SD Times Issue 224 by BZ Media

Author:BZ Media
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SD Times;
Published: 2009-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

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Software Development Times . June 15, 2009

SPECIAL REPORT 31

needed for agile to scale up

include IdeaSpace, modeled after Salesforce.com s IdeaEx-change, for high-volume tactical planning, prioritization and collaboration, VersionOne's Holler explained. "There's nothing like an economic downturn to deliver some new functionality," he quipped.

IdeaSpace, written by Ver-sionOne to tightly tie in to its agile platform, is a place for the business side and developers to write stories and get feedback from customers. It supports multiple forums, with security, and lets managers see who's generating the most requests and who's responding the most, as well as other information for use in the planning cycle, Holler said.

OutSystems offers agile platforms for an on-premises development, delivery and operations management environment, and Agile Network as software-as-a-service for managing agile projects, including training and forums. Among the important features of the software is a sizing and scoping tool that leverages user stories to define the scope of a project, so an accurate budget can be generated, according to Mike Jones, vice president of marketing for Out-Systems, which has more than half of its customers making changes to and building custom packages for SAP environments.

One of the keys to the Out-Systems platform is the "true change engine" built into the platform's model-based repository environment, which enables users to understand the impact of a change to the code and provides self-healing impact analysis; it either fixes a problem or reports on it. Further, Agile Network provides a place for end users to insert comments alongside a running application, and developers can launch the code underneath that submission screen to make the change, Jones briefly explained.

"End-user acceptance flies through because it's been so vetted by that point," he added.

To scale for the enterprise, Jones said OutSystems found it had to break some Scrum-type roles to leverage remote resources. "We split the traditional role of Scrum Master into an engagement manager, who's always with the customer, understanding the feedback,

setting expectations and leading the demo at the end of every sprint; and a delivery manager, who is where the development team is and who owns the architecture, the application, and

who's responsible to set the scope and deadlines," he said.

Even with tooling, Agile Logic's Hodgetts said the agile advocates within large organizations get that it requires a change in

their approach to development. "You can't just purchase agile and install it and be done with it," he said. "You can't just buy VersionOne and say, Tm agile,' or hire Paul [Hodgetts] for three

training sessions and say, 'Now I'm agile.'"

There are some common themes that most agree are the first steps down the road to agile development: running in shorter cycles, higher visibility, and worker collaboration. "Getting those cores in place are critical to success," Hodgetts said.

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