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  • Rolling Rocks Downhill - in Installments

    Clarke Ching has just published more chapters of Rolling Rocks Downhill, his "business novel" in the tradition of Goldratt and Lencioni. He's writing in an online "fishbowl", looking for reader feedback: a rather Agile thing to do. In chapter 21 Steve contemplates working iteratively from the start of the project - just like they do in product development. But he's got one niggling doubt ...

  • Submissions Wanted on Lean and Agile Together

    The Software Technology Track at the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences will include an Agile subject: "Incorporating Lean Development Practices into Agile Software Development". Research papers are sought, but the deadline for submissions is close: June 15, 2006. Did we mention it's taking place in Hawaii?

  • Fun: The YAGNI Development Assistant

    Some days it's harder than others to remain focused. Darren Smith has specced out a new feature which most IDE's are missing: The YAGNI Development Assistant. Based on Microsoft's Clippy, it provides key advice for staying agile as you're programming.

  • Converting a project from a waterfall to an iterative approach

    Software developers who firmly believe in an iterative approach must work for clients who, for various reasons, are rooted in a traditional methodology. This article discusses ways to help such organizations make a transition.

  • Submissions wanted for Agile Leadership Summit 2006

    Deadline is May 31 for submission of Experience Reports for the APLN Leadership Summit, to be held at the Agile2006 conference in July. This is an amazing opportunity to talk all day with Agile leaders in the setting of a small conference.

  • Planning 101 for Agile Teams

    Detractors have propagated the myth that "Agile teams don't plan", which couldn't be farther from the truth. Planning is essential to Agile, because of its empirical nature: plan, execute, inspect, adapt... plan again. Stacia Heimgartner outlines the five levels of planning required to set good expectations with all levels of the organization.

  • Automating "All" Tests

    Sure, test automation is a good thing. But we can't, and shouldn't, automate them all. Why then, ask people to "automate all tests"?

  • Distributed Teams Can be Effective...Enough

    Scrum, being an Agile approach to teamwork, emphasises team co-location. So why is Esther Derby, ScrumMaster, writing about distributed teams? They pose real communication challenges, but are a reality in many organisations adopting Agile, and Esther notes "you can't just hope that communication will work." In this article, she offers Five Tactics to Compensate for Distance on Distributed Teams.

  • Agile DSM Workshop at XP2006

    Steven Kelley and Alan Cameron Wills are holding a workshop at XP2006 in Oulu Finland on June 19th where participants will discuss how to add domain specific modeling to an agile software development project.

  • Should Architects Code? Agile Ones Do!

    One of the "religous" issues within the architecture community is whether or not architects should code, at least this is still being debated within the traditional community. For agilists, the answer is a resounding YES.

  • Anderson's "Agile Management" Reviewed

    Stick Minds has posted two reviews of David Anderson's "Agile Management for Software Engineering: Applying the Theory of Constraints for Business Results", in which Anderson combines TOC and Agile approaches. The book targets senior IT executives, project managers, development managers, and team leads. Do manufacturing metrics really enhance Agile software development? Apparently the jury is out.

  • Fun: The Truth about Scrum Revealed

    High Moon Studios, perhaps best known for their DarkWatch console game, uses the Scrum methodology to get things done. They've put out a passionate (if violent) 90-second video that tells the truth (and a little fiction) about working the Agile way.

  • InfoQ Enterprise Software Development Community Unlaunched

    Welcome to the "unlaunch" of InfoQ.com, a new community that aims to be your source for keeping up with change and innovation in the enterprise software development community, specifically serving the Java, .NET, Ruby, SOA, and Agile communities. Please read this news item to learn about the site, its goals, features, and why it matters.

  • Database Regression Testing: Isn't It Time to Bring Quality to Data Management?

    Mission-critical business functionality is often implemented in stored procedures within your databases, and data is an important corporate asset. This article overviews a strategy for effective DB regression testing.

  • Worth Repeating: The BigBook Technique

    Mark Hedlund has a favourite story: he tells of the BigBook Technique, a simple ploy engineers once used to communicate with their CEO about a death-march project. With yet another big-project implosion in the news, Hedlund felt the need to roll out this simple remedy, again. In effect: nine women simply cannot deliver a baby in one month. If that sounds familiar, this story may be of use to you.

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