| The question is "why do organiations use processes that are complex enough to require it". I couldn't imagine doing the process I use at work in something less complex (github issues, trello, ...). We tried that in a simpler system and it is a web of hacks, manual steps, emails... If the complex you need is complex, then a complex and configurable system might be the easiest way of managing it. Everyone should of course first consider whether a complex process is actually needed - but for the sake of discussion, let's say it is (No one who has a simple process would be considering Jira, and contrary to popular belief I don't think complex systems breed complex processes. I think complex organizations do). Do you have multiple teams, with people switching between teams. Do teams have different processes in different teams? Do you have hierarchical planning where a management team plans on a higher level what features go in what major version and different product teams break it down into managable chunks? Do you have managers that need to report statistics to various stakeholders?
All of that can be emulated in any system. But if you start emulating it in a simple system, then all that's missing instead you need to add to the system with emails, a wiki describing which email to send to what person after generating the monthly report or whatever. I think the mistake that is often made is that these systems are seen as tools for a development team of 4-8 people who would otherwise use a whiteboard. They aren't. In fact, I'd recommend that any team use a simpler tool to manage their progress if they want to. Why not post-its on a whiteboard if you are colocated? All that's left after you complete an iteration (sprint, release, whatever) is to fill in the issues from the whiteboard back into a system and be done.
These systems aren't supposed to get in the way of developers. If they do, don't use them. But you need a central source of truth for questions like "what was the cause of that bug 9 years ago?". I use info like that daily. It's not going to be found in the trashcan under the post-it whiteboard. |