Sunday, October 28, 2007

What's with the October

There is something with this month that was going and growing in the background. It is called Iterations. Yes you heard me. Dont doubt on what you had just read. Wonder what is it?

In the world of Software Development Life Cycle, there are many approaches. NSP is using Waterfall approach. It is an ideal, common, and classic style of developing softwares. It follows the Design - Implement - Test pattern. Just take for example of someone building a building.
But what if during the application of finishing touches of the buildings, the owner suddenly realizes he needs a mansion and not a building, or instead of he needs 5 elevators instead of 1?
In this cases, wherein changes should not be a problem but factual part of development, Waterfall sucks. Yup. And its hard.

That is why I (with Fukunaga-san, my NCOS boss) introduced Agile style to NSP. In Agile, changes are bases of development. Its like a coffee shop. You line up the customers(specifications), and serve each customer with the coffee(deliverables) he ordered. If a customer returns its order for changes (more sugar, less cream, etc), then serve him according to the queue in a line (Iterations). The hardest part here is to convince, instill, and set the goal clear in each NSP personnel's head. Here is one of the emails I received about questions and inquiries about the new development style.


Headache? No. Fulfillments. Worries? Yes. Because I know I am in a company full of politics, swarmed with crab-mentalist people who are afraid of innovations and changes. Hehehe


No comments: