Let's go agile! (March 25, 2011)

How many times have I sat in a meeting discussing a web development project and someone — usually a commercial someone — says "let's do an agile project"?

I get a sinking feeling.

When the term Agile is used as short hand for: no requirements, no docs, no plans, just start coding, I get a bit *itchy and scratchy*. However, when Agile is understood by all parties, it's a wonderful place to be.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_software_development

Customer advocacy in software development (November 18, 2010)

Developing software is a tricky business. Whether you're involved in bespoke or commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software development, it's a process that benefits from the input of a customer advocate.
My experience of software development has been Internet oriented for the past 15 years and includes web content management systems (WCMS), mobile applications and bespoke systems for recruitment, investor relations and sponsorship asset management. In each of these contexts, customer advocacy played a key role in deciding what was to be developed.

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