Context Counts

Context Counts in Disciplined Agile: A Comprehensive Guide

Why Context Counts is Important

Context Counts is one of the fundamental principles of the Disciplined Agile (DA) mindset. It recognizes that every team and organization operates in a unique situation with specific challenges, constraints, and opportunities. Understanding and respecting context is crucial because:

• It prevents the problematic "one-size-fits-all" approach to process frameworks
• It enables teams to make better choices about their way of working (WoW)
• It acknowledges that what works for one team may not work for another
• It drives more realistic and effective implementation of agile practices

What is Context Counts?

Context Counts is the principle that recognizes that the specific situation of a team or organization matters significantly when determining the best approach to work. It's about understanding that:

• Teams work in different domains (finance, healthcare, government, etc.)
• Organizations have varying cultures, regulations, and constraints
• Team sizes, structures, and distributions differ
• Projects have different complexities, risks, and stakeholder environments
• Technologies and tools available to teams vary

In the DA mindset, Context Counts emphasizes that these factors should influence how teams tailor their processes and practices.

How Context Counts Works

In practical application, Context Counts works through:

1. Context assessment: Teams evaluate their specific situation, including factors like team size, geographic distribution, domain complexity, organizational culture, and regulatory requirements.

2. Process tailoring: Based on the context assessment, teams select and adapt practices from DA's process goal diagrams that best fit their situation.

3. Continuous improvement: As the context evolves, teams regularly reassess and adapt their way of working.

4. Knowledge sharing: Teams learn from others in similar contexts while recognizing the differences that make their situation unique.

DA provides a toolkit approach with multiple options rather than prescribing a single methodology, allowing teams to select what works best for their context.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Context Counts

When answering exam questions about Context Counts:

1. Recognize anti-patterns: Be able to identify statements that suggest a "cookie-cutter" or "by-the-book" approach to agile adoption, as these contradict the Context Counts principle.

2. Understand context factors: Know the key factors that constitute context (team size, distribution, domain complexity, regulatory environment, organizational culture, etc.).

3. Focus on choice: Remember that Context Counts is about making informed choices based on the situation, not following prescribed methods.

4. Connect to other DA principles: Understand how Context Counts relates to other principles like "Be Pragmatic" and "Choice is Good."
5. Apply to scenarios: Practice applying the Context Counts principle to different scenarios to understand how it influences decision-making.

6. Look for contextual clues: In scenario-based questions, identify the contextual factors that should influence the approach.

7. Avoid absolutist answers: Be wary of answer options that suggest universal applicability of any practice or approach.

8. Remember the goal: Context Counts exists to help teams be more effective in their specific situation, not to make things unnecessarily complex.

Remember that Context Counts fundamentally challenges the notion that there is a single "best practice" that applies to all situations. Instead, it promotes the idea of "effective practices in context" – what works well in a given situation for a specific team.