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...Much like the Mac, this book “just works”, because it takes the best from lessons learned from team leaders and team players and takes the mystery out of the project management processes as appl...
-Robert Pritchett |
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.. it is a really special feeling when you give someone a book and it changes the way they think and act. So I'm really pleased to have just finished reading a book that I know I'll be handing out ...
-Jeffery Fredrick |
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If your shop has trouble shipping quality software on time -- and let's face it, most do -- then this book is for you. If you're a manager, I'd say that doubly so.
-Ernest Friedman-Hill "JavaRanch Sheriff" |
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(Aug 29)
I saw a retweeted Twitter entry from a user named Agile Redneck, and I'd listened to way too much of XM Radio's comedy station Blue Collar Comedy. And I was inspired. Between conferences and clients, we've all seen a lot of insane "Agile" teams. So I started twittering a few. Then a few more. I finally decided to turn this into a blog entry.
Please don't let it stop here though... post your own. :) I have no idea who started the Agile Redneck account, but let's help them out with the crazy stuff we've seen too.
- If you have your daily standups once a week, you might be an Agile redneck
- If you think Agile is a synonym for XP or Scrum (or both!), you might be an Agile redneck
- If your "continous integration" system requires you to push a button, you might be an Agile redneck
- If you don't know what work your pairing partner has been doing all day, you might be an Agile redneck
- If you said "That's not my job" last week, you might an Agile redneck
- If your Agile team has more people on it than a baseball team, you might be an Agile Redneck
- If you've ever kept developers away from your customers on purpose, you might be an Agile redneck
- If you claim to be Agile, but have never heard of Martin Fowler, you might be an Agile redneck
- If you think you're Agile, but have never even read the Agile Manifesto, you might be an Agile redneck
- If you turned off your continuous integration system because the frequent failures distracted the team, you might be an Agile redneck
- If you're "Agile", but you don't write automated tests because you think they'll slow you down, you might be an Agile redneck
- If you move the end date of your "fixed length" iterations to be get all of the work done, you might be an Agile redneck
- If you haven't "gone Agile" because you haven't been able to buy the right vendor's tool, you might be an Agile redneck
- If you've even used Agility as a tool to hide your work from your manager or co-workers, you might be an Agile redneck
- If you've even said "Don't code that. We don't need until later this week. YAGNI!", you might be an Agile redneck
- If you think any Agile topic can be mastered in a two day class, you might be an Agile redneck
- If you think nothing useful can be learned in a two day class, you might also be an Agile redneck
- If you think using any single Agile practice makes your team "Agile", you might be an Agile redneck
- If you think any single book, author, or movement is the definitive source of agile knowledge, you might be an Agile redneck
- If you've ever pulled your tests out of your continuous integration system so the builds wouldn't break so often, you might be an Agile redneck
- If you think the Enterprise Agile Manifesto is right, you might be an Agile redneck
- If you think your flavor of Agile is better than anyone else's, then you're definitely an Agile redneck
- If you blame your continuous integration server or source code management system when your last code check in doesn't compile, you might be an Agile redneck
I'll try to do another round if time permits. These things are just fun to write! Track the topic on Twitter and you might see more of them popping out.
Enjoy!
Category: Agile
(Jul 19)
There's an Agile conference in Charlotte this Friday called (wait for it!) Southern Fried Agile. (I'll bet you didn't see that one coming, did you?) It'll be a great mix of topics and speakers and is a steal at this price. It's $70 for the entire day.
I'm speaking on Agile Testing Strategies (Defect Driven Testing anyone?), and you can find a complete list of speakers and topics on this page
I'd hoped to do a more complete write-up on the conference, but I've been very busy lately. Let me say that it'll be great chance to hear several excellent speakers (and me!) without breaking the bank.
If you're in the southeastern region, let me encourage to come out! If you're not, let me encourage you to host an event of your own just like this one!
Southern Fried Agile
Have fun!
Category: Agile
(Jun 18)
Here are a few links to my DZone articles that you'll enjoy.
Embrace Your Inner Stupid talks about ongoing learning and humility.
Code Like Kudzu deals with removing obstacles. Probably not the best choice of metaphors. :)
What is Great Software? delves into more than "It compiled. Ship it!
Agile Isn't Latin is a rant about people who invoke Agile to rationalize their laziness.
Exerciese, Good Choices, and DDT is another call to arms on starting today.
Tips and Suggestions for Your First Iteration is exactly what the title would lead you to think.
Software is like Pornography was an intentionally provocative title. If you want to get software right, you've got to show the customer.
And here's a few in a series that revisited the Agile Manifesto.
What's Agile? Individuals and Interactions or Processes and Tools
What's Agile? Working Software or Great Docs?
