Balancing Agility and Discipline A Guide for the Perplexed

by Boehm, Barry; Turner, Richard

• ISBN13: 9780321186126
• ISBN10: 0321186125
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-08-11
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional

Summary

bull; Helps organization achieve the speed of agility without sacrificing the discipline of process bull; For quick learning and easy reference, the margins contain a "fast track " summary of the material bull; Forewords by Grady Booch, Alistair Cockburn, and Watts Humphrey!

Author Biography

Richard Turner is a research professor in engineering management and systems engineering at the George Washington University.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xiii
Foreword	p. xv
Foreword	p. xvii
Preface	p. xix
Why We Wrote This Book	p. xix
Who Should Read This Book	p. xx
How to Read This Book	p. xx
Acknowledgments	p. xxiii
Prelude	p. xxv
Discipline, Agility, and Perplexity
The Sources of Perplexity	p. 5
Multiple Definitions	p. 5
Distinguishing Method Use from Method Misuse	p. 6
Overgeneralization Based on the Most Visible Instances	p. 6
Claims of Universality	p. 7
Early Success Stories	p. 8
Purist Interpretations	p. 8
Clarifying Perplexity	p. 9
The Two Approaches	p. 9
Plan-Driven Methods	p. 9
Agile Methods	p. 16
Finding Middle Ground	p. 22
Contrasts and Home Grounds
Application Characteristics	p. 26
Primary Goals	p. 26
Size	p. 28
Environment	p. 29
Management Characteristics	p. 31
Customer Relations	p. 32
Planning and Control	p. 33
Project Communication	p. 35
Technical Characteristics	p. 37
Requirements	p. 37
Development	p. 39
Testing	p. 42
Personnel Characteristics	p. 44
Customers	p. 44
Developers	p. 46
Culture	p. 49
Summary	p. 51
Home Grounds	p. 51
Misconceptions	p. 53
Five Critical Factors	p. 54
A Day in the Life
Typical Days	p. 59
A Typical Day Using PSP/TSP	p. 60
A Typical Day Using Extreme Programming	p. 69
Crisis Days	p. 76
A Crisis Day with TSP/PSP	p. 76
A Crisis Day with XP	p. 78
Summary	p. 79
Differences	p. 79
Similarities	p. 80
Observations	p. 81
Expanding the Home Grounds: Two Case Studies
Using Plans to Scale Up Agile Methods: Lease Management Example	p. 84
The Effort to Develop or Modify a Story Does Not Increase with Time and Story Number	p. 85
Trusting People to Get Everything Done on Time Is Compatible with Fixed Schedules and Diseconomies of Scale	p. 86
Simple Design and YAGNI Scale Up Easily to Large Projects	p. 88
Agile Methods Scaleup: Summing Up	p. 89
Using Agility to Streamline Plan-Driven Methods: USAF/TRW CCPDS-R Example	p. 90
Individuals and Interactions over Processes and Tools: CCPDS-R	p. 91
Working Software over Comprehensive Documentation: CCPDS-R	p. 92
Customer Collaboration over Contract Negotiation: CCPDS-R	p. 93
Responding to Change over Following a Plan: CCPDS-R	p. 94
Summary	p. 95
Using Risk to Balance Agility and Discipline
An Overview of the Method	p. 100
An Example Family of Applications: Agent-Based Planning Systems	p. 104
An Intermediate Application: Supply Chain Management	p. 106
SupplyChain.com Project Risk Ratings	p. 108
Compare the Agile and Plan-Driven Risks	p. 109
Individual Risk Resolution Strategies	p. 113
Risk-Based Strategy for SupplyChain.com System Development	p. 117
Small Application: Event Planning	p. 121
Event Planning Project Risk Ratings	p. 122
Compare the Agile and Plan-Driven Risks	p. 123
Risk-Based Strategy for Event Planning System Development	p. 125
Very Large Application: National Information System for Crisis Management (NISCM)	p. 127
NISCM Project Risk Ratings	p. 129
Compare the Agile and Plan-Driven Risks	p. 132
Risk-Based Strategy for NISCM System Development	p. 135
Summary	p. 142
Conclusions
The Top Six Conclusions	p. 148
No Agile or Plan-Driven Method Silver Bullet	p. 148
Agile and Plan-Driven Method Home Grounds	p. 150
Future Applications Will Need Both Agility and Discipline	p. 151
Balanced Agility-Discipline Methods Are Emerging	p. 151
Build Your Method Up--Don't Tailor It Down	p. 152
Focus Less on Methods--More on People, Values, Communication, and Expectations Management	p. 152
What Can You Do Next about Balancing Agility and Discipline?	p. 156
Steps toward Balancing Software Development Agility and Discipline	p. 157
