Processes

Writing Just Enough Documentation

One of the misconception that is often associated with agile software development is that agile teams won’t write any technical documentation. I assume that this misconception is so common because the agile manifesto states that we should value working software over comprehensive documentation. Also, since some of us have experience from writing long technical documents […] Read more

The Cost of Context Switching

I have always thought that I am good at multitasking. That is why I believed that I don't have to pay the price associated with context switching (or task switching). This week I realized that have been wrong. I am not very good at multitasking and context switching is much more expensive than I thought. […] Read more

We Need More Foremen

This week I read a blog post titled Where is the Foreman by Robert "Uncle Bob" Martin. It made me think. Uncle Bob suggests that a software development team should have a foreman who: He'd make sure everything was done, done right, and done on time. He'd be the only one with commit rights. Everybody […] Read more

Two Reasons Why Estimates Aren't Worth It

When potential customers contact us, the odds are that they want to know two things: How much does it cost to implement the application? How long it will take to implement the application? The honest answer to both of these questions is: We have no idea. Needless to say, if we give this answer to […] Read more

Two Ways to Get the Most Out of Daily Stand-up Meetings

A daily stand-up meeting is an essential part of agile software development. It is a meeting which takes place at the same place and time every working day. The agenda of this meeting is simple. Each team member must answer to three question: What did I do yesterday? What will I do today? What problems […] Read more

From Idea to Code: The Lifecycle of Agile Specifications

We have just started a new project to a customer who sells widgets. This customer is the leading widget provider of the whole world so the project can either make or break us. The project uses agile methods, and the Product Owner has come to talk with the team. He is going to describe the […] Read more