Sondra Ashmore Ph. D. Kristin Runyan - Introduction to Agile Methods

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Sondra Ashmore, Ph.D.
Kristin Runyan

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ashmore, Sondra.
Introduction to agile methods / Sondra Ashmore, Ph.D., Kristin Runyan.
pages cm
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-321-92956-3 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Agile software development. 2. Open source software. I. Runyan, Kristin. II. Title.
QA76.76.D47A83 2014
005.3dc23
2014014568

Copyright 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission must be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to (201) 236-3290.

ISBN-13: 978-0-321-92956-3
ISBN-10: 0-321-92956-X

Text printed in the United States on recycled paper at RR Donnelley in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
First printing, July 2014

For my sons, Drake and Dane, who encourage
me to follow my dreams, and for my husband,
Brian, who helps make them all possible.

Sondra Ashmore

For my family and friends, from
whom I am continuously learning.

Kristin Runyan

What is Agile software development, and what does it mean when someone says, Our team used Agile to develop software? In our experiences, we have encountered many people who can tell you about some of the Agile tools they have heard about or experienced, such as Scrum meetings or paired programming, but few touch on the fact that it is a fundamentally different approach to creating software.

Over the last several years, we were both teaching entry-level Agile software development coursesSondra was teaching graduate students at Iowa State University, and Kristin was training her staff at her companyand we struggled to find a basic book on Agile software development that we could use in a classroom setting. When we met while doing volunteer work for a local technology nonprofit organization, we discovered that we were facing very similar challenges in finding the right book. It was that conversation that sparked the idea of writing our own book on Agile methods.

Our introductions to Agile were similar: We both were managing software development teams that were accustomed to using the more traditional method of software development called Waterfall, and we took on the challenge of implementing some of the Agile software development tools into our projects, with the ultimate goal of becoming Agile software development organizations. Although we both jumped in and learned all we could about Agile software development, we quickly realized that Agile is a lot more than training people on new tools and methodologies. It did not take long to understand that our organizations had to make a cultural shift to become Agile, which introduced many more challenges than we had anticipated. The transition to Agile was not a destination, as our executive teams had predicted, but rather a journey that is constantly evolving based on the lessons we have learned, or retrospectives in Agile terminology.

We firmly believe that Agile methods offer very real benefits for the world of software engineering. Our goal is not to provide you with a comprehensive collection of everything there is to know about Agile software development, but rather to provide you with the basics you need to know to get started. Alistair Cockburn, who is featured in methods. First you are in the Shu phase, when you must mimic your teacher precisely to master the basics. Next is Ha, where you start to learn from other teachers that help you build on your skills, and you begin to gain knowledge about the history and theoretical basis for the technique. Finally, you reach the Ri phase, where you become the teacher and make new contributions to the technique. It is our hope that after reading this book, you are well on your way to the Ha stage.

We start by introducing you to the history of Agile software development, then build on the tools and techniques that are common in most Agile organizations. We end by discussing how the process comes together to launch new and exciting products to the marketplace. We have included interviews with practitioners to give you a sense of what happens in organizations that have adopted Agile methods. Each chapter concludes with a summary, suggestions for additional reading, and review questions.

The following is a brief introduction to the information you will find in each chapter:

This chapter provides the background of the Agile movement and compares Agile to the more traditional Waterfall methodology. We explore the use cases for both Waterfall and Agile and explain the pros and cons of each. The chapter introduces the Agile Manifesto, its values, and its authors. We review the 12 key principles of Agile and introduce a fictitious company, Cayman Design, that is used for example purposes throughout the book. We include an interview with Robert (Uncle Bob) Martin.