Do you sometimes feel like your team spends more time documenting your system than building it?  One of the biggest hindrances to progress in a software project is documentation. The Agile Manifesto prescribes that teams should value working software over comprehensive documentation. It doesn’t mean that you should not create documentation;...

One of the biggest hindrances to progress in software projects is bureaucracy. Rigorous processes that must be followed unswervingly, deliverables changing hands between independent groups and required approvals – hand-offs, sign-offs, and stand-offs – all get in the way of software projects making valuable progress. So how would you change...

How many times have you been presented with a phone book-sized printout of ambiguous yet carefully crafted requirements?  How many times have you, swamped with remaining work and short of time, camped in your cubical to meet a looming deadline?  Or seen your customers paralyzed by an approval process out...

I often find that teams that have adopted Agile practices quickly plateau. They often start by scheduling a daily stand up, planning in iterations, take time for a retrospective, and modify their estimation process. These are common first steps in the agile adoption process. Teams have varied success and commitments...

Overview Pair programming is a technique where two programmers work at a single work station.  One person “drives” or has control of the mouse and keyboard.  The other person “navigates” or keeps track of where they are and where they are headed.  This is a perfect environment for teaching and...

Newton’s Third law of motion,“To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction…” is a powerful standard in analyzing team dynamics. I have been leading agile teams for over five years. When I am asked to lead a new team I begin by looking for reactions that are...

Everyone, especially project managers, is in love with Agile Development. And why wouldn’t they be? Under the old school system, you’d end up with developers either sitting around uselessly, or drafting up prototypes that will only be thrown away. Agile allows for parallel design and development, wasting less time and...