AGILE

...met in Utah, USA to discuss several different methodologies, which were gaining increasing public attention at the time. Combining ideas old and new, these methodologies were emphasising:

• Smart ways to craft, confirm, and deliver code,
• Frequent delivery of business value, and
• Tight, self-organising teams.

...those in attendance published The Manifesto for Agile Software Development. In this seminal piece, the group of 17 said they had come to value:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools,
• Working software over comprehensive documentation,
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation, and
• Responding to change over following a plan.

...12 Principles, which were intended to guide and support teams wishing to implement and execute “Agility”.

These were as follows:

1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.

2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.

3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference for the shorter timescale.

4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.

5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, then trust them to get the job done.

6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within the development team is face-to-face conversation.

7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.

8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.

9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.

10. Simplicity — the art of maximising the amount of work not done — is essential.

11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organising teams.

12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

..The Agile Alliance was formed to encourage practitioners to further explore and share both ideas and experiences. Monitoring all of such developments from the very start, Fergal promised Tailteann would sign up to the Alliance upon incorporation, which they duly did. Since then, Fergal has picked and chosen the Agile management and technical practices that best suited Tailteann’s unique needs, a strategy that has thankfully served the company exceptionally well to date.