InfoQ Homepage Agile Content on InfoQ
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Interview: Ivar Jacobson on the UP, UML, MDA, and the future of methodologies
Ivar Jacobson, one of the creators of the Unified Process, UML, and use cases, introduces his vision for a next generation development methodology that is both agile and comprehensive like the Unified Process (UP). His vision includes 'Intelligent Agents' which make customization recommendations based on tool usage patterns. Jacobson also talks about his views on UML, MDA, AOP, and the future.
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Agile PMs Get it Right the Last Time
In his Gantthead article, "Get It Right the Last Time: Developing an Agile Attitude," Doug DeCarlo challenged project managers to ditch the counter-productive "get-it-right-the-first-time" philosophy practiced for so long by so many. Instead, he has proposed some Agile attitudes to help managers think differently about what counts.
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What Creates Individual Productivity? Can We Improve It?
Is it helpful, or even possible, to change the productivity of individuals in a collaborative team? What exactly constitutes productivity, when deliverables come from teamwork? It's a tricky subject. We bring you highlights from a conversation held a few weeks ago on the AgileProjectManagement list.
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Agile Tooling Survey - What Is Your Team Using?
Pete Behrens of TrailRidge Consulting wants to know what kind of tooling Agile teams are using, and not just software engineering tools: also requirements management, project management, acceptance testing and remote collaboration software. This is a quick, vendor-independent survey.
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InfoQ Article: Do Agile Practices Make it an Agile Project?
As adoption of Agile methodologies grows, challenges abound, including the possibility of dilution as teams copy practices rather than growing them, implementing them without understanding. InfoQ's own Deb Hartmann gives us a frank discussion about how failure to teach the basics puts much at risk: the integrity and engagement of team members, and the trust of their customers.
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Agile at Microsoft: Developing XML Notepad
InfoQ had the opportunity to interview Chris Lovett of Microsoft's XML team regarding XML Notepad and its development process. XMLNotepad is a free XML editor written in C# with features like a search tool that supports RegEx and XPath, an XSLT transformation results view, and a schema validator. The interview is about software development processes used to build the product.
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Experience Report: Unique Work-Study Agile Development Apprenticeship at NMHU
In 2004 a new work-study degree program launched at NMHU, using Agile practices to execute commercial projects. The premise: create a balance of people, software, systems, craft and agility to produce development teams 10 times as productive as their traditional counterparts. InfoQ brings you the story of a unique educational experiment: a challenge to think differently about training developers.
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Study: Co-Located Teams vs. the Cubicle Farm
Many trainers agree that co-location is essential to really see the benefits of Agile, but proof of this has been largely anecdotal. On the ScrumDevelopment list recently, an interesting conversation was launched when a member pointed out a study conducted at a Fortune 50 auto maker, comparing productivity gains in collaborative workspaces versus traditional cubicle culture projects.
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Easing into XP - for the Harried and Stressed
One can't always start from scratch with Agile - sometimes it's used to salvage troubled projects, but Emanuel Gaillot notes that "What's tough about XP is, the more you need it to get your project in a better shape, the harder it is to start doing it." Can a team really afford to switch in the middle of a troubled project? Gaillot recently shared his approach to gradual XP implementation.
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CruiseControl.Net 1.1 Released
The team behind CruiseControl.Net has released version 1.1. CrusieControl.Net provides continuous integration capabilities for .NET developers. A cornerstone of Agile development, continuous integration is used to ensure that team members stay in sync and the integration issues are discovered early. This marks the first major release of CuriseControl.Net in nearly a year.
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Managing Agile Projects - How Hard Can It Be?
Agile projects emphasize self-organizing teams and tight IT/customer collaboration, but does this relieve managers of their role? Liz Barnett, editor-in-chief at AgileJournal.com believes it does not... that the manager role remains critical, though Agile does change it. Her recent article on managing Agile projects recommends some practices to focus on when switching to Agile management.
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Fowler: "Agile Imposition is a Very Red Flag"
Martin Fowler, one of the original creators of the Agile Manifesto in 2001, reflected last week on reports of Agile process being imposed on teams from the outside. He states his reaction succinctly: "Imposing a process on a team is completely opposed to the principles of agile software, and has been since its inception."
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Case Study: DSDM Bridges the Gap Between PRINCE 2 and XP
PRINCE 2 is a traditional project management method, mandated for government agencies in the UK. Extreme Programming (XP) is considered one of the lightest Agile software development methods, relying on team self-management. In this case study, Barbara Roberts uses one of the more management-oriented Agile methods, DSDM, to get these two approaches working together within a single project.
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Experience Report: Running FIT and Fitnesse with Ruby
Ron Jeffries and Chet Hendrickson, well known contributors to the Extreme Programming community, regularly meet in bookstores and cafes to pair program, then Ron blogs about what they've learned. Yesterday Ron wrote a detailed blow-by-blow of their experience installing and configuring Ruby/Fit, then Fitnesse on top of it. For agile practitioners, this is essential "Iteration 0" work.
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Test Driven Database Development
Scott Ambler thinks it's time to raise the bar on data quality: he suggests teams should adapt well accepted TDD code quality practices to database development, since data is a valuable corporate asset. His article in September's TASSQuarterly magazine presents his "Test Driven Database Development" (TDDD) which, just like TDD, combines test-first practices and refactoring.