11 © AgileTek LLC 2001-2004 Plan-Driven or Agile–Why Choose When You Can Have The Benefits of...

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© AgileTek LLC 2001-2004

Plan-Driven or Agile–Why Plan-Driven or Agile–Why Choose When You Can Choose When You Can Have The Benefits of Have The Benefits of Both?Both?

Guilt-Free Agile DevelopmentGuilt-Free Agile DevelopmentGuilt-Free Agile DevelopmentGuilt-Free Agile Development

John ManzoManaging Partner

March 18, 2004USC/CSEUSC/CSE Research ReviewResearch Review

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Topics

Who Are We, And Why Might Our Perspective Be Of Value?

The Limitations of Plan-Driven and Agile Methods A Brief Overview Of Agile+ - Best of Breed

Practices from ADMs and Plan-Driven Approaches Overcoming the Limitations of Agile Development –

Preserving the Baby While Throwing Out The Bath Water

Wrap Up Q & A


AgileTek Company Snapshot

A privately held professional services firm specializing in custom software development and software advisory and training services

Decades of experience

Comprised of distinguished software professionals

Led by a highly experienced management team

Conveniently located in Chicago (Just a 5-minute drive from O’Hare Airport)

Financially stable and profitable– No debt – No investors


AgileTek Company Details

We were early pioneers in Agile Development and among its first practitioners (our first eXtreme Programming project was conducted prior to Kent Beck even publishing his first book on XP)

We've also continuously refined our agile development methodology over the past six years... based on learning from real-world projects across a broad spectrum of application domains

AgileTek tends to work with clients that are developing new products with dynamic and changing requirements where time to market and the need for tight user feedback loops are critical factors

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AgileTek’s Service Offerings

Custom Software Development and Co-Development

Advisory Services Agile+ ,Agile, and Hybrid Development Consulting Architecture Evaluation/Development Project Risk-Based Assessments Project Health Checks and Monitoring Project Turnarounds/Rejuvenation Software Size-Time-Effort Estimation All-Aspect Software Development Environment Evaluation Software Engineering Management Managing Complex Systems Development

Training/Workshops Managing Complex Systems Development The Power of Architecture Pre-Launch/Re-Launch Workshops Custom Tailored Courses

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Why Clients Engage AgileTek

Accelerate time to market One of the highest productivity indices (PI) in our industry Average of 35 LOCs per coding hour

Ability to accommodate change at minimum cost

Higher quality 0.5 defects for 1KLOC (~5-sigma, 6-sigma on life or safety-critical

projects)

Experience with emerging technologies

Pragmatic, battle-tested approaches

XMLXSL

WirelessWireless

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“They [Barry and Rich] remind us:

If one has strong discipline without agility, the result is bureaucracy and stagnation. Agility without discipline is the unencumbered enthusiasm of a startup company before it has to turn a profit.”

Alistair CockburnIn his Foreword to:

Balancing Agility and Discipline

Preamble

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AgileTek’s Secret Sauce

Top Software Engineering talent Decades of real-world experience developing

complex systems An extremely effective Software Development

Methodology influenced by:– Contemporary Agile Methods – Airlie Council’s Principal Best Practices– Traditional battle-tested methods

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Complex DOD System Test Beds For The

Traditional Methods Used In AgileAgile++

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Complex Computer System Test Beds For The

Traditional Methods Used In AgileAgile++

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Complex Microprocessor Array Test Beds For

The Traditional Methods Used In AgileAgile++

9.3 Million Transistors

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Complex Telecommunication System Test Beds For The Traditional Methods Used In

AgileAgile++

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The Airlie Council Developed The Nine Principal Best Software Practices For DOD

1. Norm Brown (Director)

2. Vic Basili

3. Frank McGrath

4. Ed Yourdon

5. Lou Mazzucchelli

6. Capers Jones

7. Tom DeMarco

8. Larry Putnam

9. John Manzo

10. Mike Evans

13. Grady Booch (not pictured)

12. Tom McCabe (not pictured)

14. Roger Pressman (not pictured)

11. Tim Lister

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Contemporary Agile MethodsDiaz the Operator

•Speaks Spanish only

•Reads international symbols

•Works at Acme Catapult in Phoenix

•Second shift

•End user

•6th grade education

Diaz the Operator

•Speaks Spanish only

•Reads international symbols

•Works at Acme Catapult in Phoenix

•Second shift

•End user

•6th grade education

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Traditional Plan-Driven Methods can be highly effective

but, they have their limitations.

