Please, allow me to briefly (dis/at)tract your attention to the software/product development approach called "SCRUM." Yahoo and Google seem be be using it--at this time, within a limited scope.
My bias would be to say that: SCRUM makes sense when developing technologies that could be described as wide rather than deep. In other words, an ERP package won't fit the model...
My bias would be to say that: SCRUM makes sense when developing technologies that could be described as wide rather than deep. In other words, an ERP package won't fit the model...
According to FT, here is how Scrum works:
Scrum is a key element in the so-called Agile process revolution for software development.
The main principles are daily collaboration between business people and developers throughout the project, frequent delivery of working software and openness to frequent change of customers' requirements.
Scrum does this by creating a "product backlog" - a compilation of all the features the program needs, prioritized by the "product owner," who represents the interests of everyone with a stake in the project and results. The highest-priority items are taken for completion in a "sprint." These normally last a month and end with a 15-minute meeting where the scrum-master asks the same three questions of the team: what did you do since the last meeting; what are you doing until the next one; and what prevented you from doing more work.
The self managing aspect of Scrum also obliges team members to (learn how to) manage their own time.
What do you think:
- Would you personally enjoy such an environment?
- In what context and at what 'expense' could such a model be adopted?
For details, check out Jeff Sutherland's webpage
As well, a link to:
5 comments:
As for agility and shipping software sooner and more often: just as Microsoft had a security epiphany, it needs to hit the brakes and have an agility epiphany. And I'm not talking about new processes and different ways to doing the same thing and calling some people chickens and other people pigs... I'm talking about effective, agile groups that have shipped software or services sharing what they have done. How have they tweaked or revamped the existing process? We need to have an agility week at the beginning of the year to focus on common sense techniques for producing high quality software more quickly and with less people, process, and overhead. Just like we have the wonderful Michael Howard for security, we need another firecracker for agility.
Agility won't happen @MSFT without a bigger source of change. There are too many employees in the base that have gotten old, had kids and aren't willing to be agile because it might require a re-org which might eliminate their position or God forbid make them learn something new. Since many of them used to be hard core, they know that they don't want to be like that any more. They'd rather rest (although there's nothing to vest). Remember, MS Employees are not stupid. They know that they can get away with doing next to nothing for a really long time. And now that sullied veterans are in positions of power, they're going to do everything they possibly can to prevent harcore achievers from making them work evenings do things in ways that are new and require thought.
The conversation here is worth following too: http://tynerblain.com/blog/2005/12/29/cruddy-use-cases-and-shakespeare/
About the product methodology known as Scrum, a process derived from Agile Methodology. Scrum is named after the tight line of scrimmage formation in rugby where players huddle to move the ball up the field. In product development, the formation is applied in spirit. Scrum promotes small non-hierarchal, interdisciplinary teams who complete vertical slices of a project in brief work cycles called sprints. Individuals of different backgrounds work side by side and focus on demonstrable iterations meant to 'find the fun' in their projects early in the development cycle. The incremental and iterative approach allows for consistent evaluation of product features and quality.
Great thoughts you got there, believe I may possibly try just some of it throughout my daily life.
Agile Software Development with Scrum
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