We just had this thought, and it felt like a small epiphany. 

 

Agile shares defining qualities with ready golf, in contrast to traditional workflows and the traditional rules of golf, respe

ctively. Agile and ready golf were both conceived from a similar mindset: You can complete your work or game more quickly, pleasantly, and smoothly! (We aren’t golf pros, but we are Agile pros!)

 

First, Understanding the Flow of Golf in Its Usual Form

 

Do you already know a bit about the typical rules of golf and how the game flows? (If you do, skip to the next paragraph.) If not, it’s easy, don’t worry. You don’t even need to know what a golf course looks like or anything. Here’s a quick primer. When you have a group of players waiting to start the next hole, the one who had the best score on the previous hole is the one who hits first. After that, the player whose ball is farthest from the hole goes next. So, for every shot, you follow that protocol, with every shot taking place in a predetermined order. You wait as everyone hits their collective first shots, wait as everyone hits their collective second shots, and so on. That shared understanding structures golf play.

 

Next, the Flow of Ready Golf

 

According to Golf News Net, ready golf simply makes the game faster. “When playing ready golf, the next golfer to hit a shot…is the golfer who is ready to hit [emphasis added]…. They don’t have to be the player farthest from the hole.” They explain that ready golf “enables golfers to move at a more natural pace, and… to play faster because there’s less waiting and looking around for players who may be the next to hit in a traditional order but are slower or distracted….” Of course, you hit your ball only when you see that your group will be safe if you do so. Awareness and thoughtfulness are key.

 

Traditional Workflows Compared to the Flow of Official Golf

 

Let’s sketch out this analogy. In a standard office setting, say that Golfer B is delayed while looking for a lost ball, and Golfer A might have to wait to take their turn. Golfer A’s assigned role in the project is now on hold, and they are passing the time by picking dandelions on the golf course. The order of play on the golf course flows only according to prescribed rules, and at work, the traditional to-do list and the team member assignments for completing a project are linear and fairly rigid. As a result, colleagues and golfers might have a lot of unproductive time.

 

The Agile Methodology Compared to the Flow of Ready Golf

 

In Agile teams, as is the case with ready golf, a ready colleague can take a shot as the opportunity arises, especially if a team member (e.g., golfer C) just landed their ball in the creek and needs a little more time. The given project, or the golf game, is always progressing because no one is ever stuck without something they can move forward toward completion, whether it’s a little white ball or a client’s deliverable. When team member/golfer C is delayed on Step 4 of the project, ready team member/golfer D can step in and take their shot to help keep the project, or the game, moving forward.

 

Obviously, the term “Agile” indicates that our work can be performed nimbly—meaning that interconnected colleagues and defined project steps are guided by the natural, unfolding flow of timing and opportunity. This very attractive Agile quality means that your various projects as a whole can always progress, whether or not all colleagues, tasks, and dependencies have caught up with each other. 

 

Through the unique lens of golf, then, a traditional approach seems to thoroughly address what needs to be done, but it is sometimes tedious and unyielding about how, who, and when.

 

But with Agile, when you’re ready, you check on your colleagues, you check what’s next, and you play.

 

What do you think, golfers and non-golfers alike? Do you use other analogies to describe the Agile framework to someone new to Agile? Comment below to share your thoughts.