[locopati]

1) Figure out your motives - what are you looking for? Are you trying to satisfy a personal craving, do your job better, fulfill the goals of your employer better? Accept that it is possible your motives may not be able to be satisfied where you are now; accepting that, you may need to find something that is a better fit for you.

2) Start where you are. What can you do personally or within your team to make things better. Are there processes that you follow but don't really need to follow because they don't serve real goals (i.e. they're done because that's how it's done)? Are there things in your immediate reach that can be improved and how do those improvements serve the larger goals (e.g. do they save money, time, reduce tedium)?

3) It can be better to ask forgiveness than ask permission (sometimes). Are there ways you can change things that can be justified after the fact? What if you started using a different approach because the team decided it was the right thing to do and knew from experience that it would work and be an improvement. Once it was working, then present it as a 'better way' with the proof already laid out. Realize too that there's a time and a place for this and only you can know when that might be (e.g. the time to try something new might not be during a frantic push to release a new feature).

4) Find a sponsor. Is there someone higher up who you can show successes to and who would support you? Technology is not just about clean code and good technical architectures, there is also a cultural architecture that must be considered. We don't develop software or create systems in a vacuum of ideal decisions; we work with the constraints of time/demands of the larger organization. Having someone to help navigate the political ground can help accomplish your goals while also improving things. A sponsor can help build trust within the organization.

5) Be patient. Cultural change can take years. Maybe that's not what you want to be doing with your time. That's fine too. Maybe it will never happen. That's also fine. The question is are you finding satisfaction in your job and remaining flexible and vibrant while doing what needs to be done?