Progressive Development
Zany Adventures in Software Engineering with Maven and Motley
Motley says: “Agile doesn't change testing - developers can just throw code 'over the wall' to the test team”
Summary Motley: Developers should just throw the completed code "over the wall" to the test team...
Date: 04/12/2011
Motley says: “Just build the features, and they will come. Who needs a goal?”
Summary Motley: A successful development iteration does not need a goal. Just deliver some features...
Date: 03/01/2011
Motley says: “Story points? Is that the new name for sports highlights?”
Summary Motley: Story points provide no value over using plain units of time for estimates....
Date: 10/31/2010
Motley says: “Kinect is where he’s at”
Motley: Man, I have not seen that James guy around in months. I think he must have left us. Maven:...
Date: 06/14/2010
Motley says: “To prepare for an interview, just make sure you can code on a whiteboard (Part 2)”
Summary [This entry is a follow-up to "To prepare for an interview, just make sure you can code on a...
Date: 10/29/2009
Motley says: "Where has James been hiding?"
Motley: Where has that lazy piece of work, James, been hiding? Maven: I was just wondering that...
Date: 07/14/2009
Motley says: “Slow down to go fast? Do I look like a tortoise?”
Summary Motley: There is no harm shortcutting a few steps of development to meet a deadline. Some...
Date: 04/22/2009
Motley says: “"Vertical Slices"? Sounds like something you do to salami”
Summary Motley: Build an application according to architectural layers, from the bottom-up. Maven:...
Date: 03/27/2009
Maven and Motley have Faces!
Thanks to the brilliant work of a coworker and friend, Fred Chao, Maven and Motley now have faces!...
Date: 02/23/2009
Point for Maven - Wideband Delphi Estimation works!
Summary Motley: I admit it - Wideband Delphi works! It helped us generate fairly accurate estimates...
Date: 01/06/2009
Happy New Year from Maven and Motley!
Hello all, Happy New Year! Hope you had an enjoyable and restful holiday season with your friends...
Date: 01/04/2009
Maven and Motley on hiatus through November
Hello faithful readers! I just wanted to say that Maven and Motley will be on hiatus through the...
Date: 10/17/2008
Motley says: "Developing international software is really, really hard. We need a brand new version."
Summary Motley: Developing international software is really, really hard. We need brand new binaries...
Date: 09/16/2008
Motley says: "I must conform to the wishes of the management team, even if they are wrong"
Summary Motley: I must conform to the wishes of the management team, even if they are wrong. I need...
Date: 09/03/2008
Motley says: "James is slacking off, yet again"
Motley: James, that slacker, is not in the office again. That guy spends so much time outside of...
Date: 08/05/2008
Motley says: "Milestones are useless for agile development"
Summary Motley: Milestones are useless for agile development. Our feature team can ship at the end...
Date: 06/24/2008
Progressive Development Moving to Biweekly Publication
Hello faithful readers! A small announcement: I have decided that with the summer months approaching...
Date: 05/29/2008
Motley says: "Spend less time in OneNote and more time in Visual Studio"
Summary Motley: OneNote is just like Microsoft Word, and is not a place where a developer should be...
Date: 05/20/2008
Motley says: "Too many assertions make debugging very annoying!"
Summary Motley: Too many assertions make debugging very annoying! Maven: Lots of assertions are...
Date: 05/13/2008
No Blog Entry This Week (05/06/2008)
Unfortunately, life got in the way this week and I didn't have time to put together a decent blog...
Date: 05/06/2008
Motley says: "Management suffers from the "Crystal Ball Syndrome" when it comes to project planning"
Summary Motley: Management wants clear predictability of all the features we will be delivering in a...
Date: 04/29/2008
Motley says: "The management team refuses to change. I give up."
Summary Motley: I cannot get management to accept our "new" way of executing. They are stuck in...
Date: 04/22/2008
Maven and Motley slacked off this week (3/25/2008)
Unfortunately, work, a small vacation, and personal stuff (but mostly work) got the better of me...
Date: 03/25/2008
Maven and Motley say: "Happy Anniversary Progressive Development!"
Maven: Motley, I just wanted to wish you a Happy Anniversary! Motley: In case you haven't noticed, I...
Date: 03/18/2008
Motley says: "Affinity exercises? How do I work that sideways "8" into brainstorming?"
Summary Motley: Affinity exercises? How do I work that sideways "8" into design brainstorming?...
Date: 03/11/2008
Motley says: "If computers can efficiently multi-task, so can I!"
Summary Motley: I ultimately finish my tasks sooner by doing multiple things at once. If Microsoft...
Date: 02/26/2008
Motley says: "What are we burning down? Your house?" (Scrum Part V)
Summary Motley: A burndown chart? What are we burning down? Your house? Maven: Track time remaining...
Date: 02/19/2008
Motley says: "Reflection is for mirrors" (Scrum Part IV)
Summary Motley: Reflection is for mirrors. We just finished a sprint. Why open up old wounds? Maven:...
Date: 02/12/2008
Motley says: "The Daily Scrum meeting is way too much overhead" (Scrum Part III)
Summary Motley: We don't need the daily meeting. Very few people got any value out of them, and...
Date: 02/05/2008
Maven says: "I need a vacation"; Motley says: "Slacker"
Maven: You know what, Mot? I'm taking a vacation. It's been a great year, but I need a bit of time...
Date: 12/25/2007
Motley says: "Human Performance Technology? I guess I better brush up on my robotics." (HPT Part 3)
Summary Motley: Training is the best solution to most problems. If a developer doesn't know how to...
Date: 12/18/2007