Archive - September 2011

This post reflects a recent client meeting as recounted by a colleague consultant. The client has a multi-phase project delivering components of a membership system; the particular component under scrutiny in this post was specified to the supplier in 2009 and should have been delivered to plan in 2010.

Mobile devices are becoming an increasingly important channel for customer contact, but as with many new technologies, it is important to cut through the hype - in this case that mobile will replace PCs and that investment should be solely directed at mobile.

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More than just software development

14 SEP 2011 | Posted in agile programme management | Author John Wright | 2 Comments

Agile software development processes have been around for more than a decade now and have found a place in many organisations software development processes, however to deliver a business programme it requires more than just agile software delivery.

We spend time looking at the business objectives, come up with an incremental delivery strategy, train our teams, do enough architecture and analysis to get going and get on with delivering fit for purpose software that meet the client's needs. Great.

What about all the other stuff? Data migration from the old system, business process re-engineering, infrastructure deployment, user training...

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The Change of Fear

02 SEP 2011 | Posted in agile adoption, change management, fear of change, model project | Author Jason Smith | 1 Comment

An apocryphal experiment was carried out with some chimps a few years ago. Five chimps were put in an enclosure and left for a few days. A rope was then hung in the centre of the enclosure with some fruit at the top. One chimp started to climb the rope and when it grabbed the fruit, the floor of the enclosure delivered an electric shock to the remaining chimps. Within a couple of days the association was made and no chimp would grab the fruit.