5/17/04
<< 72 Squared WeblogAgile software development
I just read a fascinating article about agile software development. The theory is simple. Write software quickly and flexibly to meet specific demands.
Don't get bogged down in the planning stage, and don't get stuck in repeatable processes. Instead break the project down into specific goals and build an operational model that satisfies that goal. The author suggests that adaptability is becoming the new measure of success.
This is certainly true for web projects. As a web designer, you must be ready to turn on a dime and deliver a project quickly - something that works. I spent a lot of time looking for a theoretically sound and perfectly elegant framework for application development. The truth is, by the time I've finished a project, I'm often ready to throw that framework away in favor of a better one. Perhaps this is just a learning curve thing. Or maybe it has a lot to do with the demands that are placed on web developers these days. Be ready for anything.
Question: does JAVA allow this kind of speedy development? Perhaps it is the perfect vehicle for a collaborative development project. But too often I find that Java programmers ( and many other proponents of Object Oriented Programming) get so tied up in the theory of how something should work that they fail to actually make anything work. The trick is to get to the testing phase quickly and frequently before moving on to the next step. This shortens the development cycle and allows more frequent user feedback which is imperative for a successful software project. If the user can't use it, what's the use?
See: http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/2002/10/highsmith.html