This document discusses how agile practices can be applied to free and open source software development. It identifies several challenges for using agile with distributed teams, volunteers, unclear direction or customers. It suggests practices like remote pair programming, documentation with tests, product backlogs, and mob programming to address these challenges. The document argues that free software is well-suited for agile as it allows learning across communities and sharing of knowledge and practices. It poses the question of whether free software can be a way to share agile practices more widely.

1. ConneXoX
Agility and Free Software:
do they fit together?
ConneXoX
Pierluigi Pugliese
Munich + Milan
Welcome!
Herzlich Willkommen!
Benvenuti!

2. You vs.Agility
•Know/tried agile?
•Use agile?
•Like agile?
2

3. A bad reputation?
3

4. The [unfortunate] reality
4
A!
B!
Fast!

5. But first…
5
Agile
==
Collaboration

6. And…
6
Agile
==
Body of Knowledge
Extreme
Programming
ScrumKanban
Retrospectives
Product
Inception
Mob
ProgrammingLean
Thinking
Large
Scale

7. 7
Can Free Software
use all this???
(or, at least, some?)

8. Agenda
8
Free Software
for Agile
Teams
Free Software
and Agile
Reusing Free
Software in
Agile
Developing
Free Software
with Agile

9. ConneXoX
Developing Free Software
with Agile
Free Software
for Agile
Teams
Free Software
and Agile
Reusing Free
Software in
Agile
Developing
Free Software
with Agile

10. Agile == Engineering Excellence
• Practical techniques to work in team
• Extreme Programming
• Clean Code
• “Agile Architecture”
• Regression testing
• …
10

11. Agile == Working Together
• Individuals and interactions…
• Customer Collaboration…
• Feature Teams!
11

12. Problem: Distributed Teams
Try:
• Remote Pair Programming
• Window to the other site
• Clean Code
• Tests as documentation
• Continuous Integration
• Regression Test as QC
• Always Potentially Shippable
12

13. Problem:Volunteers and Part-Time
Try:
• Scrum: Sprint as Forecast (as…)
• Kanban instead (best effort)
• Variable team/layers of “team” (but…)
• Documentation more important
(hint: tests!)
• Ensure product vision
is clear to everybody
13

14. Problem: Direction andVision
Try:
• Product Ownership […]
• Inception Workshops
14

15. Problem:Who is the Customer?
Try:
• Product Ownership
(as a surrogate)
• Lead “Customers”
But:What is your RoI?
15
Reacting
to
Change
over…

16. Problem:What’s the product, really?
Sometimes it’s middleware
Try:
• Test/Demo application
• Tests as documentation of the
interfaces
• Lead customer
giving direction
16

17. ConneXoX
Reusing Free Software
in Agile
Free Software
for Agile
Teams
Free Software
and Agile
Reusing Free
Software in
Agile
Developing
Free Software
with Agile

18. Problem: Big Black Box
Try:
• Mob Programming
• Product Backlog Refinement
as a Team - really!
18
Adaptability of the
product
(= Agility)
Amount of
coordination
% of system
understood by a
developer (average)
Amount of
specialised tasks
O
O
O
Amount of SW we
integrate “as a black
box”
O
Adaptability of the
product
(= Agility)
Amount of
coordination
% of system
understood by a
developer (average)
Amount of
specialised tasks
O
O
O
Amount of SW we
integrate “as a black
box”
O
Common Product
Backlog Refinement,
Sharing Knowledge
Tests as Integration
Documentation

19. Problem: Sustainability
Try:
• Documenting integration (hint: tests!)
• DoD: learning and sharing
• DoD: licence clearing!
• Regression Testing maybe difficult but
VITAL!
19

20. ConneXoX
Free Software
for Agile Teams
Free Software
for Agile
Teams
Free Software
and Agile
Reusing Free
Software in
Agile
Developing
Free Software
with Agile

21. Free Software…
• […]
• The freedom to study how the
program works […]
• […] By doing this you can give the
whole community a chance to benefit
from your changes
21
Learning!!!
Learning!!!

22. Free Software for learning
• Learn cross-community, cross-
organisation
• Mean to establish good practices
• Access to a knowledge base
• Free Software and Agile: culturally close
22
➜Free Software
as a way to share
agile practices?

23. Questions?
23

24. Pierluigi Pugliese
http://blog.connexxo.com
ConneXoX
ppugliese@connexxo.com