Proposed mission statement for OpenAgile

JoshW Suggested the following for an OpenAgile Mission Statement:
"OpenAgile's mission is to continuously bring the best of Agile methods & teamwork beyond Software Development".

"Continuously" implies: continued improvement using community reflection and open source contributions from practitioners of OpenAgile and other Agile methodologies.

"Best of Agile methods & teamwork" implies: compare and contrast the OpenAgile learning system to methods from other Agile Software Development methodologies (such as Scrum, Crystal, etc) and team building methodologies (such as bioteams, Core Protocols, etc). Also implies a "best practices" or "insights and impediments" section where OpenAgile community members can highlight what has worked for them and seek help where they have encountered difficulties and impediments.

"Beyond Software Development" implies: a jargon-free, easily accessible language that non-technical people can quickly understand and communicate to friends and co-workers who do not know anything about Agile or Open Source. For example, the "Process Facilitator" might be described as an Agile Learning Coach who encourages the team to use & learn new OpenAgile skills.

Target audience: anyone who wants to improve teamwork and the amount and value of work accomplished per week.

OpenAgile is not just for people working in the Software Development industry.

Comment: ''Only appropriate for someone who already knows about Agile Software Development and wants to apply it to an Enterprise Agile or a non-Software environment. Could be too broad.''

Version 2
Here's another suggestion which highlights some potential benefits of OpenAgile to teams: OpenAgile promotes an environment which fosters active, applied, continuous learning and strong teamwork so people can build capacities to contribute to the betterment of their organization.

See also: Primer on the Purpose of OpenAgile and Talk:Proposed_mission_statement_for_OpenAgile

--JoshW 1 February 2011 (UTC)

Version 3
OpenAgile increases the ability of teams to solve difficult problems and more consistently deliver exceptional value while fostering an environment of continuous learning and improvement.


 * Engagement Meetings and "iterative" Work Cycles are used to promote regular, constructive feedback from clients and other stakeholders, while use of a Prioritized Work Queue allows the team to concentrate on the most valuable work first, thus improving the quality and value of completed work.


 * Systematic application of the Learning Circle will foster an environment of continuous learning and improvement for the organization.


 * Truthfulness and courage are required to identify problems and Consultative Decision Making is used to humbly look at the problem from many viewpoints and identify possible solutions.


 * OpenAgile is not for every organization. It requires individuals, teams, and an organization which value continuous improvement, learning, communication, and have the will to face & solve problems together.

--JoshW 20:34, 4 March 2011 (UTC)

Mission
The organization's mission needs to address the following questions:

Source: http://www.realinnovation.com/content/c080623a.asp
 * Who are our customers?
 * What are their needs?
 * How do they measure our performance?
 * What are our products/services?
 * Do we exceed customer expectation?

Questions to answer (or link to) on the first page(s) of OpenAgile.com:
What is Agile Software Development? Benefits?

Relationship between Agile and Lean Manufacturing

Can Agile be applied outside Software Development? Examples? Benefits? History? Case Studies?

What needed to be changed in OpenAgile to extend it beyond Software Development? Examples: Calendar Events and Repetitive Activities.

How does OpenAgile help improve teamwork? Business value? Amount of work accomplished per week?

Queuing theory & teamwork: how voluntary, self-organizing teams working on small, prioritized tasks improves the amount & value of work accomplished per week ("throughput").

How is the reflection part of an Engagement Meeting different from a standard management meeting? Relationship to learning, growth, and adaptation?

How do I determine if OpenAgile is right for my team or organization? How do I start?

What is "Open Source" and how does it apply to OpenAgile?

How to contribute & help OpenAgile improve? Why?