Agile Readings

Use the Whiteboard:
Found this nice article on using the Whiteboard to capture stuff like the task cards etc. This way its easier for the team members to update their tasks, instead of being bogged down by electronic appplications. Of course it is the duty of the Scrum Master to update the electronic version and produce updated print-outs of the burn-down chart, 'days to go' etc.

Agile Test:
A test devised by Nokia to fgure out if you are really using Scrum or just a way of Cowboy Coding. Obviously proclaiming that this test can be used in places other than Nokia is to violate Scrum principles - each team and project will have to tailor its own adaptation of Scrums principles to be truly agile.

How to start an Agile Project:
This is a must-read if you have read all that is to be read on Agile and yet looking for practical guidelines on how to kick off your project.

Structural vs Software Engineering

Dr. Pierfranco Ferronato, in a newsletter says

"Software engineering dares more (than Structural Engineering) in some sense. We are asked to provide features not found in current civil projects. If we were to build a bridge as we build a software product, we should be able to provide all of the following - without an impact on the performance of the bridge:
Reusability: moving the bridge
Extensibility: extending its length (at runtime)
Scalability: adding a new level (hot pluggable)
The ability to replace the technology: from a concrete-based structure to steel (24/7)
Incremental development: first the pedestrians, then cars, then buses, then trains

He goes on to say that developing software is not simply creating products - it's more about creating flexible solutions and supporting dynamic features that incorporate the "ilities" (configurability, durability, maintainability, portability). The core consideration here is the fact that software is all about dynamics - the development process, the final product, as well as the cost of construction versus changes. Structural engineering practices are built on paradigms that optimize elements related to the concreteness of the goals, often "cast in stone." Software practices are a different matter, and pushing for adopting structural engineering methods for software engineering limits the possibilities. In software engineering, the costs of modification are far less than the actual construction. Consequently, we should adopt a development process that leverages this unique capability.

Perhaps the architects of our homes and office spaces can learn something from software engineering in incorporating the 'ilities'?

Beam.tv

"We are an online preview and archiving tool built for the advertising industry," says Ben Smith, head of encoding and technology at Beam.tv, "Our aim is to make it easy to view work in progress and speed up creative decision-making, which saves people time and money."

The idea is that companies can upload and download image files stored on beam.tv's servers; the system can be accessed from any computer anywhere in the world as long as you have a password. An agency that once would have sent tapes of the cut of a commercial to the client via the post production house will now transfer the images via the Internet. Footage can also be sent to a number of post companies who work in partnership with the service. Ninety-eight per cent of London ad agencies use this system.

Of course, net users all over the world are sending images using Internet technology, but the difference here is in the quality of the image and the software that beam.tv has written to make tasks such as archiving, online approval and creating showreels easy. For any high quality film or video format to be transferred quickly via broadband it has to be compressed, which is where codecs such as Windows Media® Audio and Video 9 come into play.

Another part of the system to use this advance is the beambox, a set top box which allows beam.tv users to view the contents of the archive, or any other content sent to them via the beam system, on a television or larger screen (rather than a PC). There are around 200 beamboxes world-wide and each can store up to seven hours of DVD-quality film or HD in Windows Media 9 Series. The beambox is built on a Windows® XP Embedded platform, with the .NET system developed by Root6 Technology for beam.tv.

"Beam.tv has worked because it has been designed by the people that use it. The user interface is very relevant to the way people work and the business model is also perfectly suited to the market," says Debra Peake, global marketing director for ad agency Publicis Worldwide. "There are three parameters in production jobs: speed, quality and cost - and these are interconnected. Beam.tv allows you to improve the quality and speed and potentially reduce cost too. It's a win-win situation. The ability to access work instantly and address concerns has made a difference."

--excerpted in parts from microsoft.com