Agile Development Conference & Better Software Conference West 2010

PRESENTATIONS

Uncovering User Needs with Critical Incident Task Analysis

What do users really need? Do they really know what they need? Although developers and testers are expected to implement stories and requirements that add real value, users often describe wants rather than needs and ask for features rather than solutions. Rob Sabourin shares his experiences applying task analysis using the “critical incident method” to better understand user processes and determine needs and desired solutions.
Rob Sabourin, AmiBug.com, Inc.
Working with Globally Distributed Agile Teams

Miscommunications, misunderstandings, and interpersonal conflicts often thrive in the typical distributed team. Distributed agile teams, especially globally distributed teams, are more likely to face these issues than those employing traditional development methods. Global agile teams are not only geographically dispersed, but they're also separated by time zones, language barriers, nationality, and organizational culture.
Ken Pugh, Net Objectives
Writing Higher Quality Software Requirements

While agile and traditional software development methodologies differ in many key practices, they share the mutual goal of accurately representing customer needs through requirements-whatever their form. If requirements are poorly understood, lack key details, or are interpreted differently by stakeholders, unnecessary defects will be introduced into the product. Defects lead to rework which ultimately delays product delivery and decreases customer satisfaction.
John Terzakis, Intel
You Can Always Get What You Want

Agile, waterfall, iterative, staged, gated, phased-none of it really matters if all you create are a few early "wins", mediocre solutions, and quick fixes. Many organizations twist the time pressure screws so tightly that creative thinking can only be done after work or surreptitiously during the five-minute coffee break or the fifteen-minute lunch at your desk. We often are told that "good enough" software is what the company needs.
Tim Lister, Atlantic Systems Guild
You Can Always Get What You Want

Agile, waterfall, iterative, staged, gated, phased-none of it really matters if all you create are a few early "wins", mediocre solutions, and quick fixes. Many organizations twist the time pressure screws so tightly that creative thinking can only be done after work or surreptitiously during the five-minute coffee break or the fifteen-minute lunch at your desk. We often are told that “good enough” software is what the company needs.
Tim Lister, Atlantic Systems Guild

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