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Re: Agile Project Management

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On Thu, 9 Feb 2012, Patricia Shanahan wrote:

> On 2/9/2012 9:45 AM, markspace wrote:
>
>> Anyone want to discuss pros and cons of various software development 
>> methods? Or maybe pros and pitfalls of Agile, i.e., how to avoid doing 
>> it wrong.
>> 
>> Also, new thread, or jack this one?
>
> The subject line is fine for a discussion of agile project management,
> so I think hijack it.
>
> First of all, I have seen a general pattern to software development
> methodologies:
>
> 1. Some people come up with an approach to software development.
>
> 2. A lot of books get written, and complete, detailed systems combining
> many ideas are produced.
>
> 3. The detailed systems, applied completely and unintelligently, do not
> work well.
>
> 4. Some of the ideas, mixed with other ideas and selected to fit the
> project and situation, turn out to be extremely useful, and become part
> of the essential software project toolbox.
>
> I've seen this pattern repeat several times, starting with "structured
> programming" in the 1960's and 70's.

In partial defence of agile, Extreme Programming, which i think of as 
being the true, pure, form of agile, was developed in a very practical 
way, by experimentation with the process used on the Chrysler 
Comprehensive Compensation System project. It's not a case of some egghead 
attaining enlightenment through contemplating their navel and then writing 
a fat book about it.

This is not to say that it doesn't suffer from the problem of being 
applied unintelligently.

XP also has a huge Achilles' heel, in that it demands a very different 
relationship with the customer to traditional processes. If you can't have 
that kind of relationship, then you can't actually do XP, and whatever 
halfway house you settle on is going to include some pretty weird 
compromises.

But, as you say, you can definitely pull some useful features from XP to 
use in your local process. Continuous integration and automatic testing 
have pretty much carried the day, i think. I contend that small releases, 
standups, Do The Simplest Thing That Could Possibly Work, spikes, and the 
idea that the customer's motivation should always be obvious are all 
valuable to any project.

Really, what XP is about is tightening feedback loops, which has the 
effect of shortening the period where you don't know something useful. 
Continuous integration, instead of integration once a week or whatever, 
shortens the period where you don't know if your code will merge with your 
colleagues'. Automatic testing, rather than waiting for QA to come along 
and test manually, shortens the period where you don't know if your code 
does what you expected. Small releases, rather than quarterly or more 
infrequent releases, shorten the period where you don't know if your users 
like what you've done. Daily standups, rather than weekly or monthly 
all-hands meetings, or newsletters, or the grapevine, shorten the period 
where you don't know what your colleagues are doing. DTSTTCPW, rather than 
big design up front, shortens the period where you don't know if the code 
you're writing will get anywhere. Spikes, rather than taking designs or 
assumptions on faith, shorten the period where you don't even know if your 
code could possibly get anywhere. The use of the customer motivation 
practices, like on-site customer (or at least business analyst/product 
manager sitting at the desk next to you) and using user stories, rather 
than working purely from technical specs, shorten the period where you 
don't know which technical decision best serves the customer's interest.

That's what XP is really about. People get hung up on the provocative, 
radical, possibly misguided, technical practices, like pair programming, 
or test-driven development, but those are actually not the important bits. 
What really matters is shortening the latency between a customer 
developing a desire for a feature, and their having it in their hands, 
because that is a cast-iron way of making sure that you are building the 
right thing.

tom

-- 
In case you don't know what CROWDSOURCING is, it's a stomach-churning
new media term obviously invented by a bastard made of piss. -- Charlie
Brooker

