Agile vs Waterfall Comparison
Here’s a very good comparison of traditional software development processes (ie. waterfall) with some newer alternatives (agile and scrum). It is interesting that the author treats agile and scrum as distinct alternatives when many scrum practicioners would suggest scrum is simply an agile approach. In any case, the author’s comparison resonated with me because of how we compared these approaches against each other using a lengthy list of project attributes, all of which are things that the...
Read MoreSome Thoughts on Agile
Here’s some insight I have gleaned from delving into Agile over last little while. While these points might seem overly simplistic, they are key concepts from my perspective: Agile is an umbrella term that describes approaches for software development that are quite different from the waterfall approach, which is very linear in concept, that is quite prevalent in many shops Scrum and XP (eXtreme Programming) are two approaches that are considered Agile Some of the folks whose stuff...
Read MoreIt’s Summertime and the living is easy…
This time of year, when the days are long and warm, the anticipation of summer fills me with great emotions of days to come. Sam Cooke’s great lyrics come to mind. The rest of the first verse you ask? Why of course: It’s summertime and the living is easyFish are jumping and the cotton is highYour daddy’s rich and your mama’s good-lookingHush, little baby don’t you crydon’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cryno no no nodon’t cry, don’t...
Read MoreBecause That’s Where the Money Is
Legend has it that Willie Sutton, when asked why he robbed banks, replied “because that’s where the money is.” Alas, like many famous one-liners, he never said it. In an interview in his later years, he admits he wished he’d said it. However, I like his real answer almost as much. And that answer? “Because I enjoyed it. I loved it. I was more alive inside a bank, robbing it, than at any other time in my...
Read MoreSearching for Agility
I’ve been managing projects for many years now. Most of my clients have some project management methodology in place that I am to follow while working on their behalf and more often than not, the PMBOK is the underlying framework for these methodologies. While overall my clients have been happy with the results I’ve produced, when I look back at the projects that went well, I get the feeling that the methodology was in some cases as much of a hindrance as a benefit. I’ve done some...
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