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Collaborative Technologies Conference, Boston, June 19-22
How much technology is really needed in the Agile world of "do the simplest thing that could possibly work"? For those needing improved technological support for their collaborative teams, the Collaborative Technologies Conference features thought leaders and technology innovators, including Google and 37 Signals, who will explore both the power of collaboration and its potential pitfalls.
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IBM Updates Rational Toolset
IBM announced today a host of new SOA tools which were launched at the Rational Software Development Conference 2006. These tools increasingly support governance through the lifecycle stages of design, development, deployment, testing and maintenance.
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Dangling the Right "Carrot" in Changing Times
For organizations heavily dependent on software development, the shift to Agile affects core aspects of the business. Eventually there will be ripples felt in the HR domain of incentives, performance and remuneration. Wharton University brings us an article on Employee Incentive Systems: Why, and When, They Are So Hard to Change. Examples are cited from Kodak, Accenture, Microsoft.
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Ron Jeffries Overviews Financial Implications of 80-20 Rule
Pareto's rule, also known as the 80-20 rule, tells us that we can acheive 80% of the benefits from 20% of the software. The implication is that we might want to stop at that 80% level whenever possible.
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RailsDay 2006 Registration Now Open
Time to register for one of the most exciting events in the Rails universe this year. RailsDay 2006 is your chance to showcase your Rails talent and win big prizes.
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Keep those Stand Up Meetings Short and Sweet
Keeping the daily Scrum, or standup meeting, short is a challenge. Many of us are familiar with the "Talking Stick" used by some indigenous peoples to run run well organized tribal meetings. It's an elegantly simple way to keep a group focused and respectful. Kane Mar, a west coast XP coach has blogged about how a number of teams have adapted this idea. But seriously - using a Pig?!
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Visual Studio Team Edition For Database Professionals
Microsoft has announced the upcoming availability of Visual Studio Team Edition for Database Professionals. This product is intended to close the communication gap that all too often exists between database professionals and the rest of the development team.
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Microsoft Motion Light: Rapid Business Architecture Techniques
Microsoft Motion is a dynamic and systematic approach to decomposing a businesss into discreet capabilities. It organizes, measures and evaluates these capabilities and is a compliment to process mapping.
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Imagine the End, to Begin Well
Agile trainer and coach Andy Pols has reported that at SPA2006, retrospectives guru Norm Kerth described the practice of "Kick-Off Retrospectives", which ask participants to imagine how they will answer at a future retrospective: "What was so good about this project that you'd like to repeat it on future projects?" This can set expectations and inform the team's planning for collaboration.
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"Simple Ain't Easy"
The idea of simplicity has recently been explored in relation to subjects such as charity, time management, and home design. In concert with this movement, simplicity also surfaced in 2001 in the Agile Manifesto. But the term is deceptive - surely simplicity should be, well, simple? Brad Appleton has blogged at length on the subject, exploring "Myths and Misunderstandings about Simplicity".
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SirsiDynix Case Study: Jeff Sutherland on Highly Productive Distributed Scrum
Scrum co-creator Jeff Sutherland has just finished a paper on the SirsiDynix project, which he calls the most productive large Java project ever documented. The project used Distributed Scrum and some XP practices. Although distributed teams are often expected to experience reduced productivity, this team's productivity level matched that measured by Cohn on a co-located team!
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Where Did All the Positions Go?
How can existing, experienced IT professionals fit into an Agile project? By being flexible, open minded, and willing to change.
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Clemens Vasters on Services and Business/IT Alignment
Clemens Vasters writes about the value of service-orientation (or lack thereof) for aligning business and IT.
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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 ...
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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?