I was recently introduced to the concept of Tickets don’t move left (TDML), and the question of whether this is a good practice.

It got me thinking. And I won’t go into a detailed analysis of TDML, instead I want to focus on what became my conclusion, because I think it applies to many things:

If TDML helps your team identify and fix problems, you should use it. But don’t become complacent with TDML as the new status quo.

Immediately after saying this, I realized that this advice can apply to almost anything.

“Should we use a kanban board?”

If a kanban board helps your team identify and fix problems, you should use it. But don’t become complacent with a kanban board as the new status quo.

“Should we try 1-week sprints instead of 2-week sprints?”

If a 1-week sprints help your team identify and fix problems, you should use them. But don’t become complacent with a 1-week sprint as the new status quo.

“Should we estimate with story points?”

If a story points help your team identify and fix problems, you should use them. But don’t become complacent with story points as the new status quo.

“Should we pair program?”

If a pair programming helps your team identify and fix problems, you should use them. But don’t become complacent with pair programming as the new status quo.

“Should we eat ice cream every afternoon?”

Yes. Yes, we should. Rocky Road, please.