complainer
When the attention is on Bobbie, get ready for the positive energy to
be sucked right out of the room. Bobbie complains, complains, and
complains some more. Management, teammates, or the technology is all
fare game. Everything and everyone sucks and no one knows just how bad
they have it. Don’t bring up religion or politics unless you want Bobbie
to go right into a 20 minute tirade.
7. Jess Jewler who loves the Water Cooler
Jess comes to the daily standup to talk, but not about what needs to
be done today. Instead, he or she will talk about just about everything
else. The next 15 minutes is dedicated to the water cooler.
Did you
see the last episode of House of Cards or The Walking Dead? Are you
going to watch the Ravens play this weekend? My son plays Minecraft and
constructed this totally awesome building with redstone. Anything is fair game, as long as it’s not about work.
6. Billy Platitude with the Bad Attitude
Billy is a leftover from a bygone era. He was the best of the best
mainframe developers and all he needs is a DLD and he’ll give you what
you need… in a few months. You want any changes between now and then?
Forget it! He thinks all things agile are stupid and just plays along
begrudgingly. You may catch him make cynical “funny” comments at standup
to point out how right he is about how stupid agile is.
5. Will Funky the Non-Committal Junkie
Will does not want to be painted into a corner. Typically, he uses language like try, maybe,
pretty sure, I’ll get back to you, we’ll see, would like to think, soon, almost. You’ll also see Will be the last person to comment on something and will usually go with the crowd.
4. Tom Mater the Specialty Updater
Tom only gives vague commitments, usually understandable only by
those in his discipline. The overall team gains little value from the
statements. If you ask him for details, he’ll either tell you to look it
up in a tool or he’ll be very technical in his response. Half of the
team doesn’t understand what the hell he’s talking about.
3. Drue Gru who thinks he’s Better Than You (and the team)
Drue has been around for a long time. He’s better than you and he
knows it. If you need him, you know where to find him. He either
arrives to the standup meeting late or he doesn’t come at all. He has
little to say because you wouldn’t understand what he’s talking about.
He already knows everything so what is he to gain by slumming with you
and the team for 15 minutes? Let him know when something important
happens. *sarcasm*
2. Pearl Revolver the Problem Solver
Pearl means well but she lacks a sense of time. She wants to have
in-depth problem solving discussions on obstacles identified during the
standup meeting. She’s very curious what issues others are having
because she’s going to want to talk it out and fix it right then and
there. Even if there is a reserved 15 minutes after the standup, Pearl
figures there is no better time than the present to tackle a challenge.
1. Ian Krumpter the Interrupter
Do you listen or do you wait to talk? Stop and think about that.
There is a difference. Ian waits to talk. People can be binary in that
way. If you’re talking, you’re less likely to be listening. He wants to
prove just how awesome he is so you’ll see him interrupt even if the
topic doesn’t really apply to him.