Customer Collaboration Over Contract Negotiation? Huh??
I never got around to posting on Responding to Change. I guess I owe you one more, then a summary!
Here's my entire list:
Jared on DZone
I'll still post a bit to DZone, but I need to focus blogging at Agile Artisans, and at Pillar Technologies.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Category: Agile
(Jun 18)
I twittered and posted on FaceBook about stepping down and several people have pinged me privately to ask why. There's no big secret in it... I'm staying really, really busy these days. Let me walk you through it.
I'm commuting weekly to Columbus, Ohio. There are no direct flights, so it's 5+ hours on planes, in airports, waiting for thunderstorms to disperse, or it's an 8 hour drive. I've been driving (which is much more fun than small seats in regional jets.)
In Columbus (actually Dublin, Ohio), I'm working with a company that's making the jump from a traditional model to an Agile software process. We're working with developers, testers, support, sales, leadership, and more. It's a very fun and very rewarding engagement, but it's also very involved and requires long hours some days. Agile transformations are hard work, but really fun too.
I've started sketching out a new book... I'm leaning towards a quilting or alchemy metaphor, but it will be a book on how to blend various Agile approaches into a great working process that fits your company.
I've not done a decent job blogging on Agile Artisans in a while...
You get the idea. I'm staying really busy and something had to give... it ended up being DZone. It's a great site and if you're looking for a great platform with an international audience, DZone needs a new Agile Zone Leader. They'll keep you busy (three articles a week!), but it's a great way to force yourself to write.
I'll post another blog entry in a moment with a number of posts to my DZone writing.
Category: Agile
(Jun 18)
I talked to a few friends this week who are at companies who hired them, and told them at the time that they were an "agile shop". But now that it's time to get working, they're being told that we're not agile yet, and it's not the right time. But we're going agile RSN (Real Soon Now.)
At the core of this issue is the same problem that countless other shops encounter. Do we do things the right way today, or do we fall back into old habits? It's easy to sit back and decide to make the right strategic moves, but, when the pressure is on, just fall back into our old habits.
If you really see the value in the core Agile practices, then DO THEM. Today.
People, this is just like exercise. If you wait until you feel like lifting weights, you'll never start. If you take your pain and soreness into account, the aftermath of exercise the next day, then you'll stop exercising and eventually die young.
People, Agile practices really work, but only if you use them. And if you wait for the perfect time, you'll never get started. Look around today. See the pain, the aggrevation, the delays? It's not going to get any better. Your shop is in this shape for a reason.
Find a pain point, pick a practice, and start today.
You're too busy today? Here's a clue for you... tomorrow's going to be just as bad. You've fallen into the trap of the credit card. You're borrowing today, counting on tomorrow being better, on having more money tomorrow. Tomorrow isn't going to be better. It's going to be worse. There will be layoffs, more projects with less people, and more technologies to learn.
Stop whining. Get off your backside, out of your comfort zone, and get started! Today.
Category: Agile
(Apr 22)
I've written three DZone posts for the Agile Zone this week. So far I'm focusing on basic Agile practices, taken from XP, Scrum, lean, etc. I'm a very pragmatic person, and I try to focus on what works.
If you'd like to read them, you can find them here:
DZone has a comment system set up. Feel free to join and start a discussion.
Update: DZone just posted a video interview with me as well The Pitfalls of Agile Going Mainstream
Category: Agile
(Mar 25)
Someone just walked in and asked for reading material about Agile. I and a colleague put together a quick list and I thought I'd pass it on.
Enjoy!
Here are a few Agile resources
Scrum on Wikipedia
Agile Software Development on Wikipedia
Continuous Integration on Wikipedia
Anything from the Pragmatic Programmers
Practices of an Agile Developer
Ship It! is more of general title, but I'm very close to the author, so had to include it. ;)
Mike Cohn (on Amazon)
Esther Derby
Janet Gregory and Lisa Crispin
Kent Beck
Bob Martin
This is by no means a comprehensive list, and it's heavily biased towards the team doing the asking, but it might provide a jumping in spot for someone you know.
Category: Agile
(Mar 12)
I was on the phone with Catherine Louis this morning, and she raised some interesting points. She had been at a conference in Paris recently, and raised this topic, and it apparently really hit a nerve with the attendees.
Here's part of what she discussed:
What is an Agile leader? If you're three months into a company, which leaders are you looking for... who do you want to know? What go-to people can you identify to help you in the following areas.
- Career Counseling: What's the right direction to take in this company?
- Decisions: Who's the sounding board who can help you make trade-off decisions?
- Architect: Who knows the company's architecture? Not the published one,the real one.
