Effectual Working » agile http://effectualworking.com ef·fec·tu·al adj. Producing or sufficient to produce a desired effect; fully adequate. Thu, 08 Apr 2010 19:58:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Is Agile like No-Huddle? http://effectualworking.com/2009/05/is-agile-like-no-huddle/ http://effectualworking.com/2009/05/is-agile-like-no-huddle/#comments Thu, 28 May 2009 01:28:16 +0000 Mike http://effectualworking.com/?p=42 If you are an industry underdog, then:

  • “If you’re outmatched by the competition, isn’t it silly not to take a chance?”

If you are the niche leader, then:

  • “Right now, great teams (such as the Colts and Patriots) use the no-huddle selectively, as a way to maximize their dominance.”

Hmmm…  Is agile software development, kinda like the no-huddle offense?

  • “Why not put together a lighter, better-conditioned offensive line and a radically simplified playbook and see what happens?”

Perhaps smaller teams in coordinated efforts will improve speed to market?

  • “The strategy that’s right for heavyweights has nothing to do with how welterweights should fight.”

Something to aspire to:

  • “Generally, he’s doing so much more with so much less.”
]]> http://effectualworking.com/2009/05/is-agile-like-no-huddle/feed/ 0 Beyond Functional Requirements http://effectualworking.com/2008/09/beyond-functional-requirements/ http://effectualworking.com/2008/09/beyond-functional-requirements/#comments Sat, 20 Sep 2008 01:38:18 +0000 Mike http://effectualworking.wordpress.com/?p=22
Dr. Dobb’s Journal has an article called Beyond Functional Requirements On Agile Projects in its October 2008 issue. I think that it is not only worth reading for the subject matter contained in the title, but also for the view you will get of agile software development.
Figure 1, in the article, shows the full system lifecycle when using agile software development. I especially appreciated the mention of Iteration -1 and Iteration 0. These two iterations are completed before starting the Construction Lifecycle. They include pre-project activities (Iteration -1) and the Inception Phase (Iteration 0). The Inception Phase includes the work required to get the project started, including initial modeling and planning.
The article makes mention of disciplined agile. This implies that you can also have undisciplined agile. It’s all about mastering your craft and this is important enough that the article concludes with a strategy of Developer Education.
There is more to the article and it is well worth the read.
]]> http://effectualworking.com/2008/09/beyond-functional-requirements/feed/ 1 Prep. Work http://effectualworking.com/2008/03/prep-work/ http://effectualworking.com/2008/03/prep-work/#comments Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:40:47 +0000 Mike http://effectualworking.com/?p=5 Today, I am concentrating on prep. work for three planning sessions I have scheduled for Wed., Fri., and Mon. The goal for these sessions is to identify the remaining tasks that we know of, for interfaces and forms, on our project. Next, we are going to prioritize and schedule these tasks into 4-week sprints. Once this is done, I will add any new tasks into the project plan.

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