Side Hustle Shuffle Podcast: 2021-11-21 - Agility
Steven’s Notes on Agile Software Development
The Problem
“Waterfall” software development
Gather all requirements up front
Strong plans, defined processes/tools
Deliver finished, polished product once, at the end of the project
Goal is to fulfill the contract
Requirements, environment, people change
What if the target of your waterfall project moves?
The Manifesto for Agile Software Development
4 Main points:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
Re-stated by Scott Ambler:
Tools and processes are important, but it is more important to have competent people working together effectively.
Good documentation is useful in helping people to understand how the software is built and how to use it, but the main point of development is to create software, not documentation.
A contract is important but is no substitute for working closely with customers to discover what they need.
A project plan is important, but it must not be too rigid to accommodate changes in technology or the environment, stakeholders' priorities, and people's understanding of the problem and its solution.
The 12 principles behind the manifesto:
Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.
Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.
Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.
Working software is the primary measure of progress.
Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.
The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.
Becoming/Being Agile
Defer decision making
Allows you to change direction more easily if you’re off target
Iterative, incremental, evolutionary working processes
Efficient communication as face-to-face as possible
Short feedback loop and adaptation cycle
Allows you to change direction earlier if you’re off target
Adaptive vs predictive
