Download - Agile Myths and Legends
Agile: Myths and Legends
FEATURING: TFS AND VISUAL STUDIO 2012
Angela Dugan
Mobile Solutions
Project Leadership
.NET Solutions
Application Lifecycle Management
Obligatory Dilbert
Agile Tenets
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
Quick review of Agile/Scrum
SCRUM = Agile Agile <> Scrum
My Top Agile Myths & Legends
1. Organizations are not succeeding with agile
2. Agile works better than traditional approaches (e.g. Waterfall)
3. Traditional (Waterfall) works better for distributed/offshore teams
4. Agile teams waste a lot of time testing that traditional teams don’t
5. Agile teams don’t produce documentation
6. Daily stand-ups are just glorified status meetings
7. Without detailed records, I don’t know that my people are really working all the time!
8. If we convert to Agile, that means we can “do more with less” right?
Myth #1
Organizations are not succeeding with agile
(a.k.a. “Agile is just a fad”)
Regarding that fad nonsense…
Agile has been around as a general methodology since as early as the 70s
Agile was introduced as an “official” flavor of software development processes in the early 90’s
The Agile Manifesto came into being in 2001
Myth #1
Organizations are not succeeding with agile
False: At least 86% are trying, and most are succeeding!
Myth #2
Agile generally works better than traditional approaches (e.g. Waterfall)
The Numbers Don’t Lie
But Agile Projects Still Fail!
Agile is more than 3 time LESS likely to fail than Waterfall.
Agile is 3 times MORE likely to succeed than Waterfall.
But…
Agile is not a guarantee of Success (“no silver bullet”)
Agile will never be perfect so long as imperfect people are executing it
Myth #2
Agile generally works better than traditional approaches (e.g. Waterfall)
True: Anybody can fail with Agile, but when done right I’ve yet to see a situation where adopting agile practices didn’t improve things
Myth #3
Traditional (Waterfall) works better for distributed/offshore teams
Challenges of Distributed TeamsCommunication and coordination can be hampered by time-zone differences
Self-management and communicating impediments is difficult for some cultures
Daily stand-ups may require additional technology to facilitate
Peer review and code quality/standards enforcement may require extra effort and diligence
TFS 2012 Team Dashboard
TFS 2012 Backlog Planner
VS 2012 Code Review Tool (requires VS Premium or better)
Distributed Agile StrategiesCoordinate schedules to ensure overlap in the work-day
Meet face to face to establish trust
Install web cameras, Skype, and/or on-line task boards to enable real-time communication
Establish continuous integration CI and target high test coverage across all teams
Keep iterations short
Myth #3
Traditional (Waterfall) works better for distributed/offshore teams
Sometimes: Agile can work for distributed teams, but takes work and it IS succeeding.
Myth #4
Agile teams waste a lot of time up front testing that traditional teams don’t
Why Does Testing Early and Often Matter?
Agile Testing PracticesTDD
ATDD
Automated Unit Testing
Automated Regression Testing
Continuous Integration
Exploratory Testing
Again… tools are your friend!
VS 2012 Unit Test Frameworks
MTM 2012 Exploratory Testing
MTM 2012 Web UI
Myth #4
Agile teams waste a lot of time up front testing that traditional teams don’t
False: Agile teams do a LOT more *continual* testing than traditional Waterfall teams, but I wouldn’t say the time is wasted. Testing early and
often builds in quality, rather than tests in quality.
Myth #5
Agile teams don’t produce documentation
Agile Tenets
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
VS 2012 Storyboards
Myth #5
Agile teams don’t produce documentation
False: Agile teams only produce as much documentation as necessary
Myth #6
Daily stand-ups are just glorified status meetings
Daily StandupsShould be 15 minutes or less
Limited to what you did, what you plan to do, impediments
Goal is coordination and collaboration
If it devolves into a status meeting you are DOING IT WRONG!
TFS 2012 Task Board
Myth #6
Daily stand-ups are just glorified status meetings
False: Standups are only about the entire software team collaborating on the next 24 hours of work.
Myth #7
Without detailed records, I don’t know that my people are really working all the time!
http://www.slideshare.net/willevans/kanban-forcreatives-slideshare
TFS 2012 Sprint Planning tool
TFS 2012 Remaining Work Report
F i n d an swers to th e se q u e st ions :
H ow fast i s th e te am b u r n ing d ow n re main ing wo rk?
I s wo r k b e i ng ad d ed d u r ing th e i te rat ion?
H ow mu c h p ro gress can th e te am make i n th e ava i l ab le t i me ?
A p p rox imate l y w h en can th e te am f i n i sh th e wo rk ?
I s to o mu c h wo rk i n p ro gres s?
I s th e f l ow o f wo r k b e i ng i mp eded o r b l o cked?
W h en w i l l th e te am f i n ish th e c u r rent i te rat i on?
TFS 2012 Cross-Team Reporting
Be Careful What You Measure
Time to rethink what you are measuring! ;)
Myth #7
Without detailed records, I don’t know that my people are really working all the time
With agile you are MORE likely to know EXACTLY what people are working on every day.
The better question might be, why are you focusing on the number of hours worked?
Myth #8
If we convert to Agile, that means we can “do more with less” right?
The Cost of Multi-Tasking
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2006/09/the-multi-tasking-myth.html
Do More With LessHumans are TERRIBLE at multi-tasking!
Multi-tasking includes meetings, answering email, one-off conversations, they are all distractions
You will get 6 – 7 hours of productive time a day out of people AT BEST, but only if you *leave them alone*
Agile is not magic, you won’t get more hours in a day, but you will deliver more VALUE in the same amount of time
Myth #8
If we convert to Agile, that means we can “do more with less” right?
Sort of: People will be allowed to focus, and you will see more value delivered with less bugs in
the same amount of time
Good reads
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Daniel H. Pink
$10 on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/1594484805
Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2012:
Adopting Agile Software Practices
Sam Guckenheimer
Neno Loje
$30 on Amazon
Good readshttp://www.amazon.com/Visual-Studio-Team-Foundation-Server/dp/0321864875
Questions?