I was not quite sure what to pick today, after almost going for Java Performance i opted for the Agile route. The session was not quite what i expected from the title or excerpt, but still very enjoyable. David Anderson came at agile almost from the standpoint of standard problem software projects. He looked at how these could be edged towards the agile world through clear identification of the value stream (process) and the examination of metrics around this. His key take outs that quality should be the focus and reducing the work in progress (WIP) leads to efficiency: in effect shorter cycles or sprints work far better than large batches of work. Having concentrated on agile methodologies, this viewpoint of how to get to agile inspired lots of thought; it is often the case that a covert agile approach must be followed, where a full and open method such as Scrum, cannot be taken.

My favourite comment from David ‘ the sign of a poorly managed department is one where the manager is always complaining of being busy’ this leading to a lack of change; see my previous post on the book Slack, which this comment ties into nicely.

written on my N810, so please excuse grammar and spelling