Agile Development Methods

Agile Development Methods

Agile Development Stories
Signs pointing toward success one way and failure the other What You Can Learn from Failure—and from SuccessSuccess and failure teach different lessons. Lessons from failure tend to revolve around what not to do next time around, whereas lessons from success focus on what you can do again, perhaps even better. But whether you experience success or failure, the key is to take the time to learn from what happened.
Cover of the Spring 2018 issue of Better Software magazine What's in the Spring 2018 Issue of Better Software MagazineThe Spring 2018 issue of Better Software magazine is now available, and it's got a great mix of foundational basics and cutting-edge techniques. This roundup describes the featured articles about DevOps, service virtualization, Scrum, test automation strategies, and testing for the internet of things.
Pile of books on a table, photo by Sharon McCutcheon 3 Must-Read Books for a Good Agile FoundationIf you are searching for agile knowledge, there are many books outside the current literature that may enlighten you. Some discuss the underpinnings of concepts we consider agile, while others are contemporary business books that present compelling ways to use agile effectively. Here are three Jeff Payne recommends.
person drawing Do Most Agile Teams Lack Creativity and Innovation?

You can’t solve the problem unless you know what that problem is, and you can’t rekindle your creativity if you just don’t know why you’re doing what you’re doing. Pinpoint your team’s purpose, let everyone on your team contribute, and rekindle the innovative nature at the core of agile.

Rabbit with its ears up, photo by Vincent van Zalinge The 5 Levels of Listening: Which Does Your Team Practice?The ways we listen—and not listen—are detailed in the Five Levels of Listening model, which goes from most distracted to most focused. Ideally, we’d all practice the fifth level: empathic listening, where we try to understand what matters to the person who is speaking, delaying our problem-solving and responsiveness.
Man covering his eyes while throwing a dart The Dangers of Underplanning in Your Agile ProjectsAgile coaches often stress the importance of not overplanning because work is later changed or never done at all. But consequently, many teams then fall victim to underplanning and aren't equipped for a successful project. Here are some planning activities that are critical to do before your sprints start.
A box of crayons, photo by Leisy Vidal Self-Organization: What Your Scrum Team Can Learn from KindergartenersSome kindergartens are experimenting with new approaches to teaching, including letting students form groups to accomplish tasks that interest them, which also allows them to support and engage with each other. This is self-organization, the heart of Scrum. If five-year-olds can do it, your agile team likely can, too!
Many paths leading to the same destination Scrum Isn’t the Only Path to AgilityScrum can really help a team to become more agile. But that doesn’t mean it is the only way for a team to become agile. Agile is all about self-organizing teams collaborating to find what works for them, so if a nontraditional approach helps your team get started, then you’re just forging a new path to agility.