I know this is an old topic now, but it’s awesome research material. Thanks Doc!

I’d think the remedy to that concern would be working on small enough pieces, with each other in the room at the same time so as to remove memory from the equation, or at least reduce the cost down to nil.

This is not just about software development, although that’s my context. The example I frequently use in training is that of building a house. I went through the experience. As we moved forward, I discovered things I could not possibly have thought of at the beginning. Each time I asked for a change, the builder charged me $250 just to write a change order, then whatever the cost of the change was. This was because we had a contract. While there’s no question that plans were necessary, it was clear that we needed to be flexible and responsive to change. The contract frequently got in the way, rather than making things clearer.

On Agile software teams, contracts generally get in the way. We have stories, we talk to the customer on an ongoing basis, and we respond to change.

Getting back to your point about different recollections and going back to see what was agreed… yes, I suppose I can’t argue that there are circumstances where that seems necessary. I wonder what would happen in a situation where (a) there was trust and (b) we work together to achieve our goals. Not “my memory was right and yours was wrong” but “what do we think we need to do about this today given what we have learned and the current circumstances?”

I prefer simple contracts: I will provide service – software development, training, coaching, consulting – for a particular fee for a particular time. That doesn’t require a whole lot of perfect behavior or perfect memory.

No, I don’t think all contracts are bad, and yes I think they are sometimes necessary. I do think that a reliance on contracts as tools of enforcement contributes to a Culture of Blame.

[and no, there was not a conference, that I know of or attended - perhaps this is just important enough that it's on people's minds? ]

But I digress.

Contracts aren’t about blame. They’re about responsibility. You’re right, we can’t contract for trust… and folks who don’t trust each other aren’t going to have a good experience (even with a contract).

But all too often, even people who trust each other have a different recollection of “the deal” long after the deal was agreed upon. So you go back to the contract, the SOW and accompanying documents to see what was agreed.

So don’t blame the contract for the culture. Contracts wouldn’t be necessary if people:

1. Had 100% perfect memories.
2. Had 100% perfect behavior.

But they don’t, so contracts are a necessary tool.

reading A Culture of Blame on The Doctor Is In [link to post]

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This post was mentioned on Twitter by athought: Blogged: A Culture of Blame http://www.stevenlist.com/blog/2009/10/30/cultureofblame/...

Nice one Doc. RT @athought: Blogged: A Culture of Blame [link to post]

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RT @athought: Blogged: A Culture of Blame [link to post]

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