Robert Smyth's Blog

This page is for software developers.  It is a collection of links to processes, methodologies, and some tools that enables us to predictably deliver what the customer wants and have fun!  I've also added some links I find useful to conferences, SIGs, and events in Australia.

This site is for developers who:

• Want to win.

• Know that what the customer wants is more important than clever programming.

• Work in a teams of 4 to 12 people.

• Are not in a software contract environment.

• Have the initiative to seek new ways of doing things.  "The world is not flat".

Alister Cockburn puts it well in this quote from "The People Factor": 

Agile organizations and agile managers understand that demanding certainty in the face of uncertainty is not dysfunctional. Agile companies practice Leadership-Collaboration rather than Command-Control management. They set goals and constraints, providing boundaries within which innovation can flourish. They are macro-managers rather than micro-managers. They understand that who makes decisions isn’t as important as collaboration on information to make informed decisions. They understand that agility depends on trusting individuals to apply their competency in effective ways.

Many programmers I have met (certainly not all) consider it a "fact" that software projects inherently go overtime and are high risk.  The thinking is that it is a beast that must be brought under control by rigid processes.  If that does not work .. add even more rigid processes.  Often the process is so ingrained that the suggestion that there is another "process" or methodology is just not "professional".

I've noticed that programmers who say that software project are inherently unpredictable almost always insist that you MUST use a waterfall approach as that is just the only professional way to go. 

When You Earnestly Believe You Can Compensate For A Lack Of Skill By Doubling Your Efforts, There's No End To What You Can't Do.

 

(Get the poster here.)

As a developer you have a choice, listen to those who almost always fail (or blame others or "lack of resources") or those who are repeatedly winning.  Plan to win.

As Brooks said in his famous article No Silver Bullet (also in his book) there is no one process or methodology that fits all.  In fact there is not one process or methodology for any one given project.  There is a rich spectrum of processes and methodologies to learn from.

The basics of winning are summed up well in the agile manifesto.

Last updated 2nd July, 2005, Email: robsmyth at bigpond.net.au