Entries by Keith Sterling

I now have a version of Fitnium working with SLiM, version 2.0 to be release shortly will include support for the existing Fitnesse DoFixture plus support for the SLiM Script Table

You will be able to continue using your existing scripts with no change, but also start developing in SLiM

I've recently started a new Agile coaching gig in the Telco space. The team are already into the development cycle but had been struggling with scope, quality and communication, hence the call from the programme manager one day

They already have a system in production and have ongoing support requests, plus a decent sized team 16+ people actively seeking work each day, there is not the option do a drains up coaching exercise and get everyone trained in the basics before we start cutting code, testing and delivering, there is a business to run.

The approach I've taken reminds me of how you learn to dive. Start simple, head under the water and breath, then introduce the concepts one by one, mask clearing, BCD ( buoyancy control ), proper finning etc piece by piece, but only after the team demonstrate that they have mastered the current activity. Basically I am brain training them, getting them to accept and adopt a specific practice to the point where it becomes second nature. Just like with diving you don't progress to open water until all the safety procedures are pretty much second nature. When it goes wrong you don't think, you just act and therefore you don't drown.

We started with planning, poker and standups and did not change anything else about their current process. Just these 3 aspects got the teams talking more, got developers and testers talking to analysts and demonstrating finished functionality in small easily understandable and therefore testable chunks.

People saw the changes added value and actively started seeking more advanced Agile concepts, automated build and testing, mock objects etc, but always under the control of the coach at first to make sure they were doing it right. This reminded me of when I did my first pool session, I was taught the basics, the instructor making sure I did them all correct and then let me play in the pool, but never so far away as he couldn't keep an eye on me and correct anything that he saw was wrong. I practiced full mask clearing ( only been taught partial mask clearance ) and I practiced buoyancy control through breathing in and out ( we'd only be shown how to use the BCD ).

This analogy reminds me that the concepts of agile are not new, just best practice and easily learnt and if taught in small easily digestible parts allows the student to progress to new areas at their own speed.

Jakob Nielsen writes about Agile Development and Usability and how agile can pose new threats to to user experience quality.

However he does go on to show in the article how Agile can be used in enhance user experience by not approaching agile in a narrow fashion, but open it up to embrace usability testing and end user involvement in design.

James Shore has written an excellent article The Decline and Fall of Agile where he points out that Agile projects are failing because too many of them are only adopting parts of the agile principles. Lots of projects are doing short iterations and increasing planning, but too few are doing more of the esoteric or softer practices correctly.

This follows on from my previous post that too many people are being churned out of CSM courses with effectively 2 days Agile training and then trying to apply this skill on major projects. Therefore anything not taught on the course is not applied because it was not on the course, unfortunately good development leads are not created then are forged out of years and years working on successful and not so successful projects. Just as their software grows, as does their understanding of what it takes to build great software.

I know so many good agile dev leads that either don't have CSM or have because their company paid for it, but never needed to go on it in the first place. They are good because they have always been good and will continue to be pragmatic and agile in their adoption of all that is good in agile itself

InfoQ: have a interesting discussion about the value of the Certified Scrum Master certification.

I've always been trouble by the value of CSM certification, not because of the course per say, but the fact everyone who turns up for the course is awarded it, and the the certification is being used by people to suggest that are experienced at running Scrum projects.

However the big players in Scrum are starting to take notice and are discussing the need for a test at the end which would ensure that every candidate has the required level of understanding of Scrum before they can use the CSM certification