InfoQ Homepage Methodologies Content on InfoQ
-
InfoQ Interview: Per Kroll on EPF, an Open Source Process Initiative
The PM of the Eclipse Process Framework project explained in this presentation how IBM's Eclipse-based process tools allow teams to select the practices they want, to create a customised methodology that works for them. With a wiki and hooks to insert custom in-house documentation and practices, it provides a framework to configure the approach you want, or to grow into the approach you need.
-
Ruby x Agile: The shift from machine-performance to human-performance
This article is the second in the Ruby x Agile series, a set of six short videos exploring the relationship between Ruby and Agile methodologies, featuring Ruby creator Yukihiro Matsumoto.
-
Failure to Learn Stifles Productivity
Amr Elssamadisy and Deborah Hartmann have written an article asking us to consider that there may be one common attribute to all software development projects that, if focused upon and improved, can make productivity soar.
-
Iteration Types
What is an iteration in the Agile world? How is it different than previous ways the software community has performed iterations? Are there different types of iterations, and does it matter? The ScrumDevelopment list has been recently discussing type A, B, and C sprints (sprint = iteration in Scrum terminology) as defined by Jeff Sutherland and the ideas are relevant the the wider Agile community.
-
Are Agile Development Practices Detrimental to Architecture and Design?
Is iterative and incremental development à la Agile practices - where one builds only what is required per iteration - detrimental to good design? Does Scrum encourage ignoring architectural issues? Can design and architecture evolve effectively without the technical Agile practices? Does test-first development lead to good design? Or does the red-green-refactor loop stall at local-minima?
-
InfoQ Presentation: DSDM and Lean Explained
This second Agile2006 Agile Styles video looks at DSDM and Lean. Jean Tabaka covered the history and principles of the venerable DSDM methodology, founded in 1994 and now accepted in the UK for use on government contracts. Mary Poppendieck gave real examples of how the 7 Lean principles provide competitive advantage, and discussed the relationship between quality, speedy delivery and low cost.
-
Agile Measurement - A Missing Practice?
Tom Gilb and Lindsey Brodie have written an article that suggests that Agile methods have a major weakness - that of lack of quantification. They argue that all qualities can be expressed quantitatively and present a new process, PLanguage, which looks very much like Scrum with an explicit measurement step. Are they right? Are Agile methods such as Scrum and XP in need of explicit measurement?
-
InfoQ Book: Scrum and XP from the Trenches
Henrik Kniberg last year published wildly popular paper 'Scrum and XP from the trenches' in which he chronicled in pictures and text how his 40 person development team implemented parts of Scrum/XP over a one year period. Henrik has updated his work and published a new version of it as a full book with InfoQ.com.
-
Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Agile compatibility
Design in the Human Computer Interaction (HCI) world involves working with the user to understand the problem and come up with a user interface – typically on paper - of the entire system before turning it over, in Big Design Upfront (BDUF) manner, to the rest of the development team to build. So how can Robert Biddle claim that HCI has home-grown practices that are very similar to those of Agile?
-
Does Cost Accounting Cause Crappy Code?
Cost accounting , the standard accounting approach to analyzing the monetary value of a project, treats all parts of a project independently and encourages local optimization. Local optimization of costs means that you focus on task completion time. A focus on minimizing task completion time means that you don't have time for refactoring and other niceties - they are too expensive.
-
What can Math and Psychology teach us about Agile?
With Agile, we avoid early commitments to gain flexibility later. APLN members Chris Matts and Olav Maassen have noted a connection here with the math behind financial options. Their article introduces "Real Options," applying both psychology and financial math to our thinking about Agile practices. They propose it will help us refine our agile practices and take agile in new directions.
-
Article: Interview with EFx Software Factory creator Jezz Santos
In this InfoQ interview Jezz Santos talks about the Microsoft Software Factory Initiative. Jezz talks about his view of Software Factories and describes how they will change the way we develop software today. He also explains the anatomy of a Software Factory and how Software Factories relate to Domain-Specific Languages.
-
Incremental Software Development without Iterations
David Anderson described how his team is using a kanban system for their sustaining engineering (maintenance and bug fixing) activities. Iterations have been dropped although software is still released every two weeks. Work is scheduled, monitored, and run via a "kanban board" and daily stand-up meetings.
-
If Agile is So Good, Why Isn't Everyone Doing It?
On CIO.com, Thomas Wailgum wrote about why, despite the evidence, Agile adoption remains at a steady, rather than explosive growth. He posde questions to CIO's of a number of Fortune 500 organisations in his article "How Agile Development Can Lead to Better Results and Technology-Business Alignment."
-
A Disciplined Approach to Agile Adoption
Ahmed Sidky and James D. Arthur present an Agile Adoption Framework. Attempting to provide a structured, repeatable and measurable framework for adopting Agile processes in a software development organization.