Beefy Boxes and Bandwidth Generously Provided by pair Networks
Perl: the Markov chain saw
 
PerlMonks  

Re^10: Nobody Expects the Agile Imposition (Part VIII): Software Craftsmanship

by BrowserUk (Patriarch)
on Jun 16, 2015 at 06:49 UTC ( [id://1130560]=note: print w/replies, xml ) Need Help??


in reply to Re^9: Nobody Expects the Agile Imposition (Part VIII): Software Craftsmanship
in thread Nobody Expects the Agile Imposition (Part VIII): Software Craftsmanship

I'm still unsure what part of any of this situation encourages you to keep saying that people who do test-first development or who have daily fifteen-minute status meetings are absolutely and definitely replaceable cogs who can't develop code and need to "code by numbers". That seems like one hell of an unsupported claim.

Um; I never mentioned (anywhere in this thread) test-first development.

  1. <cite>Daily 15 minutes status meetings:</cite>

    The following is a from-memory precise of a report I wrote over 20 years ago and presented at a "weekly cascade meeting" one of my clients insisted I attend:

    No matter how short, enforced regular meetings are a waste of time; and company money.

    Making a bunch of people attend, to listen to a bunch of other people say either: they have nothing to say; or say something because they feel they must; is pure cost.

    Meetings are the worst way in the world to disseminate information. You either hand out the information to be disseminated on paper and wait whilst everyone reads it; or you read it out loud and nobody really takes it in. Either way is a waste of time.

    Information is much better disseminated electronically. Each reader can then take it in to whatever level makes sense for them. Ie.

    • If it is mostly peripheral to their jobs; they can scan, be aware, but skip the details.
    • If it is central to their jobs; they can take their time to really understand it; cross reference it; and phrase requests for clarifications and objections.

    Questions and answers are better dealt with electronically:

    • The questioners can take their time to ask the right question in the right way.
    • Responders can amalgamate questions; reference materials to formulate their answers; and prioritise.

      (How many times have you sat in a meeting listening to long winded, and irrelevant answers to irrelevant questions; only for the response to the only good question to be cut short or deferred because the meeting room was due to be handed over?)

    Meetings should only happen when there is something specific to *decided*; then only when

    • all the attendies are fully conversant with the issue; (and only those that have some specific input to its resolution should attend.)
    • have seen all the questions arising; and the answers.
    • when the decision to be made is clearly framed; and all the possible choices outlined.

    Imagine if your meetings went like this:

    Good morning! I am going to assume that you have all read the full description of the issue at hand; raised and questions you had and recieved the replies; and have read & digested the role up of all the questions asked and answered.

    I am also going to assume that you've seen the list of choices for action.

    I am here to tell you that I am favouring option B; This is your opportunity to attempt to sway my decision.

    First you have 1 minute to say which option you prefer; and why; confining yourselves to the Q&As already raised.

    • Person A: I favour option A; because I think that question 7 out weighs question 4; and the answer to the latter more completely dealt with that than did the answer to question 7.
    • Person B: ...
    • ...

    Okay:

    • You've seen the consensus; feel free to change your minds if the words of others have swayed you. It is time for your votes.

      OR

    • As the majority consensus agrees with me; option B it is.

      OR

    • As the majority consensus disagrees with me in favour of option C; and that was my second preference; that's the decision.

      OR

    • As the majority consensus disagrees with me in favour of option A; and I have strong reservations about that; I'm going to defer the decision over night and I may email some of you for further input tomorrow. I'll inform you all of my decision by end of day tomorrow.

    Thank you for your time. END OF MEETING.

    In the short term, I was excused future attendance -- I had no need or interest to be keep up with the changes in the site maintenance schedules; company pension plan changes; corporate wide managerial promotions; or retirements. I was a contractor.

    Why was I ever required to attend? Because the employees felt it was unfair for contractors to be excused the drugery of attending, when they had to.

    In the longer term; it actually triggered a sea change on that site; that spread to others.

    It wasn't all my idea. The original moans were mine to my PL (same guy mentioned earlier) and the write up was all my own work; but it was him that suggested I should bind copies and hand them out in the meeting. I was his stalking horse to effect change on several occasions.

  2. <cite>absolutely and definitely replaceable cogs who can't develop code and need to "code by numbers"</cite>

    First. Nothing I've said implies anything about the programmers subjected to these methodologies.

    The statements are about the goals of the methodologies (as sold to management in private by the purveyors of the branded methodologies.)

    These methodologies are essentially public domain, free for any company to use.

    So why do so many of them spend money on consultants; training courses and certifications from branded versions?

I obviously don't know how things go in every company; so I can only talk generically; and as I'm trying to make supporting argument for a position; it is natural that I will tend to the extreme that support that position.

Its neither personal nor accusatory.

And remember; I've nothing to gain or lose by what you or others do. Especially if they choose to do things that work for them.

But the single most frustrating thing as an "old timer" is watching younger generations making the same damn mistakes I made; and doing so willingly and enthusiastically.

If my posts in this thread have caused any one young guy or girl to step back and consider their work situation with a broader, more skeptical eye; they've been worth my effort.


With the rise and rise of 'Social' network sites: 'Computers are making people easier to use everyday'
Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
"Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority". I'm with torvalds on this
In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice. Agile (and TDD) debunked

Log In?
Username:
Password:

What's my password?
Create A New User
Domain Nodelet?
Node Status?
node history
Node Type: note [id://1130560]
help
Chatterbox?
and the web crawler heard nothing...

How do I use this?Last hourOther CB clients
Other Users?
Others scrutinizing the Monastery: (4)
As of 2024-03-28 15:24 GMT
Sections?
Information?
Find Nodes?
Leftovers?
    Voting Booth?

    No recent polls found