Andy Singleton, Assembla Mission: Accelerate Software Development 23 people in 7 countries Consulting and contract product development services, mostly for startups Assembla.com online service, used by thousands of distributed agile teams New: Private Assembla

Mission: Accelerate Software Development

23 people in 7 countries

Consulting and contract product development services, mostly for startups

Assembla.com online service, used by thousands of distributed agile teams

New: Private Assembla

Input 1) The Web 2.0 Challenge You have $200K A few wireframe drawings No incumbent staff Four months Lesson: Release early, release often Starting point: Roadmap. List features in priority order, and work in that order.

You have

$200K

A few wireframe drawings

No incumbent staff

Four months

Lesson: Release early, release often

Starting point: Roadmap. List features in priority order, and work in that order.

Input 2) Open Source You have a bunch of people who have never met each other making great software, with complex organization evolved over the last 15 years Lessons: Many lessons for commercial teams Starting point: Use competitive trials to find good people and suppliers

You have a bunch of people who have never met each other making great software, with complex organization evolved over the last 15 years

Lessons: Many lessons for commercial teams

Starting point: Use competitive trials to find good people and suppliers

Input 3) Agile and Scrum You have a short and defined schedule Lesson: Release on timed cycles Starting point: Infrastructure for daily build and weekly release process

You have a short and defined schedule

Lesson: Release on timed cycles

Starting point: Infrastructure for daily build and weekly release process

Six Things to Do Release on a fixed schedule Share a daily or continuous build Write it down in tickets Daily report and chat Watch a team activity stream Recruit good people

Release on a fixed schedule

Share a daily or continuous build

Write it down in tickets

Daily report and chat

Watch a team activity stream

Recruit good people

Six Things to Skip Travel Architecture in Advance Adding project managers Conference Calls Interviews Estimating

Travel

Architecture in Advance

Adding project managers

Conference Calls

Interviews

Estimating

While I am at it… More things to avoid Doing anything with a fixed specification Using synchronous collaboration (phone, video, screen sharing) to manage fast-moving situations Dividing work geographically. SINGLE GLOBAL TEAM!

Doing anything with a fixed specification

Using synchronous collaboration (phone, video, screen sharing) to manage fast-moving situations

Dividing work geographically. SINGLE GLOBAL TEAM!

Other controversial claims Number one developer qualification: Can build from scratch Mythical Man Month is wrong Pile on developers at the beginning of the project Assembla.com users should pay … something

Number one developer qualification: Can build from scratch

Mythical Man Month is wrong

Pile on developers at the beginning of the project

Assembla.com users should pay … something

Key success factors Habit and Discipline. The team learns to stay on the schedule, every day, every iteration Raw Talent Management confidence

Habit and Discipline. The team learns to stay on the schedule, every day, every iteration

Raw Talent

Management confidence

The challenge again You have $200K, A few wireframe drawings, No incumbent staff, Four months. You’ve seen my proposal for Web 2.0 + Open Source + Agile Who will compete against us with a different approach? Invasion of the Enterprise? Related to Cloud Computing?

You have $200K, A few wireframe drawings, No incumbent staff, Four months. You’ve seen my proposal for Web 2.0 + Open Source + Agile

Who will compete against us with a different approach?

Invasion of the Enterprise?

Related to Cloud Computing?