Deny the need for software to evolve and assume that requirements are stable, and can be determined before initiation of coding activities

Define processes and plans with such detail and rigidity that it is difficult to deal with inevitable contingencies

Cause more emphasis to be placed on checking off a task than on providing value to a customer

Diffuse accountability and tend to invite bureaucracy

Result in documentation bloat

Put too many layers of formality between the developers and a palpable understanding of the problem and the state of the project

Impetus For A Best-Of-Breed Approach

They often:

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The Agile Software Manifesto

We are uncovering better ways of developing software by We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it, and helping others do it. Through this work we doing it, and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:have come to value:

•Individuals and interactionsIndividuals and interactions over processes and tools over processes and tools

•Working softwareWorking software over comprehensive documentation over comprehensive documentation

•Customer collaborationCustomer collaboration over contract negotiation over contract negotiation

•Responding to changeResponding to change over following a plan over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the value the items on the leftleft more. more.

February 2001Jim Highsmith (+…)*

*…15 others representing XP, and several other Agile Development Methods (ADMs)

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XP (and other ADMs) can be highly effective…

but, they have their limitations.

Only predictable on a micro versus a macro level

Difficult to scale

Vulnerable to changes at the system level

Vague about the nature of tests

Inflexible to special needs

Impractical in some respects

Lack explicit management of risks

Impetus For A Best-Of-Breed Approach

They are:

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Adjusting and Extending Adjusting and Extending XXPP Specific ApproachesSpecific Approaches

Overcoming the Limitations

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AgileTek’s Secret Sauce = AgileAgile++

Agile+

= XP +

Contemporary Agile Development Methods

Best of the Last 20 Years of Proven Best Practices

Agile+

is…

+

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AgileAgile++ And XP

Agile+ = XP ++ Business Process Analyses (BPAs)

+ Story “Actors”

+ Delphi-STE Estimation

+ Risk-Based Situation Audits (RBSAs)

+ Componentized Architecture

+ Wall Gantts and Instrument Panels

+ Automated Contract and Regression Testing

+ Automatic Document Generation

- Strict Pair Programming

- 40-Hour Work Week Restriction

+ Flexibility to meet special needs

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Meeting at the Wall-Gantt

Everyone at any time can see the picture emerge and evolve. They can see how the whole depends on their work and how their work is connected to every other part of the effort

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Adjusting and Extending Adjusting and Extending XXPP Specific ApproachesSpecific Approaches

Overcoming the Limitations

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Most ADMs Are Unpredictable At A Macro Level

Solution:

Delphi Estimation

STE usage for larger projects

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Delphi And The Oracle

Size - Time - Effort Chart

Minimum Time v. Size with Constant Effort Contour LinesTelecom Development

0.0

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0 100000 200000 300000 400000 500000 600000 700000 800000 900000 1000000

SLOC

Min

Tim

e,

Mo

s.

Tdmin (mos.)

500

1000

2500

5000

10000

25000

PI =11; MBI = 3

Minimum Time LineRegion of Feasibility

Region of Infeasibility

PI - Productivity Index

MBI - Staff Buildup Index

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Beta-Distributed Risk Profile

Risk Profile

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(%)

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Beta Distribution

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ility

P(x

)

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Most ADMs Are Notoriously Difficult To Scale

Solution:

Componentized Architecture- Interface Definitions

Automated Build and Test Processes

(Virtual) Team Rooms

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So Just What Is “Architecture?”(A Working Definition)

Architecture - the structure of the components of a program/system, their interrelationships, and the principles and guidelines governing their design and evolution over time1.

Architecture - the structure of the components of a program/system, their interrelationships, and the principles and guidelines governing their design and evolution over time1.

[1] David Garlan and Dewayne Perry, guest editorial to the April 1995 IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering devoted to software architecture

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Some Commonly Ascribed Advantages/Benefits

Architectures permit independent evolution of the exploitation of changing technologies in the major elements of a system.

Architectures ease sharing of data and building of distributed applications.

Architectures ease communications and movement of data across levels.

Architectures facilitate assimilation of new employees.

Architectures preserve investment in training.

In Essence, Architectures Enable and Facilitate Scaling and Distributed Development

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Automated Build and Regression Test Processes Reduce Communication Load

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Team Rooms Provide An Additional Dimension For Collaboration and Coordination

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Most ADMs Leave The Software Vulnerable To Changes At the System Level

Solution:

Componentized Architecture


Good Architectures Ease The Effects Of Change…

They keep visible the interrelationships They keep visible the interrelationships among the elements of the system and among the elements of the system and help the team make informed change help the team make informed change

decisions in the context of these decisions in the context of these interrelationshipsinterrelationships

They limit the degree of change They limit the degree of change andand its its sphere of influencesphere of influence

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Most ADMs Are Vague About Testing

Solution:

Use Automated Contract and Regression Testing

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Contract Testing

Involves Testing For:

Pre-ConditionsPre-Conditions

Post-ConditionsPost-Conditions

Class InvariantsClass Invariants

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Most ADMs Are Inflexible To Special Needs

Solution:

Treat the Special Need as a User Story and prioritize it accordingly

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Documentation As An Example Of A Special Need

Systems created under the auspices of a regulatory agency will require certain

documentation specified by CFRs1

This can be treated as just another

software deliverable and prioritized

accordingly

[1] CFR – Code of Federal Regulations

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Some ADM Practices Are Impractical