Afterword	p. 163
Comparing the Methods
Scrum	p. 168
Thumbnail Sketch	p. 168
Comments	p. 169
References	p. 169
Adaptive Software Development (ASD)	p. 170
Thumbnail Sketch	p. 170
Comments	p. 170
References	p. 171
Lean Development (LD)	p. 171
Thumbnail Sketch	p. 171
Comments	p. 172
References	p. 172
Crystal	p. 173
Thumbnail Sketch	p. 173
Comments	p. 174
References	p. 174
eXtreme Programming (XP)	p. 174
Thumbnail Sketch	p. 175
Comments	p. 176
Reference	p. 176
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Why We Wrote This Book True believers represent software development alternatives In the last few years, two ostensibly conflicting approaches to software development have competed for hegemony. Agile method supporters released a manifesto that shifts the focus from traditional plan-driven, process-based methods to lighter, more adaptive paradigms. Traditional methods have reasserted the need for strong process discipline and rigorous practices. True believers on both sides have raised strident, often antagonistic, voices. This book is for the rest of us We wrote this book for the rest of usthose caught in the middle of the method wars simply trying to get our projects completed and accepted within too-tight schedules and budgets. We hope to clarify the perplexity about the roles of discipline, agility, and process in software development. We objectively compare and contrast the traditional, plan-driven approaches to the newer, agile approaches and present an overview of their home grounds, strengths, and weaknesses. We then describe a risk-based approach to aid in balancing agility and discipline within a software development project. Our goal is to help you in your business environment We hope that this is a practical book. It is intended to be neither academic nor exhaustive, but pragmatic. It is based on our own development experiences, current and past literature, long conversations with proponents of agile and plan-driven approaches, teaching students how to balance discipline and agility, and years of observing and measuring software development in industry, government, and academia. We discuss the subject matter absent a need to choose sides. Our goal is to help you gain the understanding and information you need to integrate the approaches in a manner that best fits your business environment. Who Should Read This Book The perplexedor just curious This book is for perplexed software and management professionals who have heard the buzz about agile methods and want to separate the chaff from the wheat. Perhaps you have a CMM- or ISO-certified organization and want to know if and how agile methods can help you. Or perhaps some part of your organization has adopted agile methods and you are unsure of how they should fit in. Fundamentally, if you need to understand how the latest software development approaches can help meet business goals, this book is for you. Software project managers and mid-level executivesshould read this book to understand the agility/plan-driven controversy and learn how best to apply the new approaches in your organizations. Software developersshould read this book to better understand how your field is evolving and what it means for your career. Computer science and software engineering studentsshould read this book to better understand how to make choices about your own level of discipline, both in school and at work. Academiciansshould read this book to understand some of what your students are asking about, and how to help them make informed decisions. Proponents of both agile and plan-driven methodsshould read this book to dispassionately look at your opponent's ideas. CIOs and CEOsshould read this book to help you understand what's going on in the software world and what implications it may have for your company. How To Read This Book Several ways to read the book Most of you are busy people, and "must-read" material attacks you from all sides, 24/7. Some of you want to quickly assess the material for later reflection. Others want to know how to implement the concepts we present. For that reason, we've tried to make this book easy to read quickly but with pointers to more in-depth material. In a hurry? Use the fast track for a qu