The non-technical managers and agile coaches are the problem. That's why the best software projects don't have them. Linux kernel developers don't run story ticket velocity poker sprints.
An obsession with technical knowledge being superior to everything else is one of the most grating things about this community.
> The non-technical managers and agile coaches are the problem.
No, shitty managers are. In fact, most of the utterly useless managers and leaders I've had have been technical who just assumed that management, soft skills and leadership are "easy".
> That's why the best software projects don't have them.
There's no one definition of "best" software projects. And something being good software doesn't mean it serves a products needs.
> Linux kernel developers don't run story ticket velocity poker sprints.
The Linux kernel works because the project management knows their audience. The project is managed differently and ran differently. If I drop into an email thread talking about a large feature and say "I think that will take 2 days" people will disagree with that. That's all planning poker really is - once you've decided to do something, have a gut check on how much work it is.
Technical knowledge should be a necessary but not sufficient condition to become an engineering manager. A layman can't take a two day course with no exam and become a managing partner at a law firm. Why is that sufficient to become a micromanager in an enterprise software project?
