Our technical world is governed by facts. Specifications and technical details are kings and Excel files are their palace. This overexposure to facts makes us perceive the world in quantifiable and typically linear terms. Yet, this way of looking at the world makes us forget that the goal of our job is not to fulfill technical requests as fast as possible. Our job is to produce value.

Over the past years I got to experience first hand the negative impact of Excel-driven software development, and by the looks of things, it seems I am not alone. Indeed, while arithmetic can be easy and can fit comfortably in an Excel file, the value of a software project can rarely be captured through such a model. We need to change this approach.

Even when in teams that aim to work with agility, too often the talk is kept about story points, capacity and burning charts. While there is some interestingness coming from the facts that some charts need to burn upwards while others should burn downwards, in the end the talk is dry and the customer is kept far away.

We need to reengage with our purpose. This is not just a management issue. It’s also the responsibility of developers.

The best way I can think of to bring meaning back in our technical world is through stories. Not technical user stories. Stories that move. Stories that make us care. Stories that make build beautiful solutions. That is why I designed a 1-day course on storytelling in a technical world to get us started.

You might tend to think that there is no interesting story in your system. Think again.

It takes a leap to move from points to stories. Would you like to join me in this quest? Contact me.