Page 28 - DCAP304_DCAP515_SOFTWARE_PROJECT_MANAGEMENT

Software Project Management

Notes Advantages

 During a Scrum sprint there are no turbulence from the outside; this keeps the team
focused and creative. Which is very good for the productivity?
 At the end of each sprint, what has been done and what should be done in the next sprint
can be evaluated. This keeps the process very supple.

Disadvantages

Because a Scrum team should be responsible for itself during a sprint, it’s important that
management doesn’t interfere with how the work is being done.

!
Caution The management needs to fully trust the team to do the right thing, which could
potentially be problematic.

Crystal Clear

Crystal Clear is a highly optimized way to use a small, collocated team, prioritizing for safety
in delivering a satisfactory outcome, efficiency in development, and habitability of the working
conventions.” The Crystal Clear methodology is part of the Crystal family of methodologies,
where every methodology is characterized by a color (Clear, Yellow, Orange, Red, Maroon,
Blue, Violet). That color represents the number of people for which the methodology is suited;
Crystal Clear is the lightest color and is meant for the smallest project groups, of two to eight
people. Darker colors are for larger groups-these will not be discussed here.
Crystal Clear has at its core seven properties that should be established for every project that
wishes to adhere to the methodology. While all of these are desired, only the first three are
mandatory; the other four will get the project further into the safety zone. The seven properties
are:
1. Frequent Delivery: When delivering working, tested code to the actual software users once
every few months (or more often, if possible), users will be able to deliver feedback on
implemented requirements, sponsors will see progress and developers will get a morale
boost.
2. Reflective Improvement: Taking time to let the team reflect on what works and what
doesn’t work for the project, and improving the things that don’t work.
3. Osmotic Communication: Having the entire team so close together (if possible in the
same room, otherwise in adjacent rooms) that people don’t have to go to a lot of trouble
to raise or answer questions, but can do so instantly, will make people work together
naturally, inspect each others’ work and pick up relevant information as if by osmosis.
4. Personal Safety: If people feel safe to speak up without fear of reprisal, they can give
constructive criticism on other people’s work and admit their own mistakes, leading to
honesty and ultimately to trust.
5. Focus: If everybody has time to focus on their primary objectives for two hours a day, for
two consecutive days every week, without any distractions that can make them lose their
train of thought (like meetings or other work), people will be more focused and work will
be finished quicker.
6. Easy Access to Expert Users: If expert users are available to the team, they can answer
questions and deliver feedback on quality and design decisions.

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