Agile Development Conference & Better Software Conference West 2012

PRESENTATIONS

Mobile Apps: Breaking Down the Barriers

Mobile application development introduces additional complexity when compared to building traditional applications. In order to successfully develop and deploy mobile applications, it is essential to account for variability in networks, service providers, devices, operating systems, and browsers. Todd DeCapua shares practices for successfully navigating this complexity while preserving both speed-to-market and application performance.
Todd DeCapua, Shunra
Optimal Project Performance: Factors that Influence Project Duration

Speedy delivery is almost always a primary project goal or a significant project constraint. To shorten project duration without sacrificing quality or budget, you need to know where to focus the team’s efforts. Mining the QSM database containing many quantitative metrics and numerous qualitative attributes, Paul Below shares the factors that have the greatest influence on project duration. While he’s at it, Paul debunks a couple of myths.
Paul Below, QSM, Inc.
Performance Appraisals for Agile Teams

Traditional performance evaluations, which focus solely on individual performance, create a “chasm of disconnect” for agile team members. Because agile is all about team performance and trust, the typical HR performance evaluation system is not congruent with agile development. Based on his practical experience leading agile teams, Michael Hall explores how measurements drive behavior, why team measurement is important, what to measure, and what not to measure.
Michael Hall, WorldLink, Inc.
Ready, Really Ready, and Really Really Ready Stories

Product owners create stories they believe are ready for development. Developers accept and then estimate stories that are not really ready to be started. This disconnect between being “ready” and “really ready” results in miscommunication and frustration. For example, story development can take much longer than original estimates because of the details and “sad paths” that were not expressed in the story. Ken Pugh describes how to turn vague acceptance criteria into specific acceptance tests.
Ken Pugh, Net Objectives
Restating Scrum: Refining and Extending the Framework

Knowing the rules of chess doesn’t equip you with strategies to win the game-much less make you a chess master. In the same way, many Scrum teams and their organizations know the rules but never consider longer-term strategies for getting the most out of Scrum. Sadly, of the thousands of organizations using Scrum, only a small fraction realizes Scrum’s true potential. To help address this epidemic and offer teams and companies ways to get more out of Scrum, the Scrum Framework has been codified in the Scrum Guide 2011.
Rob Maher, Scrum.org
Selecting the Right Mobile Testing Solution: Practical Considerations and Proven Practices

Because the mobile market is extremely dynamic, maintaining consistent application quality is always difficult. Managing the risk exposures with mobile apps and embedded software requires comprehensive testing of a wide variety of platforms operating on multiple networks. Testers have to contend with short development cycles that require continuous QA efforts.
Eran Yaniv, Perfecto Mobile
Seven Habits of Highly Successful Project Managers

It is easy to find a million ways that software development and project managers can let down their teams and their projects. Ken Whitaker has identified seven pragmatic leadership tips and techniques you can use to build and sustain a great team that consistently delivers great software.
Ken Whitaker, Leading Software Maniacs
Signs Your Agile Adoption Is Off Track-And How to Fix It

Adopting agile is often a difficult proposition with many variables and sometimes uneven results. Recognizing when your adoption isn't working well and taking pro-active actions to put it back on track are essential. So, how do you know if your adoption is proceeding through rough but expected waters or running the risk of failing? Thomas Stiehm describes the signs of serious adoption problems and the steps you can take to fix them.
Thomas Stiehm, Coveros, Inc.
Software Development Productivity: A New Way of Thinking

Just as John Steinbeck was able to identify the complex system of tides, eddies, and other currents that bring nutrients to support life in the Pacific Ocean, you need to do the same for the complex human system that builds software products. Ray Arell argues that development productivity can increase only when you enable developers to grow and master the craftsmanship around their work.
Ray Arell, Intel Corporation
Specification by Example: Building Executable Requirements

Specification by Example is a collaborative approach for constructing executable requirements. Examples demonstrate how the system should operate through the eyes of its users and shows understanding of the application’s functions. Michael Connolly demonstrates the practical and easy-to-implement Specification by Example method which he uses to write user stories and acceptance criteria.
Michael Connolly, OPOWER

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