Agile Practices : case of small teamand small software projectThatchapholSaranurak11 August 2009

What is ‘Agility’ ?

What is ‘Agility’ ?Coined in 2001"The ability to move faster than those things that can harm your project…"

Agility matters (in our lives) because ofCHANGES

Agility matters (in our lives) because ofCHANGESFrequently

Agility matters (in our lives) because ofCHANGESFrequently&Simultaneously

CHANGES

Begin -->

Before that…Tune team’s mindset To work for outcome To be open-minded To be courageous

To work for outcome

To be open-minded

To be courageous

5 Practices (for small team and small project)Release frequentlyDesign for ideasTest!Code for futureCommunicate agilely

Practice : Release frequentlyRelease MonthlyAnd you will…

Practice : Release frequently#1Assure aboutintegration and deployment issues early

Practice : Release frequentlyYou project is alwaysready to submit

Practice : Release frequentlyUse automated installer(Setup Projectis extremely easy in VS.NET 2008 )

Practice : Release frequently#2Be Productive

Practice : Release frequentlyTimebox forces you to implement only themostimportant

Practice : Release frequentlyReachable goal boosts

Practice : Release frequently#3Get Feedback

Practice : Release frequentlyEvaluate trade-offs, actively(More memory-efficient, less performance ?)

Practice : Release frequently Design is gradually more accurate direction

5 Practices (for small team and small project)Release frequentlyDesign for ideasTest!Code for futureCommunicate agilely

Practice : Design for ideas Design idea will be evolving during development(Especially when using unfamiliar technology)

Practice : Design for ideas If you design it too specifically… (Method details, datatypes, parameters)

Practice : Design for ideas and even document it

Practice : Design for ideasYou will surely REDO it againor else…GET STUCK with your bad design

Suggestion 1Design in Paper or whiteboardTake a photo for sharingPractice : Design for ideas

Suggestion 2Practice : Design for ideasCRC design methodClass nameResponsibilityWhat it is supposed to do ?Collaborator what other objects it works with ?

Suggestion 3 Practice : Design for ideasMake it easy for test

Suggestion 4 Practice : Design for ideasAs simple as possibleKISS Principle

5 Practices (for small team and small project)Release frequentlyDesign for ideasTest!Code for futureCommunicate agilely

Practice : Test!Test it!programmatically

Practice : Test!Fewer Bugs & Faster DebugKnow problem early and specifically

Practice : Test!Comfortably RefactorNo need to check if it still really works

Practice : Test!Simple DesignTest Before (TDD): design will be never over complicatedTest After: method that hard to test is need to simplify

Practice : Test!Good DocumentationGood test covers use cases

Practice : Test!Unit Testing Framework(Nunit for .NET, Junit for Java, HttpUnitofr testing web,…)

Practice : Test!Use Mock when method touches another classMore Reason for test ? Where to start ?

5 Practices (for small team and small project)Release frequentlyDesign for ideasTest!Code for futureCommunicate agilely

Practice : Code for futureYour code is used many many more times than it is written

Practice : Code for futureMake code EASY to

Practice : Code for futureMake code EASY toRead

Practice : Code for futureMake code EASY toReadTest

Practice : Code for futureMake code EASY toReadTest& Debug

#1 EASY to ReadReader get what code does without reading commentExpressive namingComment why code does itUse enumDon’t quick hack Insert +1 or -1 and it just works!Don’t concern performance too much<<1 instead of *2Practice : Code for future

#2 EASY to TestQuery – command separationMake query code has no side-effect (it’s easy to test now)Small classOne method one purposePractice : Code for future

#3 EASY to DebugAlways handle or throw all exceptionNo empty catch blockProvide useful error messagesCategorize themProgram defectsEnvironment problemsUser ErrorPractice : Code for future

5 Practices (for small team and small project)Release frequentlyDesign for ideasTest!Code for futureCommunicate agilely

Practice : Communicate agilelyDocuments that dictateall of what to do

Practice : Communicate agilelyDocuments that dictateall of what to do

Practice : Communicate agilelyNeed more dynamic communication techniques

Practice : Communicate agilelyComplete but Flexible

Stand up MeetingTwice a weekEverybody answers in 3 minutesWhat did I do?What will I do?What problems I face?Everybody Stands UpAnd you ain’tgonna waste time :)

PivotalTracker(Project Management Software)

PivotalTracker(Project Management Software)User storyFocus on featuresMeasure velocityCan generate charts

Mailing ListFor Sharing IdeasNew design ?Problem’s solution ?Important Issue ?

Message in Version ControlYou know

Practice : Communicate agilelyStand up MeetingPivotalTrackerMailing ListMessage in Version Control

ConclusionThis concludes Agile practicesI suggest for small team and small project

ConclusionHowever, there are…Many Other Practices

ConclusionAnd Many Ways to ApplyHow?Image fromhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/legojeff/1296661311/

Let’s go Agile :)