Software the Agile Way....

We all know it is people and technology which is accountable to deliver a software project successfully but how they deliver the project. How people get together and how they interact to ensure the project goal is understood by them and they are on track to deliver the same. Lets imagine there is no well established process and we need to deliver a project which is large sized and can be estimated to be 1 year or more involving 30-40 people. How is this achievable. Software projects are dynamic in nature and what customer is asking today may no longer be valid tomorrow then in such situation what is needed to ensure project is on track and will be delivered as per customer expectation. In the absence of any well established process, organization will have to rely on people for the project delivery. It requires a huge motivation in people to use technology and consistently work towards the  project goal to deliver on time on schedule and on budget. This can create communication...

Few areas which has no direct answer in Scrum/Agile: 1. How can we estimate/forecast the project when all the user stories/requirements are not available at the beginning of the project lifecycle? 2. How can we define the architecture for the project when all the final requirements are not freezed? 3. What level of documentation is essential / Must to do in Scrum based projects? 4. How can we avoid a scrum sprint to become a mini waterfall? 5. How can Manual QA add value to a scrum sprint? Other than Testing! 6. Who is responsible of sprint delivery ? Development team/Scrum Master/Product Owner? 7.  Can we avoid controlling type of management in Scrum? Is the team really empowered in the Scrum to take decisions? What about the advise on technology where budgetary constraint would come?  8.  How to measure the value of Scrum Master? If the sprint is delivered as per commitment then can the scrum master be awarded for that? 9.  Can ...

Tip#1 - Spend a few moments to get inside your client’s head.  Talk to them , listen carefully, figure out exactly how you need to package your ideas so that they will choose the option that’s best for their needs. Tip#2 -  Do your research and present your case clearly.  Support your design decisions with data.   Tip#3 - Build a Product backlog with clear acceptance criteria  Tip#4 -  Be specific about the project’s deliverable and outcomes, and protect yourself by       having a solid terms and conditions agreement in the event of out-of-scope work.   Tip#5- Empower team to openly share the gaps and changes in the system the client is suggesting so that you can set expectation with client for successful delivery. Tip#6- Identify the risks (Uncertainty/ambiguity in Environment,Technology,Domain) and keep a plan for this and inform to client. This can be updated on a regular DSM ( ...