InfoQ Homepage Agile Techniques Content on InfoQ
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Is it Time to Stop Estimating User Stories?
Most new Agile teams transition from hours based estimates to relative estimation using story points, but do we even need estimates at all?
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How Long Would it Take to Build the Product?
This is one the frequent questions asked by the customer. It is a question that makes an Agile team uncomfortable. On one hand, estimating an entire product functionality without actually starting work is ridden with flaws, however in many circumstances, it is a practical question which teams cannot ignore.
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Count Bug Fixes Towards Velocity? Depends …
There have been numerous arguments and debates in the past on whether bug fixes should be counted towards velocity. There does not seem to be a 'one' right answer. However, Agilists have some recommendations describing situations in which they should be added, how they should be added and where they could be avoided.
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Behavior Driven Development In .NET
Behavior Driven Development (BDD) is being increasingly seen as an alternative way to approach Test Driven Development. SpecFlow and NSpec are popular frameworks for BDD in .NET. They help create test specifications that are easy to read even for non-programmers and allow the design of the software to be driven by it’s purpose.
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Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland Release Updated Scrum Guide
Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland, the co-creators of Scrum, updated the Scrum Guide. The update focuses on the framework, rules, and ceremonies of Scrum, removing specifics about strategies and techniques. An accompanying Scrum Update document provides a statement of refinements that clarifies some of the finer points of the Scrum Framework.
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Sales and Agile, Oil and Water?
Sales, by its very nature is supposed to be Agile. A good sales person would inspect the situation, adapt to make the stakeholders comfortable and inspect by asking relevant questions to finally present a valid solution. However, it becomes a problem when the sales person tries to become too agile by offering silver bullets. Is this a regular phenomenon? Can it be solved?
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The Legacy of Eli Goldratt
On June 11th 2011, Dr. Eli Goldratt, inventor of the Theory of Constraints (TOC), passed away. Eli’s first, and most famous book was the "The Goal", it defined the TOC. His legacy will continue to indirectly influence the agile by the embodiment of his ideas in techniques we apply every day.
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Is Technical Debt Still a Useful Metaphor?
A discussion has been taking place on the LinkedIn Agile Alliance group questioning if "technical debt" is still a valid metaphor in today's global software development world. This discussion has surfaced a strong support for the effectiveness of the metaphor even after 20 years.
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Value-based Architectural Decisions in Agile Development
Jeromy Carriere, chief architect at eBay, received the Architecture in Practice award at the recent SATURN 2011 conference. He described how economical accountability and ownership for architectural transformations set the ground for autonomous yet consistent design decision-making by the agile teams.
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All Right It Failed, What Next?
Usually failures result in anger, frustration and playing the blame game. However, failures are wasted if there is no learning from them. How can Agile teams make failures beautiful?
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Happiness and Self Organizing Teams
Does happiness affect our results - both positive and negative - with self organizing teams? Mark Levison shares research in psychology that shows that choice and control are interchangeable: "if people lack power, they clamor for choice, and if they have an abundance of choice they don’t strive as much for power." Does this explain successes and pains of self organization?
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PowerMockup, A New Tool for Low Fidelity Mockups
Agile teams seeking to deliver a high quality user experience often create mockups of varying fidelity to hone in on an appropriate design prior to coding (e.g. prior to sprint/iteration planning). PowerMockup is a new product for those seeking to create low fidelity mockups using a tool they are already familiar with, PowerPoint.
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Nailing Down Non-Functional Requirements
Non-Functional requirements are often associated with the state of the system and not with the functionality that the system has to offer. General 'ilities' of the system such as scalability, interoperability, maintainability, portability, performance and security fall under this umbrella. Agile teams usually struggle with defining and estimating the non-functional requirements in their projects.
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Can Earned Value Leverage Agile Methods?
The debate over the value of Earned Value Management (EVM) and integrating it into agile rages heavy as agile penetrates into more large scale IT projects that require EVM. Opinions vary but some believe that not only can agile projects apply EVM; EVM with agile is better than EVM without agile.
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Agile and Architecture Conflict
There is a constant tussle between following Agile techniques and still managing to do enterprise architecture. While Agile development focuses on adjusting the design as more insight is gained, architecture establishes the technology stack and addresses quality attributes. Combination of the two is successful when agile techniques are leveraged to drive towards the desired architecture.