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Thread

Agile Project Management Iqra Educational Portal <iqraeducationalportal@gmail.com> - 2012-02-08 22:51 -0800
  Re: Agile Project Management Lionel <lionelv@none.com> - 2012-02-09 21:53 +1000
    Re: Agile Project Management markspace <-@.> - 2012-02-09 09:45 -0800
      Re: Agile Project Management Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2012-02-09 14:09 -0800
        Re: Agile Project Management Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom3minus1@eastlink.ca> - 2012-02-09 20:24 -0400
          Re: Agile Project Management Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2012-02-11 18:09 -0500
        Re: Agile Project Management Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2012-02-10 09:03 -0800
        Re: Agile Project Management Tom Anderson <twic@urchin.earth.li> - 2012-02-11 00:25 +0000
          Re: Agile Project Management Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom3minus1@eastlink.ca> - 2012-02-10 22:32 -0400
            Re: Agile Project Management Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2012-02-10 18:35 -0800
  Re: Agile Project Management Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2012-02-09 09:45 -0800
  Re: Agile Project Management simplicity <stella_pigeon@live.ca> - 2012-02-10 08:26 -0800
    Re: Agile Project Management Robert Klemme <shortcutter@googlemail.com> - 2012-02-10 23:28 +0100
      Re: Agile Project Management Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2012-02-10 15:40 -0800
        Re: Agile Project Management Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2012-02-10 16:22 -0800
          Re: Agile Project Management Leif Roar Moldskred <leifm@dimnakorr.com> - 2012-02-11 01:04 -0600
            Re: Agile Project Management Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2012-02-11 12:23 -0800
            Re: Agile Project Management eric@invalid.com (EricF) - 2012-02-12 05:17 +0000
          Re: Agile Project Management Robert Klemme <shortcutter@googlemail.com> - 2012-02-12 14:52 +0100
          Re: Agile Project Management Gene Wirchenko <genew@ocis.net> - 2012-02-13 11:33 -0800
    Re: Agile Project Management Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2012-02-11 18:05 -0500
      Re: Agile Project Management Martin Gregorie <martin@address-in-sig.invalid> - 2012-02-11 23:46 +0000
        Re: Agile Project Management Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2012-02-11 18:58 -0500
          Re: Agile Project Management Martin Gregorie <martin@address-in-sig.invalid> - 2012-02-12 15:46 +0000
            Re: Agile Project Management Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2012-02-12 10:58 -0500
      Re: Agile Project Management simplicity <stella_pigeon@live.ca> - 2012-02-11 22:43 -0800
        Re: Agile Project Management Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2012-02-12 09:19 -0500
          Re: Agile Project Management Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2012-02-12 07:08 -0800
            Re: Agile Project Management Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2012-02-12 11:11 -0500
            Re: Agile Project Management Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom3minus1@eastlink.ca> - 2012-02-12 12:12 -0400
              Re: Agile Project Management Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2012-02-12 09:00 -0800
                Re: Agile Project Management Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2012-02-12 12:06 -0500
                Re: Agile Project Management Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2012-02-12 13:13 -0500
                Re: Agile Project Management Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2012-02-12 12:55 -0800
                Re: Agile Project Management Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2012-02-12 16:29 -0500
                Re: Agile Project Management Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2012-02-12 16:35 -0500
                Re: Agile Project Management Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2012-02-12 17:04 -0800
                Re: Agile Project Management Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2012-02-16 21:28 -0500
                Re: Agile Project Management Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2012-02-17 02:15 -0800
          Re: Agile Project Management Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom3minus1@eastlink.ca> - 2012-02-12 11:43 -0400
            Re: Agile Project Management Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2012-02-12 11:03 -0500
              Re: Agile Project Management Arved Sandstrom <asandstrom3minus1@eastlink.ca> - 2012-02-12 13:25 -0400
                Re: Agile Project Management Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2012-02-12 13:34 -0500
            Re: Agile Project Management Leif Roar Moldskred <leifm@dimnakorr.com> - 2012-02-12 11:55 -0600
        Re: Agile Project Management eric@invalid.com (EricF) - 2012-02-13 04:38 +0000
          Re: Agile Project Management simplicity <stella_pigeon@live.ca> - 2012-02-14 08:04 -0800
            Re: Agile Project Management Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2012-02-14 08:50 -0800
              Re: Agile Project Management Leif Roar Moldskred <leifm@dimnakorr.com> - 2012-02-14 11:11 -0600
                Re: Agile Project Management Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2012-02-14 09:17 -0800
            Re: Agile Project Management Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2012-02-16 21:26 -0500

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