Dumplings Rather Than Flowers: Choosing Practical Aspects Over the Aesthetic Ones

Agile projects are often characterized by their fast-paced, iterative, and collaborative nature. They aim to deliver value to customers and stakeholders in short cycles, while adapting to changing requirements and feedback. However, agile teams may sometimes face challenges or temptations that could distract them from their goals or compromise their standards. In such situations, they could benefit from remembering a simple but profound proverb: dumplings rather than flowers.

This proverb originates from Japan, it means that practicality is more important than aesthetics, or that substance is more important than style. The proverb contrasts two things that are often enjoyed during the spring season in Japan: cherry blossom viewing, and sweet dumplings. While cherry blossom is a beautiful and festive tradition, it is also ephemeral and superficial. The cherry blossoms only last for a few days, and they do not provide any nourishment or satisfaction. On the other hand, dumplings are simple and humble, but they are also delicious and filling. They can sustain and delight the people who eat them.

The proverb implies that people should prioritize what is useful and valuable over what is merely attractive and pleasing. It also suggests that people should be realistic and down-to-earth, rather than idealistic and extravagant. These are important lessons for agile teams, who may encounter various situations where they need to make trade-offs or choices between different options or features. For example, agile teams may face the following scenarios:

• A customer requests a new feature that is flashy and impressive, but not very useful or relevant to their needs. The team may be tempted to implement it, hoping to impress the customer or gain a competitive edge. However, this could divert their resources and attention from more important or urgent tasks, or create unnecessary complexity or technical debt. The team should instead focus on delivering value and quality, and explain to the customer why the feature is not necessary or feasible.
• A team member proposes a new design or solution that is elegant and innovative, but not very practical or compatible with the existing system. The team may be intrigued by the idea, and want to try it out, hoping to improve their performance or quality. However, this could introduce new risks or issues, or disrupt the team’s workflow or collaboration. The team should instead stick to the agreed-upon standards and processes, and evaluate the idea carefully before adopting it.
• A stakeholder expects a perfect or flawless product or service, and demands constant changes or revisions to meet their expectations. The team may be pressured to comply, hoping to satisfy the stakeholder or avoid conflict. However, this could delay the delivery or release, or affect the team’s morale or motivation. The team should instead embrace the agile principle of “working software over comprehensive documentation”, and deliver a product or service that is good enough and meets the minimum requirements.

In all these cases, the team should remember the proverb “dumplings rather than flowers”, and choose what is practical and valuable over what is aesthetic and pleasing. This does not mean that the team should ignore or neglect the appearance or style of their product or service, or the preferences or opinions of their customers or stakeholders. It simply means that the team should balance their priorities and resources, and make decisions that are aligned with their goals and values. By doing so, the team can deliver value and quality to their customers and stakeholders, while maintaining their efficiency and effectiveness.

What does it mean to prefer dumplings over flowers in agile projects?

In the context of agile projects, preferring dumplings over flowers means to prioritize the following aspects:

Value over features

Agile teams should focus on delivering the most valuable features to the customers, rather than adding unnecessary or low-priority features that may look impressive but do not solve the real problems. Value can be measured by the impact, benefit, and satisfaction that the features provide to the customers and stakeholders.

Quality over quantity

Agile teams should strive to deliver high-quality products that meet the expectations and needs of the customers, rather than producing a large quantity of products that are buggy, unreliable, or unusable. Quality can be ensured by applying good practices, such as testing, refactoring, code reviews, and continuous integration and delivery.

Feedback over assumptions

Agile teams should seek and incorporate feedback from the customers and stakeholders, rather than relying on their own assumptions or opinions. Feedback can be obtained by conducting user research, prototyping, usability testing, and customer reviews. Feedback can help agile teams validate their ideas, identify issues, and improve their products.

Collaboration over competition

Agile teams should work together as a self-organizing and cross-functional unit, rather than competing or working in silos. Collaboration can be fostered by using effective communication tools, sharing information and knowledge, resolving conflicts, and celebrating successes. Collaboration can help agile teams leverage their diverse skills, perspectives, and experiences.

What are the benefits of preferring dumplings over flowers in agile projects?

By preferring dumplings over flowers in agile projects, agile teams can achieve the following benefits:

Increased customer satisfaction

By delivering valuable, high-quality, and user-friendly products that solve the customers’ problems and meet their needs, agile teams can increase the customer satisfaction and loyalty. This can also lead to positive word-of-mouth, referrals, and repeat business.

Reduced waste and cost

By avoiding unnecessary or low-priority features, agile teams can reduce the waste of time, money, and resources. This can also lower the cost of development, maintenance, and support.

Improved adaptability and innovation

By seeking and incorporating feedback, agile teams can improve their adaptability and innovation. They can quickly respond to changing requirements, customer preferences, and market conditions. They can also discover new opportunities, generate new ideas, and create better solutions.

Enhanced team performance and morale

By working together as a collaborative and self-organizing unit, agile teams can enhance their performance and morale. They can leverage their collective intelligence, creativity, and productivity. They can also enjoy their work, learn from each other, and grow as professionals.

Agile projects are challenging, but they can also be rewarding and successful. By adopting a mindset of “dumplings rather than flowers,” agile teams can focus on the practical aspects of their products, rather than the aesthetic ones. This can help them deliver value, quality, feedback, and collaboration to their customers and stakeholders, while achieving various benefits for themselves. Therefore, agile teams should prefer dumplings over flowers, and enjoy the taste of success.