Exploration Through Example

Example-driven development, Agile testing, context-driven testing, Agile programming, Ruby, and other things of interest to Brian Marick

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Tue, 27 Mar 2007

An open letter on open letters

I'm in England, jetlagged. Some person from the States just called my cell phone / alarm clock with a wrong number at 3:00 a.m. local time, and I can't get back to sleep. I am therefore going to do something I will regret in the clear light of morning.

The Agile Alliance recently published its position on certification. I wrote it. I was told last evening, and I believe it, that people have been interpreting it to have the message "you better get certified if you want a job in Agile." I have long maintained, as a matter of both principle and practice, that a misunderstood message is the fault of its sender. But Jeez Louise, the letter is pretty explicit:

... We also believe that employers should not require certification of employees.

... there are many skilled practitioners who are not certified. Excluding them from consideration would be a poor business decision.

The last few years have smacked me in the face with that kind of thing over and over. People are so apt to jump to conclusions, to assume that any unknown motive must be a bad one, to focus on pointing out weakness to the exclusion of helping shore up strengths. Trying to accomplish something positive is just too damn much frustration not to get paid for it. I say it's spinach, and I say to hell with it.

## Posted at 20:29 in category /junk [permalink] [top]