Agile Principle 6: “The Most Efficient and Effective Method of Conveying Information to and Within a Development Team Is Face-to-Face Conversation”

Delivering valuable software frequently is the name of the game. The most efficient and effective method for conveying information is that method—whether in person or virtual, synchronous or asynchronous—that maximizes your three most valuable resources: your time, your energy, and your attention. Efficient and effective communication matters because it is the sole means for causing and ensuring teams stay aligned on their objectives. Vignettes from leaders at Centene, UScellular, and Oracle illustrate the challenges of efficient and effective communication. The medium you choose for communicating with your team matters less than the content of your communication. With multiple mediums—face-to-face, video, instant message, email—at your disposal, you get to choose the medium best suited to your purpose. Recognize that with whichever medium you choose, you must be consistent in how you use that medium and what you use it for because with each message you send or dialogueDialogues you engage in, you’re setting an expectation with your team on how you will use the different mediums and for what purpose.