2023 in Retrospective - Part 3 (last)
Music streaming giant Spotify announced in December its plan to lay off approximately 1500 employees, or 17% of its workforce, as a cost-cutting measure. This move follows earlier workforce reductions in January and June, adding up to an impressive overall 24% in one year.
Many associate Spotify to unrestricted access to a vast array of music (with a few notable exceptions). But for me, for my project-tunnel-vision, and for my irreducible belief that one should pay a fair price for good art, the first thought that Spotify triggers in my mind is the Spotify Model for Scaling Agile.
So I cannot help wonder what is happening at a company whose organization for projects has become an eponymous methodology. Without specific details on the strategy behind these layoffs, one can only speculate about their relation to the famed 'Spotify method'. Does implementing Agile on a large scale lead to such efficiency that it results in substantial redundancies?
Or, conversely, does Agile at scale, with its seemingly complex processes, contribute to inefficiencies that necessitate layoffs for financial stability?
This third and last article in the 2023 retrospective ends with a big question mark, as I have no useful considerations to offer.
In this spirit of letting go, my wish for the New Year (and the last "scope creep" of 2023) is expressed with an unusual song.
Scope Creep
In project management, “scope creep” is the uncontrolled expansion of a project's scope. Here, it represents the expanding scope of a project manager's knowledge and interests into diverse fields like culture and art.
Its ethereal melody and Buckley's soulful voice create an ambiance of gentle reflection and peace. The lyrics, woven with themes of release and renewal, inspire a wish to approach the upcoming year with a heart free from the burdens of past resentments. It encompasses not just pardoning others but also offering that same kindness to oneself.
In this forgiving atmosphere, there's an invitation to heal, to mend bridges, and to move forward with a lighter heart. This forgiving mood is not just about pardoning others but also about offering that same kindness to oneself: each new year offers a fresh start, an opportunity to shape our lives with more empathy, tolerance, and graciousness.