Page 29 - DCAP304_DCAP515_SOFTWARE_PROJECT_MANAGEMENT

Unit 1: Introduction to Software Project Management

7. Technical Environment with Automated Tests, Configuration Management & Frequent Notes
Integration: A proper technical environment where testing and configuration
management/version control tasks (like making backups and merging changes) do not
have to be done by hand will make life easier for developers.
Crystal Clear offers several concrete procedures/techniques that can help establish these critical
properties, but these are optional: If the team knows of other ways to satisfy the properties,
there is nothing that stands in their way. In general, it can be said that Crystal Clear values
properties over techniques. This also makes Crystal Clear a low threshold methodology: project
groups can carry over their established methods and techniques-which the group has either
grown into or were developed to fit their specific situation-to Crystal Clear, and thus will not
have to learn a set of new ones before coming up to speed.

Application Area

As explained above, Crystal Clear is meant for project groups consisting of two to eight people
working at the same physical location, with one or more expert users available. In general, this
means any setting where the first three (but ideally, all seven) of the properties can be fulfilled
are applicable.
Though, the above does not have to be strictly remained to. All methodologies in the Crystal
family support the stretch to fit principle, which states that when a prospective project does not
fit within the aimed methodology, the principles and practices to be carried out by the
methodology can be stretched to fit the particular case.

Example: Teams that is significantly larger than eight people have carried out Crystal
Clear successfully by stretching it to fit their needs.

Advantages

 Since the seven properties are based upon performance that has been observed in successful
project groups, those practicing Crystal Clear might well be on the right track to bringing the
project to an end effectively. While this is of course no assurance of success-there are always
other factors that contribute to or detract from a project’s success-it is likely that these properties
contain at least some quality that does indeed make the disparity between a successful project
and an unsuccessful one. In fact, [CC-BOOK] cites numerous stories that demonstrate the
achievement of the properties and techniques provided as well as Crystal Clear in general.
 Unlike conventional, thick methodologies like SSADM or PRINCE, Crystal Clear is flexible
as to what project teams are supposed to do and how to do it. This is expressed in the
properties over procedure and stretch to fit principles. In fact, Crystal Clear was clearly
designed to be usable by as many project groups as probable, with the least number of
new techniques to learn.

Disadvantages

One of Crystal Clear’s major strengths is also its main disadvantage. It tries to be a methodology
that is applicable in as many cases as probable. This obviously prevents it from ever being a
“best” methodology (like XP strives to be) in any specific case.
Another drawback might be that Crystal Clear is still comparatively new: the only book written
on the subject is not yet published, so it may not have a lot of real-world usage yet. On the other
hand, the main beliefs behind the methodology are all based on real experiences drawn from real
projects, so perhaps wider experience will reveal that Crystal Clear indeed works “as advertised”.

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