Dev Corner - Software Development Methodology
Posted on Thursday April 7, 2011 by Betsy Weber
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For this week's Dev Corner, Randall Brown and Jared Wein caught up with Tricia Broderick, TechSmith's Director of Development. Tricia shares what she has learned about working with a variety of different software development methodologies. Enjoy!
As a developer, lead developer, project manager and now the director of development, I've been in the business of building software for a number of years. As such, I've worked within a number of different known methodologies: Waterfall, Rapid Application Development (RAD), Rational Unified Process (RUP), Extreme Programming (XP), Scrum and now entering the world of Kanban. In appreciation of these teams and projects, I wanted to share some of the key truths I learned as it relates to methodologies.
Perception: If you don't agree/like a methodology, just wait for the next one.
Truth: Methodologies are not constantly changing for the sake of changing. The reality is that they are constantly evolving due to learning from going too far to one extreme back to the next until we balance. An oversimplified version of some of the evolution in the industry:
Over the years, I've had successes with each of these methodologies. Ultimately though, I've become a strong supporter of Agile. Not a specific implementation of Agile but the principal behind the word. Agile is a group of various methodologies based on iterative and incremental development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing and cross-functional teams. I personally look forward to the software development community evolving the software development lifecycle methodology because it means we're reflecting and growing. Given the innovative nature of TechSmith; hopefully, we can help contribute to the methodology evolution.
Perception: If you are struggling with building software, the fault rests solely on the methodology.
Truth: Software development is not just a science but also an art. Our binary minds want an exact repeatable formula to ensure success. The reality is the formula is not the methodology itself but the principles behind the methodology. As a result, the best software methodology for a project is the one that fits!
A few years ago, I heard about Shu Ha Ri from Alistair Cockburn at an Agile Conference.
I find this applicable to finding the best methodology. The goal is not to copy or choose a single methodology but to transcend to one that meets the exact situation you are facing.
Similar to how we, as individuals, should work to consistently improve and evolve, so too should our processes for developing the best software possible in the most efficient manner possible.
Instead of getting frustrated by attempting to conform and implement a specific perfect methodology, we should instead embrace the challenge of evolution. However, be careful to not go to the other extreme of abandoning all existing processes. This would likely result in a team investing energy in re-creating the lessons learned that others have endured. Personally, in order to focus on becoming a leaner team, I would rather invest that energy in leveraging the results from an established process.
Is your team ready to invest energy in evolving?
Tricia Broderick joined TechSmith in 2008 and is the Director of Development for the web and enterprise services product family, which includes, Jing, Screencast.com, Camtasia Relay and Web Presence. In this role, Tricia manages the engineering team and helps them deliver high quality products on time that meet customer demand and market needs. She has always been a firm believer in mentoring, training and coaching as key skill sets to becoming a great leader.
Tricia has over 14 years of software development and management experience. Prior to joining TechSmith, she managed large development teams through a variety of software methodologies, implemented process improvement plans and successfully launched multiple million-dollar software platforms.
Tricia received her bachelor's degree in computer science from Michigan State University and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
Comments (1)
The Agile methodology is a great philosophy and anyone who has been developing software for a few years has likely already adopted many of the approaches used in Agile without knowing it. The key to good software does not lie in the methodology used, but in the skill of the person applying the tool. A good tool in the hands of a poor project manager does not magically translate into good software.
Posted by Doug Edmondson | June 7, 2011 9:35 PM
Posted on June 7, 2011 21:35