Crystal Clear: A Human-Powered Methodology for Small Teams View Larger Image | Alistair Cockburn
Addison-Wesley, Paperback, Published October 2004, 312 pages, ISBN 0201699478 | List Price: $39.99
Our Price: $31.50
You Save: $8.49 (21% Off)
| | | Availability: Out-Of-Stock |
Be the First to Write a Review and tell the world about this title!People who purchase this book frequently purchase: - Pro Spring; Rob Harrop, et al, $30.95, 38% Off!
- Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software; Eric Evans, $50.50, 22% Off!
- Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit; Mary Poppendieck, et al, $38.95, 22% Off!
- Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code; Martin Fowler, et al, $46.50, 22% Off!
Books on similar topics, in best-seller order:Books from the same publisher, in best-seller order:
Software developers are increasingly embracing LL1 aAgile processes because they
reflect the way that software is actually built, instead of how methodologists
think it should be built. Now, in Crystal Clear, Alistair Cockburn distills the
secrets shared by successful small teams on what works and doesn't work in their
development processes. The result is Crystal Clear, a new aAgile LL2 methodology
designed to help teams with two to eight members develop and release more functional
software, faster.
Although Crystal Clear shares some of the same characteristics as extreme programming
(XP), it is generally less demanding. Its goal is to help teams coordinate efforts
easily, stay light LL3 on work products, develop quickly, and change directions
faster. Because Crystal Clear allows developers to deliver workable products
in less time, there is less opportunity for a project to go off track and little
need for intermediate work products.
Insider Readers will find in-depth information on Crystal Clear's simple set
of rules for extremely fast, productive development. The rules include:
- Seat team members together so they communicate constantly.
- Simply the design medium: Whiteboards are encouraged.
- Collect requirements as two-paragraph use cases.
- Involve real users from the outset and show them samples (not templates)
frequently to keep requirements accurate.
- Test often using an automated regression test suite.
- Deliver running, tested, usable code early and often.
After exploring how these rules are applied in nested cyclic processes, the
authorCockburn compares Crystal Clear against other aAgile methodologies and
outlines possible variations -- both workable and otherwise. An encyclopedia
of work products serves as a useful reference for those practicing Crystal Clear
development, while a case study offers an insightful outside look at this new
methodology.
If your team seeks a simple, tolerant, and successful set of development rules
that is, the least amount of methodology that could work -- Crystal Clear will
serve as an invaluable primer.
Table of Contents
Preface.
1. Explained (View from the Outside).
2. Applied (The Seven Properties).
Property 1: Frequent Delivery.
Property 2: Reflective Improvement.
Property 3: Osmotic Communication.
Property 4: Personal Safety.
Property 5: Focus.
Property 6: Easy Access to Expert Users.
Property 7: Technical Environment with Automated Tests, Configuration Management
& Frequent Integration.
3. In Practice (Strategies & Techniques).
Strategy 1. Exploratory 360¿.
Strategy 2. Early Victory.
Strategy 3. Walking Skeleton.
Strategy 4. Incremental Rearchitecture.
Strategy 5. Information Radiators.
Technique 1. Methodology Shaping.
Technique 2. Reflection Workshop.
Technique 3. Blitz Planning.
Technique 4. Delphi Estimation using Expertise Rankings.
Technique 5. Daily Stand-Up Meetings.
Technique 6. Essential Interaction Design.
Technique 7. Process Miniature.
Technique 8. Side-by-Side Programming.
Technique 9. Burn Charts.
4. Explored (The Process).
The Project Cycle.
The Delivery Cycle.
The Iteration Cycle.
The Integration Cycle.
The Week and the Day.
The Development Episode.
Reflection about the Process.
5. Examined (The Work Products).
Roles: Sponsor, Ambassador User, Lead Designer, Designer-Programmer, Business
Expert, Coordinator, Tester, Writer.
Coordinator : Project Map, Release Plan, Project Status, Risk List, Iteration
Plan & Status, Viewing Schedule.
Designer-Programmers : Screen Drafts, System Architecture, Source Code,
Common Domain Model, Design Sketches and Notes.
6. Misunderstood (Common Mistakes).
"We colocated and ran two-week iterations why did we fail?"
"Two developers are separated by a hallway and a locked door."
"We have this big infrastructure to deliver first."
"Our first delivery is a demo of the data tables."
"No user is available, but we have a Test Engineer joining us next
week."
"One developer refuses discuss his design or show his code to the rest."
"The users want all of the function delivered to their desks at one
time . . ."
"We have some milestones less than a use case and some bigger."
"We wrote down a basic concept and design of the system. We all sit
together, so that should be good enough."
"Who owns the code?"
"Can we let our Test Engineer write our tests? How do we regression
test the GUI? "
"What is the optimal iteration length?"
7. Questioned (Frequently Asked).
8. Tested (A Case Study).
9. Distilled (The Short Version).
About the Author
Alistair Cockburn is a recognized expert on use cases. He is
consulting fellow at Humans and Technology, where he is responsible for helping
clients succeed with object-oriented projects. He has more than 20 years of
experience leading projects in hardware and software development in insurance,
retail, and e-commerce companies and in large organizations such as the Central
Bank of Norway and IBM.
|
