>Your interpretation of the quote is that middle managers don't provide value, but I think that may be too broad. I understood it as "highly formalized process often rewards middle managers", which I do think is true.
I agree, but I don't think that's a bad thing - I think something that rewards management, rewards the team as a whole. If the PO/PM overcommits, it's the team as a whole who suffers. Likewise, if targets are smashed, the team gets recognition.
As such my interpretation wasn't that middle management is bad, but that formalised development processes are bad, which is what I fundamentally disagree with.
Businesses as they grow end up having abstractions on abstractions. Formalising development processes allows for the business to actually be aware of what it's doing, how effectively it's being done, and where opportunities lay for improvements.
Don't get me wrong - too much management creates warrantless red tape and frustrations, however standardising the development process through things like Jira (which the author was complaining about) doesn't fall into that bucket (in my opinion), especially when the author compares that the same can be done with a blank sheet of paper - if senior management want a rough understanding of the roadmap for the next 12 months, why would you "forecast" with some guessing on paper, over actual proven data of this is roughly how this team performs, this is the rough estimates on these initiatives, ergo, we can commit to these X projects.
I agree, but I don't think that's a bad thing - I think something that rewards management, rewards the team as a whole. If the PO/PM overcommits, it's the team as a whole who suffers. Likewise, if targets are smashed, the team gets recognition.
As such my interpretation wasn't that middle management is bad, but that formalised development processes are bad, which is what I fundamentally disagree with.
Businesses as they grow end up having abstractions on abstractions. Formalising development processes allows for the business to actually be aware of what it's doing, how effectively it's being done, and where opportunities lay for improvements.
Don't get me wrong - too much management creates warrantless red tape and frustrations, however standardising the development process through things like Jira (which the author was complaining about) doesn't fall into that bucket (in my opinion), especially when the author compares that the same can be done with a blank sheet of paper - if senior management want a rough understanding of the roadmap for the next 12 months, why would you "forecast" with some guessing on paper, over actual proven data of this is roughly how this team performs, this is the rough estimates on these initiatives, ergo, we can commit to these X projects.