If you have read the book “Agile project management with Scrum” by Ken Shwaber, then you would have understood what I am talking about. Throughout the book he refers to two sets of people, pigs and chickens. Pigs are those people who are committed to the project and work towards completing the project successfully. Chickens are those who are interested to know about the project but are not accountable for the outcome of the project, so they are prone to interfere unnecessarily in the project. But why call them pigs and chickens? Here is an old joke that the author recalls in the book.

A chicken and pig are walking down the road. The chicken says to the pig, “Do you want to open a restaurant with me?” The pig considers the question and replies “Yes, I’d like that. What do you want to call the restaurant?” The chicken replies, “Ham and Eggs!” The pig stops, pauses, and replies, “On second thought, I don’t think I want to open a restaurant with you. I’d be committed, but you’d only be involved.”

:-) The author mentions that distinguishing chickens and pigs is important in Scrum. I think it is very much valid not just in Scrum but in any project, to be clear on who is accountable in the project and who are just well wishers and audeince interested in knowing what the project is. And many a times these chickens would offer help, but watch out if that help turns out to be a nuisance. And remember that they are not accountable hence the impact will be on you, the pig.