The chicken and the pig — involved or committed, the difference that makes a team
The chicken-and-pig fable applied to software projects — telling apart those who give opinions from those who carry the code, and why both roles matter.
A chicken and a pig open a restaurant.
"Bacon and eggs!" suggests the chicken. The pig hesitates: "You'd be involved. I'd be committed."
The chicken gives its eggs. The pig gives its skin.
That's the whole difference.
The involved
They have a stake in the project: they give opinions, follow progress, wait for delivery. Useful and legitimate.
The committed
They are inside the product: they write the code, own the 11pm bugs, carry every decision. If production breaks, it's their night.
The trap
It's not being one or the other. Both matter. It's confusing them. Believing that having an opinion on the sprint is the same as delivering it.
A good team is when everyone knows which side they're on, and respects the other.
And you, on your last project: chicken or pig?