Version 1.0 Blogs

Often I see that whenever there is a change in requirements from the client, the developers tends to get de-motivated.. unwilling to change the codebase.. I hear comments like:  They are not clear on what they want  They should first define their requirements and then move forward with this  Our marketing team would accept just everything that client [...]

It’s no secret that people can be very resistant to change, especially if that change comes from an external force. After all, ‘better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.’ In the business world, we often see this adage put into practice when an organization tries to improve its processes for productivity, quality [...]

Agile the revolution: Now what? Before we start our journey I would request the reader to be patient enough to reach the end of the blog and not to draw a conclusion in the middle of it. So what did I mean when I said “Agile the revolution”? Let us go back to the days when [...]

Ever since Toy Story was released in 1995, Pixar has never ceased to amaze us. The average international gross per Pixar film is more than $550 million, and the studio has collected 24 Academy Awards. So what makes Pixar so successful? According to a recent article by Wired Magazine, it is a combination of Pixar’s [...]

I recently heard an interview during which one of the people claimed that the US automobile industry’s decline was due in part to its too-little-too-late adoption of “Lean” principles. Lean is a business approach that focuses on eliminating expenditures that do not directly create value for the customer. Originating in Japan nearly 20 years ago, [...]

The 2009 Standish CHAOS report states that only 32% of software projects are delivered on time, on budget and with the required features and functions. A staggering 44% are late, over budget or with less-than-desired features and functions. At the same time, 24% are cancelled prior to completion or delivered and never used. So what [...]

One of the biggest misconceptions is that iterative equals Agile. Although iterative development is part of Agile, it should be accompanied with other best practices. It is imperative to set a goal for each iteration and then verify it against the requirements upon completion. Goal-setting, retrospectives and regular collaboration with the client are key to [...]

Although the merits of Agile have been repeatedly stated and confirmed, adopting it is easier said than done. Breaking from an established process can be overwhelming, especially if you do not totally understand how Agile works or why it’s necessary in the first place. Let’s explore how a hypothetical team makes the switch. Harvey Hart, a [...]

“Collector” is probably too generous a word, but I am definitely an aficionado of handcrafted items. While true hand craftsmanship has become rare and generally prohibitively expensive in the West, I’m fortunate that I get to travel to places where hand-made items are still relatively affordable. Over the years I’ve managed to accumulate artwork, metal-craft, [...]

One of a frequently encountered question in enterprise software development is where does the hand off happen from the architect (who design the software) to the developer (who implements the software). Usually, the architect designs the software at a higher level of abstraction and then communicate her design to the developers, who take the idea [...]