Sunday, October 30, 2005
Straight talking
Posted by Simon Baker
When you don't know the answer to a question, don't be afraid to say so. Speculating is the worst thing you can do because it will probably set an expectation that you cannot satisfy.
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Take a run up
Posted by Simon Baker
The Extreme Programming corollary practice of negotiated scope contract advocates fixing time, cost and quality while scope is negotiated on an ongoing basis. I am currently working on a contract that employs this practice. There is a contract per iteration that fixes time. The composition of the team is fixed per iteration therefore fixing cost. The quality is fixed by adhering to coding standards and ensuring a JUnit test coverage greater than 85% is maintained with the outstanding 15% corresponding to functionality that is unlikely to break.
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Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Fun at a 59 Minute Scrum
Posted by Simon Baker
Last night I had lots of fun in the 59-minute Scrum hosted by the BCS Spa specialist group. Our project was to produce a tourist brochure for Martians visiting earth. The product backlog included the following items:
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Comments: 2
Monday, October 24, 2005
Test infection breeds quality
Posted by Simon Baker
Generally, the acceptance testing and unit testing performed by an agile team facilitates collaboration and communication, creates feedback loops, and gives developers the courage to attempt things they would perhaps normally shy away from. A test-driven approach to development causes high-quality solutions and implementations to emerge.
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Sunday, October 23, 2005
Forgetting to breathe can be hazardous to your health
Posted by Simon Baker
Come up for air is a pattern for taking regular opportunities to communicate and to refresh awareness. Before examining the pattern, let's take a look at a metaphor. When snorkeling, you have to come up for air regularly otherwise a bad thing can happen. When up and before submerging again, you should check that it's safe to do so by surveying your surroundings and taking your bearings.
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Saturday, October 22, 2005
Mind mapping the sprint goal for a big visible chart
Posted by Simon Baker
I've used mind maps to do many things, from constructing daily plans and to-do lists to study and revision to planning a party. Recently I started to use a mind map to portray a visualization of the Sprint Goal.
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Comments: 2
Thursday, October 20, 2005
In a spin. A software development team is like a washing machine
Posted by Simon Baker
Here's an extract taken from Making the date by Ron Jeffries.
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Podcast: Fit with Ward Cunningham and Rick Mugridge
Posted by Simon Baker
Fit with Ward Cunningham and Rick Mugridge.
Truth is a conversation about things that matter
Posted by Simon Baker
I recently explored a reference to Parker Palmer's "To Know As We Are Known". I was interested to read that Parker, a renowned educator, defines truth as an ongoing conversation about things that matter and sees "education creating an environment in which truth is practiced". As I was reading I found myself thinking of Scrum and the anecdotes told by Ken Schwaber in the CSM course I attended.
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Tuesday, October 4, 2005
Small teams pack a punch
Posted by Simon Baker
Before adding more people to a project team to accelerate delivery be sure you have realistic expectations about the effect. Measure the impact of learning curve and management overhead and be sure that the increase in productivity is worth the additional expense.
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