Best of Agile — October 2024

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   Article

   Community Picks·2y

   Software Development Explained With Cars

   Explaining software development to clients can be challenging, especially the differences between their expectations and actual development processes. Agile development allows for client involvement and adjustments, likened to tailoring a suit. However, protecting development time is crucial, and tools like Kanban boards and Scrum systems can help manage tasks efficiently. Additionally, time tracking provides valuable insights into project costs and productivity.

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   Article

   Microservices.io·2y

   The evolution of the Microservice Architecture pattern language

   The post discusses the evolution of the Microservice Architecture pattern language over the past decade, highlighting its origins and development. It introduces essential concepts like anti-patterns, the forces of dark energy and dark matter in architectural decisions, and the importance of context in determining architectural choices. Additionally, it advises on refining terminology and emphasizes that monolithic architectures remain useful in many contexts. Future improvements and ongoing adaptation in the field are also covered.

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3. 3
   Article

   Work Chronicles·2y

   (comic) Sprint Review

   Comics about work, created with love and lots of coffee, provide a humorous take on the sprint review process in agile methodology.

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4. 4
   Article

   Nubank·2y

   From Micro to Macro: Scaling Front-Ends

   Bringing together diverse minds enhances discussion, debate, and problem-solving in software engineering. Highlights include insights on going agile and streamlining development processes.

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   Article

   Lobsters·2y

   the death of the architect

   The post outlines the evolution of software design methodologies from traditional, design-first approaches to Agile and Extreme Programming (XP) methodologies. It emphasizes the shift from exhaustive, initial design documents to iterative and flexible development processes. While XP's early focus on system metaphors was later abandoned, the Agile Manifesto's preference for responding to change over following a plan remains central to modern software design. The post critiques the current state of software design, highlighting a need to reclaim more explainable and systematic design practices.

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   Article

   Agile Testing·2y

   The Agile Testing Quadrants

   The Agile Testing Quadrants serve as a planning and execution tool to help teams ensure adequate test coverage and build quality. Originating from Brian Marick and popularized by Janet Gregory and Lisa Crispin, these quadrants have evolved over the years. The post encourages using the latest version of the quadrants shared in their book and appreciates suggestions for future updates.

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   Article

   The Mountain Goat Software·2y

   5 Ways to Create Accurate Estimates Agile Teams & Orgs Trust

   Achieving accurate estimates in agile teams is crucial for making informed decisions, yet the pursuit of perfect estimates often leads to more harm. Through a detailed case study, the post highlights three main problems caused by treating estimates as guarantees: estimate padding, underestimated padded estimates, and eroded trust. To counter these issues, five practical solutions are proposed, including creating a shared understanding of estimate types, explaining estimates to stakeholders, providing accurate plans rather than perfect ones, ensuring estimates are correct on average, and using distinguishable numbers for estimates.

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