What Makes A Great Dev Team - Mike Robinson

What makes a great Development Team? What are the challenges faced by development teams and how do they meet them. Mike Robinson

Who are you?

Who are we?

1 - What is the problem? 2 - How do we solve the problem?

1 - What is the problem?

From the customer’s point of view

From the development team’s point of view

2 - How do we solve the problem?

Process

Technology

People Tools Process Technology Successful Projects

People

Different methods are usually viewed as being more or less lightweight, in practice methods contain some elements that are appropriate for different scales of Software Development RUP Scrum RAD FDD DSDM Waterfall XP Crystal

Regardless of scale or complexity, all Software Development projects should be based on a set of core values and practices

Values

C h a n g e

Simplicity

Quality

Commitment

v i sibility

C o l l a b o r a t i o n

Value Focus on

Quality
Simplicity
It is not about doing more for less, it is about doing less for less.
Simplicity of requirements
Simplicity in design
Simplicity in Development
Simplicity in method
Change
On most projects change is inevitable.
Must expect change
First, avoid the need for change
Second, deal with it
Visibility
There can sometimes be a tendency to hide the progress from the business particularly when everything is not going to plan.
Build a close working relationship between the development and business teams
Reporting based on actual implemented requirements and business value delivered
Collaboration & Feedback
All requirements are rarely understood at the beginning of a project and those which are can be hard to communicate.
A strong emphasis on collaboration between the users, stakeholders, and the development team
Put in place short feedback cycles
Quality
Quality is not the tinsel sprinkled on the Christmas tree it is the seed from which the tree grows. Quality must exist from the start and evolve with the project.
Quality testing
Quality requirements
Quality in the outcomes not just the outputs
Values should play to the strengths of the organisation and individuals within it, Deloitte has identified its Application Delivery core values as …
Focus on Business Value
The goal of any technology project must be to deliver value to the business.
Optimise the whole
Think outside of the project
Deliver value quickly
Close collaboration with the business
Eliminate Waste
Values

Core Practices Define
Define
Record requirements in a consistent way that can be understood and measured by the business and development team
Record Requirements in a hierarchical way
Use consistent language
Use of models
User centric design
Plan
Deliver iteratively
Prioritise requirements based on business value, effort, risk removed, and knowledge gained
Use deferent levels of planning
Design
Artifacts reuse
Patterns
Use of models
Let the design evolve
Develop
Refactoring
Continuous Integration
Test first development
Coding standards
User involvement
Validate
Deliver iteratively
Automate testing
Test first development
Code reviews
Continuous Integration
Collaborate & Manage
Use the simplest process
Embrace and manage change appropriately
Manage risk
Measure progress based on business value delivered
Synchronise teams
Trust people to get their job done
Collaborate within and across teams
Wrapped around the core values are a set of core practices which support the values. Like values, core practices will vary from organisation to organisation but we have identified our practices as …

Process

“ You improvise. You adapt. You overcome.” Clint Eastwood In Heartbreak Ridge

How do we select the right approach to use on a project?
No one method fits all projects. We must evaluated projects based on criteria such as the size, culture, risk, and potential for change; before selecting a suitable approach and then the process must be adapted and improved over time to better fit the environment in which it sits.
By following these steps an initial approach for a project can be found:
Evaluate Add additional Controls Select Approach Review & Adapt

Evaluate the project Evaluate Add additional Controls Select Approach Review & Adapt Notes Evaluate the project based on the criteria that have been selected for the organisation.

Evaluate the project Evaluate Add additional Controls Select Approach Review & Adapt Notes Score the project on each criteria based on a range and metrics selected by the organisation.

Select Approach Evaluate Add additional Controls Select Approach Review & Adapt Notes Select the simplest method which will achieve the project. Light in this case.

Add Additional Controls Notes Identify the areas where additional controls are required. Evaluate Add additional Controls Select Approach Review & Adapt

Size - Personnel 2-12 12-50 50+ Daily meetings Multi skilled team Deliver small and fast Team of teams meeting More up front planning Split work around architecture Continuously Integrate at multiple levels Hierarchical requirements Collaboration tools Start small then scale Confirm architecture first

Review and Adapt Notes As part of the same feedback loops put in place for reviewing the system, the process should also be review to see where it could be simplified or improved. Evaluate Add additional Controls Select Approach Review & Adapt

Lifecycle for Light Product Owner Project Manager Team Stakeholders Users Preparation Produce Business Case & Vision Requirements Analysis Produce Initial Project Backlog & Release Plan Iteration Planning Update Project Backlog & Agree Iteration Backlog Design Review Working Software Project wrap up Project Review & Training & Support Iterative Phase 2-4 Weeks Phases Build Deploy Test Daily 15min Meeting Roles Project & Iteration Backlog Impediments List Project, Release & Iteration burn down Working Software Artifacts Review Process

Conclusion
No one method fits all projects, all of the time
Start with people
Get you principles right and the process will sort itself
Selecting the right method is as much an art and as it is a science
Review and adapt

“ If you want a guarantee, buy a toaster.” Clint Eastwood In The Rookie

Contact Details Mike Robinson [email_address]

What Makes A Great Dev Team - Mike Robinson

by Alex Clark on Aug 06, 2009

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What Makes A Great Dev Team - Mike Robinson — Presentation Transcript