Agile - Aware Now

Ok, so this picking of cards still seems to be working. This time the card reads:

How does this apply to agile? Living in the Moment by Barbara Ann Kipfer (a deck of 52 inspirational cards).

Ok, so maybe it's a bit of a stretch for this card to be mapped to Agile, but here goes. The key thing I see is the idea of maintaining your focused attention on what needs to be done now. This can include prioritizing work, such that the team is focused on the most important item for this moment in time.

If the project leader/ScrumMaster is doing their job, they are protecting the team from outside distractions, leaving the team to maintain their attention on what needs to be done right now. The priorities also keep the team from spending too much time thinking about items that are of lower priority, maintaining focused attention on the highest priority item at this moment in time.

I once heard a story that may be apocryphal. A process expert goes to meet with the CEO of a large Fortune 500 company. The executive assistant is reluctant to allow the consultant time with the CEO. After some convincing the executive assistant makes an appointment for five minutes. The consultant leaves and returns the next day for his appointment. The consultant meets with the CEO and says, I have something that will make you much more effective. If you try it for a month and you are, as I predict, more effective you'll pay $25,000. If you don't see an improvement you owe me nothing. The CEO said, "ok, what do I need to do?" The consultant told him - focus on one thing at a time. Complete it before moving on to the next task. This will make you immediately more effective. The CEO, said he'd try it. A month later the CEO met with the consultant thanked him and gave him a check for $25,000.

Why does this work? You eliminate the issues associated with multitasking. Agile techniques promote this idea as well. Keep the focus and it will make a big difference.