..or something that looks like it

Scott Turnbullsturnbu@emory.edu

Software Engineering ManagerEmory University Libraries

Agile Development

The Agile Manifesto

Collaboration by 17 industry leaders in 2001Emphasis on ‘Light Weight’ methods &

personal Interactions to catch problems early and change

Core Principles: Individuals and Interactions over processes and

tools Working Software over comprehensive

documentation Customer Collaboration over contract negotiation Responding to Change over following a plan

http://agilemanifesto.org/

Flavors of Agile Development

Various Techniques with differing process maps In Reality few people strictly adhere to one method Our Own Mix and Match borrows from:

Agile Development: Prototypes & Deployed Software Scrum: Stand-Ups & Story Points Extreme Programming: Refactoring

Realities of Our Environment: Little project planning High number of concurrent projects High diversity and low complexity of projects High Complexity and Significant External Workflow

Dependency

Breaking It Down and Developing

Project Plan >> Release Plan >> User StoryProject Plan covers Scope and Overall GoalsRelease Plan bundles features into logical blocksUser Stories tell WHO can do WHAT and WHYStorypoints estimate the relative complexity of

satisfying the requirement.Tools we use:

Wiki’s and Documentation sites – Project/Release Plans Pivotal Tracker – User Stories/Chores Iteration – 2 Week breakdown and focus of work. Iteration Board – Daily Management of Development.

Estimation & Planning

User Stories are the central focus for developers

Each User Story should imply an acceptance test

Complexity is estimated in Story Points Arbitrary measure of relative complexity We use modified Fibonacci Sequence (0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8,

13, 21) Estimates are collaborative to uncover assumptions Based on Staffing we estimate how many Story Points

we can accomplish in a 2 week Iteration (Velocity)

Iterations & The Iteration Board

Iterations focus on immediate goals in a releaseIdentify the most critical work over next 2 weeksSet expectations on what we’ll be trying to

accomplishAre a means to monitor the progress of

development and adjust planning if neededDaily 10 min Stand-Ups keep Everyone In the

LoopSignificant difference in how we use iterations

here

Discipline In The Process

Version Control (Git/Subversion) is a MUSTBranching and Tagging of ReleasesUnit Testing Absolutely VitalCommunication & Released Software

Daily Stand-Ups Code needs to be frequently Deployed and Hand’s On Design Globally, Code Locally Acceptance Testing is important

Criticisms of Agile Development

Feature focus obscures goals and infrastructure.

Staffing and long term planning problems.A charismatic movement the generate

certification or speaker fees.Works better for Senior Developers who can

operate with more discretion.Higher Risk of Scope Creep.Inadequate handing of non-functional details.

My Own Conclusions

No method excuses you from knowing your business.

Just like software, pick the right tools for the right job.

Make the process as transparent and avoid Scrum-But.

Define with expected outcomes but iterate through features.

Why is the most important question you can ask.

Tools of the Trade

Agile Development

Pivotal Tracker for Project Management

Iteration Cards

<Project>

<Description>

<Project>

<User Story>

<Initials><Storypointst>

<Initials>

Analog, the wave of the future

Reporting and Tracking

Velocity and Where it takes You