Solution:

Use practices that make sense and work in real-world situations

Abandon or modify those that don’t

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Pair Programming rigidly applied Refusal to estimate total project size, time

and effort Building without at least a “sketch” On-site customer Weekly/bi-weekly iterations 40-Hour work week

ADM Practices We’ve Found Impractical (Some Examples)

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Most ADMs Do not Manage Risks Explicitly

Solution:

Use Risk-Based Situation Audits

Establish a risk management philosophy

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ADMs And Risk

Most ADMs manage risk through project transparency

This is highly effective

Adding up-front risk characterization and a philosophy of on-going risk mitigation yields superlative results

If you’re not managing risk, you are not managing1

If you’re not managing risk, you are not managing1

[1] Airlie Council

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Do ADMs Add Risk To A Project?

The greatest risk in software development is not knowing what you don’t know until it’s too late…

Every Agile+ project begins with an RBSA; then, Though short iterations, Agile+ provides a means to:

– Challenge assumptions– Make informed choices and decisions– Evolve understanding– …early and often

Moreover,– Project progress is continuously visible to the developers

Wall Gantts Daily Stand-Up Meetings

– … and to our clients Placed at the project’s center Frequent reviews

Unlike some methodologies where Risk Management is “bolted on”, it’s an

integral part of Agile+

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The Agile Software Manifesto







February 2001Jim Highsmith (+…)*

*…15 others representing XP, and several other Agile Development Methods (ADMs)

False Dichotomy

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The AgileTek Software ManifestoA Measured And Balanced Approach







with

streamlined

while being guided by

That is, while we most value the items on the left, we also place importance in the items on the right

with appropriatebalanced by

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What Is Agile—Really?

Agile No Process

Agile Undisciplined

Agile Essential, Streamlined Processes

Agile Highly Disciplined

Agile Bias Toward Action

Agile No Nonsense, Intensely Practical

Agile Flexible and Adaptable

Agile Execution With Swiftness And Precision

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Preserving The Essence Of Agility

Eliminate gratuitous processes, and rework any processes and behaviors that are not intensely practical

Wherever possible, minimize formality and ceremony

Maintain a bias toward action—come up with a 70% plan and begin to move forward while figuring out the remaining 30% as you go

Develop momentum quickly and maintain it Stay flexible and adaptable Know the “why” of processes and do what

makes sense when the rules don’t

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The NumbersThe Numbers The TestimonialsThe Testimonials

I’m From Missouri—Show Me!

Can This Really Work And Is It Really Agile?

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Productivity and Quality

Using Agile+ we’ve achieved a PI1 of 22 That translates into an average of ~ 35

ESLOC/Coding Hour Our average defect rate is 0.5/KLOC ~ 5,

higher for safety critical software

[1]Our most recent audit revealed an overall average Productivity Index (PI) of 22 (as defined by Larry Putnam in his Measures of Excellence: Reliable Software On Time, Within Budget). This index is a management scale corresponding to the overall process productivity achieved by an organization during the main software build. An index of 25 has been considered among the highest ever recorded.

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A Legacy of Satisfied Clients With Whom We’ve Used Our Process

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Some Recent Clients…

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The groundbreaking perspective outlined in this book serves as an expert guide for successful planning and execution of development projects. Auerbach Publications

London, New York, Washington © 2004

“…AgileTek is manfully carrying on one of the best examples of these actual ideas in practice that I can imagine.”

“…AgileTek is manfully carrying on one of the best examples of these actual ideas in practice that I can imagine.”

“…a highly competent and innovative consulting company called AgileTek.”

“…a highly competent and innovative consulting company called AgileTek.”

A Recent Reference

Philip Armour is a contributing editor for the Association of Computing Machinery (the ACM) and writes a regular column "The Business of Software" for their flagship periodical: Communications of the ACM.

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Customer Testimonials And Resources At: www.agiletek.com

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Summary

In applying ADMs over the last six years, we’ve learned that:

Most ADMs purely applied can be highly effective for certain niche projects, but are not very useful for the broad spectrum of projects in which we engage

Modifying some ADM practices while adding and carefully streamlining some traditional practices enables effective discharge of today’s demanding software projects

Agile+ is a methodology that has proven as disciplined as it is agile… and manages risk as well as or better than most plan-driven approaches

True agility requires much discipline

Mary Lou Retton’s perfect

vault wins an Olympic Gold

Medal

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Q & A

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For Further Information Please Contact:

John Manzo847 989-1026

1400 East Touhy Avenue Des Plaines, Illinois 60018

Phone: + 1 847 699--4041 Fax: + 1 847 813-4903

www.agiletek.com

[email protected]

Thank You

11 © AgileTek LLC 2001-2004 Plan-Driven or Agile–Why Choose When You Can Have The Benefits of...

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Transcript of 11 © AgileTek LLC 2001-2004 Plan-Driven or Agile–Why Choose When You Can Have The Benefits of...