The difference between Agile and DevOps
DevOps is one of the hot topics at the moment, and is well on its way up the hype cycle curve. Some are even saying it replaces agile, thus spelling the end of agile software development. That isn’t true, though if you’re interested in agile, you should start learning about DevOps. Why? Because although it […]
Continue readingMyths of agile: “Agile is dead”
This is the last of the agile myths I’ll be covering, and it is the most controversial. There have been many articles published, for quite some time, claiming that agile is dead. I think these articles are actually claiming different things. Some of those things are right, but many of them are wrong, and many […]
Continue readingMyths of agile: “Agile is just micromanagement”
I’ve seen quite a few “Agile sucks” and “Agile is dead” posts making the rounds lately. They get trotted out every year or so and spark some lively but uninteresting debate. Most of these are just clickbait and are not worth discussing. But some are sadder and tell depressing stories of “agile” projects dominated by micro-management, that […]
Continue readingMyths of agile: “there’s no documentation in Agile”
Another myth around Agile is that there is no documentation in agile. Once the project is done, the team disappears in a whirlwind of dust, leaving only a handful of hastily scrawled post-it notes behind them. This is actually a hard problem and there is sometimes some truth to this. But we need to think […]
Continue readingMyths of agile: “there’s no planning in Agile”
I’m going to tackle some of the myths around agile software development. The first and probably most well known is that “there is no planning in Agile, you just make it all up as you go along”. This is not at all true. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb here and […]
Continue readingHow to do Definition of Done in agile / scrum
The “Definition of Done” is one of the most important concepts in Scrum, yet a lot of people don’t understand it properly. When understood and used properly, the Definition of Done is a powerful guide for consistent delivery of quality. When not understood or used properly, you will likely end up in an inconsistent mess […]
Continue readingThe illusion known as “signoff”
I am baffled by people talking about “signoff” and what a great thing it is. I find it especially common when coming from UX / Visual designers. “Oh thank god, the designs have finally been signed off!” they say. Or the corollary, the frustrated cry of “My work still hasn’t been signed off!”. The concept […]
Continue readingTwo methods of sprint planning in agile / scrum
Sprint planning in agile is one of the essential Scrum ceremonies and is absolutely vital to any team doing Agile software development with Scrum. Successful sprint planning gives a team a clear and realistic goal and a sensible pipeline of work. It also helps teams understand stories and their flow. However, many teams get tripped […]
Continue readingIs agile really all about being able to change?
The myths about agile and change We all know the stories: “if you do agile, you can change!”. Isn’t that great? Those poor fools doing Waterfall can’t change. They bolt themselves to this big plan, and stick to it even when it goes to hell. But on an agile project, we can do whatever you […]
Continue readingHow to manage scope creep in Agile / Scrum
OK we’ve all heard of the scope creep bogeyman. He haunts the dreams of young impressionable software developers around the world. He prowls the streets at night, looking for weary project managers to pounce on. We’ve all heard the horror stories of big brave projects, brimming with exciting scope items and starry-eyed business analysts, that got […]
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