So we have been agile for about two months now and in general I would say that it goes really well. We get much more done than before and in general I think we focus on the things that are really important. But there are setbacks and bad days as in any adventure.
Today, I am just not in the mood of being either product champ, team member or facilitator. I just want to be left well alone. I want to sit in front of my computer and do nothing at all.
Of course everyone has these days, and before agile we used to cope with them in a different way; we just sat in front of our computers doing nothing and then had to catch up on the work later, let's say, in the evening or on the weekend, which was not great, but, well, we knew that we had to.
There is no hiding in agile. In that sense, it's extremely brutal. You have to be very present and very focused every moment of the day or at least during the times when you are involved in cycles, which in our case is from 8 to 12 and 1 to 5. Also, all your flaws and your bad moods are part of the experience. You have to learn to communicate better with others and to work on your shortcomings.
The good thing, though, is that outside of these times, no one expects anything from you. You are not expected to perform. And, most of the time, you can't, firstly because you are utterly and totally exhausted from the days hard work, and then also because you get so used to working in a team that it seems plain silly to "do it alone" again.
At times, of course, you wish the old times back. But most of the time, agile is just pretty amazing.
