Larry Apke - - Page 2

Agile Principles: Work Together Daily or Fail

By Larry Apke

I quote this principle verbatim to all the teams I coach constantly because it is the only completely prescriptive principle. While other principles use more vague words like “early”, “late” or “shorter”, “daily” is not open to negotiation or interpretation. The word “must” is also unequivocal as are the roles described.

That prompts the following question – why were the founders of Agile so strident with this principle while allowing for broader interpretation with all other values and principles?

Blog, General Agile

Agile Principles: Frequent & Working Software

By Larry Apke

While there are many people who believe that the key reason to adopt agile frameworks and methods is for increased productivity, I tend to find this to be more a healthy byproduct of a team working together over time (and thus could be found in other methodologies).

The real benefits of agile lies in greater transparency, predictability and faster time to market.

The third agile principle speaks directly to these, especially quicker time to market.

Blog, General Agile

Agile Principles: Welcoming Change

By Larry Apke

The world changes fast. The software development world changes faster.

Locking into a long term plan and remaining steadfast to that plan might bring comfort when the world around us is awash in change, but it doesn’t give the flexibility necessary to remain competitive.

Blog, General Agile

Agile Principles: Customer Satisfaction

By Larry Apke

As an Agile coach I am in the Agile transformation business. Coaches are rarely employed when an organization “gets” the philosophy and properly implements an Agile framework or methodology. In my experience those that are most challenged are those who seem to concentrate on the ceremonies while failing to focus on the bigger picture concerns – those more interested in “doing” rather than “being.”

Blog, General Agile

Agile Values: Responding to Change Over Following a Plan

By Larry Apke

The interesting thing about big upfront design is the gall it takes to even begin to believe that all can be known at the beginning of a complex endeavor. This harkens back to some of my earlier posts, including Software Development is Communication, where I argue that those in charge of software development decisions (like team size, composition, physical location, etc.) have no clue about software development. Software development is most often a complex undertaking.

Blog, General Agile

Agile Values: Why Contracts And Software Development Don't Mix

By Larry Apke

We all have customers. If we didn’t there would be no reason to do what we do. If we didn’t their would be no one to pay our invoices. And when someone agrees to pay you for work, they generally want to have some kind of agreement on the nature of the work for the money that is being paid. This agreement is usually put in writing and voila, we have a contract. This is an important part of the process and as everyone knows, contracts are valuable documents for both the customer and yourself. But as the Manifesto states, it’s important to not get caught up in negotiation fever.

Blog, General Agile

Agile Values: Working Software Over Documentation

By Larry Apke

Of the four agile values, this is probably the least understood and most often misinterpreted. It certainly does not say that there should be no documentation as some (the less ambitious developers and teams) propose. It says that there is more value to actual software than comprehensive documentation.

Blog, General Agile

Agile Values: The Importance of Individuality

By Larry Apke

The Agile Manifesto is best seen as a reaction to the environment at the time. Many authors are saying that software development values have gotten out of whack because the majority of companies now value processes and tools more than individuals and interactions. Obviously in order to create better software this needs to be corrected!

Blog, General, General Agile, Scrum

Understanding The Agile Manifesto: A Brief & Bold Guide to Agile – Podcast Now Available

By Larry Apke

I am pleased to announce that my first book, Understanding the Agile Manifesto: A Brief & Bold Guide to Agile is now available as a podcast. Over the next few days / weeks I will be releasing the book, chapter by chapter, on this website and through the iTunes store under my “Agile Doctor” podcast.

Agile Coaching, Agile Management, Agile Team, Blog, General Agile

The Five Attributes of a Good Scrum Team

By Larry Apke

Between these presentations and my daily coaching practice, I am reminded yet again at the importance of forming a good scrum team. This, along with proper backlog compilation and maintenance, can make the difference between success and endless frustration. In my experience, proper scrum team formation is the area where companies who are unsuccessful in Agile transformations fail most often.