Clearing out my backlog

I recently realised that I am trying to carry too much of a personal backlog: my head won't fit any more draft blog posts, code snippets, open source thoughts, or potential problem-solutions. So in accordance with the Lean Principles I decided to cut out some unneccessary work in progress. The first step is to get some of my "great unwritten blog posts" out into the open, and I may (or may not) revisit these ideas in the future...

Agile is not careless: one of the criticisms levelled at agile software development is that there isn't enough emphasis on planning. But agile teams are not careless: we do plan and replan frequently, in a low ceremony manner that values "the planning activity" more than "having a plan (and sticking to it)". A software team which does no documentation is not doing XP, and a team which does no replanning is not being agile.

Don't just throw people at the problem: throwing a team of good people at a problem and hoping that they will succeed in spite of any obstacles is far too wasteful. It's much better to proactively identify and overcome obstacles with some thoughtful agile project management instead.

Does testing need more domain-level scripting languages?: if FIT enables application test-scripting in a generic fashion, then what could be done with more specific domain-level scripting languages - especially if they incorporated some of these ideas on Situated Software?

Comparing agile methods to the CMM: rather than comparing agility and discipline (repeat after me, XP without discipline is a recipe for failure) I see it as an apples-and-oranges comparison between repeatable outcomes and repeatable processes...

The environment matters: According to this BBC News report cluttered desks make workers ill. And I thought that there were already enough reasons to pay attention to the work environment, given the morale and productivity-sapping effects of cube farms, open plan prairies, poor (or non-existent) air conditioning, cramped seating, and the like...