- Impediment Remover: Who can get problems removed for you?
Catherine said a number of people photographed the over-sized Post It note, then someone took it and kept it. :) Those are always good signs you've touched on a nerve.
There was more content on the note, but if the topic interests you, you're in luck. Catherine will be revisiting this topic at the upcoming Agile Coach Camp. It's an open space event, so bring your ideas, and brainstorm with Catherine on what an Agile leader is.
Some of the other speaker/attendees will be Ken Pugh, Linda Cook, Bob Galen, Dawn Cannan, Mike Cottmeyer, and more!
There are only 35 spaces left! I hope to see you there.
Category: Agile
(Mar 5)
I'm lifting Catherine Louis' blog entry about this upcoming event. Please forward this to your managers and execs. It should be a great evening.
Jared and I are hosting a benefit dinner for Citcon on March 29th in the RTP area for a limited number of RTP executives. Our guest of honor will be Dr. Jeff Sutherland, the co-inventor of Scrum (a leading Agile Software Development methodology). Dr. Sutherland will be seated at the dinner table where you will have an unparalleled opportunity to discuss Agile with one of the signatories of the Agile Manifesto, co-author of Scrum - the leading Agile software method used today.
Agile methodologies are being used across the software industry to improve team's ability to ship solid software. Take this opportunity to learn more about Scrum and the Agile movement, and how your company can take advantage of this game-changing paradigm shift. Whether you're wondering "What is agile?" or "How can we accelerate our agile transition?", this is a golden opportunity to have your questions answered by one of the leaders in the field.
The event is a benefit dinner in support of the Citcon conference: For the first time ever, the North American Continuous Integration and Testing Conference is coming to Raleigh. Citicon brings internationally recognized experts together and provides your teams with complete access.
For a requested donation of $500 towards Citcon, you will receive:
- 1 hour special consulting on Continuous Integration from Continuous Integration experts (who are hosting the Citcon event) for two of your staff members during the Citcon event April 15.
- A confirmed seat at the dinner table for 3/29 with Dr. Jeff Sutherland, other leading RTP executives and Continuous Integration expert Jared Richardson.
The event details:
-Date/Time: 6:30pm - 9pm on 3/29/10
-Please email Catherine Louis with your RSVP, and secure your spot at the dinner table with Dr. Sutherland by clicking the PayPal link with proceeds going directly to Citcon:
Thank you very much, if you have any questions about the event, please contact Catherine Louis +1.919.244.1888 or Citcon prime Jared Richardson, +1.919.760.7085.
About Citcon:
CITCON, the Continuous Integration and Testing Conference, is a world-wide series of events for developer-testers, tester-developers,
and anyone else with an interest in Continuous Integration and the type of Testing that goes along with it.
CITCON provides a forum to connect with other people on topics you care about, to learn from their experience and share your own. Past topics include:
What is Continuous Integration (CI)?
What CI tools are there?
What is the best language for writing tests?
What is the future of build languages?
What is Behavior Driven Development and Test-Driven Development?
How can we overcome barriers to CI Adoption?
About Dr. Jeff Sutherland:
Dr. Sutherland is the creator of Scrum, and was a signer of the Agile Manifesto, which marked the start of the Agile movement. He began his career as a fighter pilot in the US Air Force, and went on to join the faculty at the University of Colorado Medical School. Dr. Sutherland has served as VP of Engineering or CTO at eleven software companies, managing the last seven entirely using Scrum, and achieved industry-leading, hyper-productive results. Dr. Sutherland is the Chairman of the Scrum Training Institute, and Senior Advisor to OpenView Venture Partners where he is Agile coach for portfolio companies.
Please proceed to the PayPal link to confirm your attendance.
Category: Agile
(Mar 4)
Time is running out for you to get involved with Agile Coach Camp 2010. Whether you're from another part of the world, or local to North Carolina's Research Triangle Park, this will be a great opportunity. Come together with experts from all over and have an open forum to ask your burning questions.
The cost? You've got to be prepared to contribute! The price of admission is a discussion topic. It's an open spaces conference, so everyone gathers in the morning and reviews the topics. If there's interest, you get to present. It's just that simple, but open space conferences are much more informal than traditional conferences. There's a lot more give and take with the audience. If you haven't shared before, don't worry... this is the perfect venue.
Who should attend? Anyone trying to champion or guide agile techniques. You might be an "agile coach", developer, or manager, but if you're trying to move your team, company, and yourself forward, I'd strongly suggest you make this event.
Agile Coach Camp 2010
Position Papers
Delivering value to those who deliver value.
I hope to see you there! March 19-21, 2010
btw, we've still got some space for local volunteers and corporate sponsors.
Category: Agile
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