Jurgen Appelo

Visualizing your workflow is a key component of agile methods. But if we want to solve problems, we have to do a bit more than just visualize them with sticky notes. We have to perform some actual problem management. And to manage problems, a good start would be to measure them.

It is sensible to want to avoid the head-butting sort of competition—that is, arguing for the sake of arguing. But, differing opinions and styles can be a good thing. Competitive forces have driven markets, innovation, and civilization for millennia. Here, Jurgen Appelo takes a look at some of the various approaches to agile development and what they bring to the table.

Evidence shows that agile development done well can positively affect your ROI. But if these methods are so great, why doesn’t every team adopt them? Look to management for the answer.

Looking for an agile refresher? Here, Jurgen Appelo applies his seven dimensions of software projects—people, functionality, quality, tools, time, value, and process—to what he believes are the fundamentals of agile. And, for those who might disagree, he suggests an eighth dimension that brings its own value to agile: conflict.

Among well-known methodologies for software development one can recognize two philosophies regarding the assignment of responsibilities to team members for the code that they produce: collective code ownership and individual code ownership. In this article, Jurgen explains that there are not two but four ways of assigning responsibilities among team members. He also claim that the choice for either of these models should be made not by methodologies but by project managers, architects or team leaders. Jurgen also presents a number of criteria which might be helpful while selecting the best model.

In this article, Jurgen Appelo links science's complexity with agile software development. Jurgen attempts to show why there is no such thing as a best software development method, why managing scope is a too simplistic interpretation of the principle of "embracing change", why corporate standards for processes are a bad thing, and why you will never get things exactly right. The article includes comparisons to biology and other types of complex systems, several little nuggets of wisdom, and some personal experiences involving Jurgen's car.