Balancing agility and discipline : a guide for the perplexed / Barry Boehm, Richard Turner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Boehm, Barry W.

Contributor:

Turner, Richard, 1954-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Computer software--Development.

Computer software.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (p. cm.)

Edition:

1st edition

Place of Publication:

Boston : Addison-Wesley, 2003.

Language Note:

English

System Details:

text file

Summary:

"Being a certified bibliophile and a professional geek, I have more shelf space devoted to books on software methods than any reasonable human should possess. Balancing Agility and Discipline has a prominent place in that section of my library, because it has helped me sort through the noise and smoke of the current method wars." --From the Foreword by Grady Booch "This is an outstanding book on an emotionally complicated topic. I applaud the authors for the care with which they have handled the subject." --From the Foreword by Alistair Cockburn "The authors have done a commendable job of identifying five critical factors--personnel, criticality, size, culture, and dynamism--for creating the right balance of flexibility and structure. Their thoughtful analysis will help developers who must sort through the agile-disciplined debate, giving them guidance to create the right mix for their projects." --From the Foreword by Arthur Pyster Agility and discipline: These apparently opposite attributes are, in fact, complementary values in software development. Plan-driven developers must also be agile; nimble developers must also be disciplined. The key to success is finding the right balance between the two, which will vary from project to project according to the circumstances and risks involved. Developers, pulled toward opposite ends by impassioned arguments, ultimately must learn how to give each value its due in their particular situations. Balancing Agility and Discipline sweeps aside the rhetoric, drills down to the operational core concepts, and presents a constructive approach to defining a balanced software development strategy. The authors expose the bureaucracy and stagnation that mark discipline without agility, and liken agility without discipline to unbridled and fruitless enthusiasm. Using a day in the life of two development teams and ground-breaking case studies, they illustrate the differences and similarities between agile and plan-driven methods, and show that the best development strategies have ways to combine both attributes. Their analysis is both objective and grounded, leading finally to clear and practical guidance for all software professionals--showing how to locate the sweet spot on the agility-discipline continuum for any given project. 0321186125B10212003

Contents:

Cover

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Why We Wrote This Book

Who Should Read This Book

How to Read This Book

Acknowledgments

Prelude

Chapter 1 Discipline, Agility, and Perplexity

The Sources of Perplexity

Multiple Definitions

Distinguishing Method Use from Method Misuse

Overgeneralization Based on the Most Visible Instances

Claims of Universality

Early Success Stories

Purist Interpretations

Clarifying Perplexity

The Two Approaches

Plan-Driven Methods

Agile Methods

Finding Middle Ground

Chapter 2 Contrasts and Home Grounds

Application Characteristics

Primary Goals

Size

Environment

Management Characteristics

Customer Relations

Planning and Control

Project Communication

Technical Characteristics

Requirements

Development

Testing

Personnel Characteristics

Customers

Developers

Culture

Summary

Home Grounds

Misconceptions

Five Critical Factors

Chapter 3 A Day in the Life

Typical Days

A Typical Day Using PSP/TSP

A Typical Day Using Extreme Programming

Crisis Days

A Crisis Day with TSP/PSP

A Crisis Day with XP

Differences

Similarities

Observations

Chapter 4 Expanding the Home Grounds: Two Case Studies

Using Plans to Scale Up Agile Methods: Lease Management Example

Assumption 1: The Effort to Develop or Modify a Story Does Not Increase with Time and Story Number

Assumption 2: Trusting People to Get Everything Done on Time Is Compatible with Fixed Schedules and Diseconomies of Scale

Assumption 3: Simple Design and YAGNI Scale Up Easily to Large Projects

Agile Methods Scaleup: Summing Up

Using Agility to Streamline Plan-Driven Methods: USAF/TRW CCPDS-R Example

Individuals and Interactions over Processes and Tools: CCPDS-R.

Working Software over Comprehensive Documentation: CCPDS-R

Customer Collaboration over Contract Negotiation: CCPDS-R

Responding to Change over Following a Plan: CCPDS-R

Chapter 5 Using Risk to Balance Agility and Discipline

An Overview of the Method

An Example Family of Applications: Agent-Based Planning Systems

An Intermediate Application: Supply Chain Management

Step 1: SupplyChain.com Project Risk Ratings

Step 2: Compare the Agile and Plan-Driven Risks

Step 4a: Individual Risk Resolution Strategies

Step 4b: Risk-Based Strategy for SupplyChain.com System Development

Small Application: Event Planning

Step 1: Event Planning Project Risk Ratings

Steps 4a, 4b: Risk-Based Strategy for Event Planning System Development

Very Large Application: National Information System for Crisis Management (NISCM)

Step1: NISCM Project Risk Ratings

Steps 3 and 4: Risk-Based Strategy for NISCM System Development

Chapter 6 Conclusions

The Top Six Conclusions

No Agile or Plan-Driven Method Silver Bullet

Agile and Plan-Driven Method Home Grounds

Future Applications Will Need Both Agility and Discipline

Balanced Agility-Discipline Methods Are Emerging

Build Your Method Up-Don't Tailor It Down

Focus Less on Methods-More on People, Values, Communication, and Expectations Management

What Can You Do Next about Balancing Agility and Discipline?

Steps toward Balancing Software Development Agility and Discipline

Afterword

Appendix A: Comparing the Methods

Scrum

Thumbnail Sketch

Comments

References

Adaptive Software Development (ASD)

Lean Development (LD)

Crystal.

Thumbnail Sketch

eXtreme Programming (XP)

Reference

Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM)

Rational Unified Process (RUP)

Team Software Process (TSP)

Feature-Driven Development (FDD)

Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)

Capability Maturity Model for Software (SW-CMM)

Personal Software Process (PSP)

Cleanroom

Method Comparison Table

Appendix B: Manifesto for Agile Software Development

Principles behind the Agile Manifesto

Appendix C: Capability Maturity Models

A Short History of CMMs

CMM Concepts

Using Models to Improve Processes

Appendix D: Tools for Balancing

D1. The Spiral Model Anchor Point Milestones

D2. Benefits Realization Analysis and the DMR Results Chain

Benefits Realized

Results Chain

D3. Schedule as an Independent Variable

Shared Vision and Expectations Management

Feature Prioritization

Schedule Range Estimation

Architecture and Core Capability Determination

Incremental Development

Change and Progress Monitoring and Control

Appendix E: Empirical Information

E1. The Cost of Change: Empirical Findings

E2. How Much Architecting Is Enough? A COCOMO II Analysis

E3. Experiments and Studies of Agile and Plan-Driven Methods

Overall Distribution of Project Size

Process Improvement

Team Software Process and Agile Methods

Pair Programming

Hybrid Agile/Plan-Driven Methods

Notes

Index

A.

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9786612700736

9780321623881

0321623886

9781282700734

1282700731

9780321623898

0321623894

OCLC:

1027152984