Agile methods are frequently associated with iterations, incremental development, and adding one thin slice of functionality at a time. We have mantras such as YAGNI and “The Simplest Thing That Could Possibly Work.” We promote refactoring. These concepts are, however, harder to apply to UI-intensive application code than faceless back end systems. In this tutorial, we will incorporate ideas from user-centered design, discussing how we approach user-facing agile application development at Reaktor through a mixture of presentations and hands-on exercise.

How do you become agile with all the constraints surrounding you and your team? This tutorial introduces a new way to approach agile adoption efforts. We will go through important and key concepts related to agile adoption such as adopting values not practices, the difference between education and training, readiness assessments, and the process of organizational change. One of the tangible outcomes from this tutorial is a roadmap to agility that consists of five different levels, or steps, along with the different practices that can help an organization achieve each level of

When most people think of the phrase “Agile won’t work here” they think of resistance to adopting agile. There are teams and situations, however, that are truly challenging even to the most dedicated agile adherents. During this sharing experience, I plan to take you on a “cook’s tour” of a dozen or so teams that had difficulty adopting agile, even after the team was sold on the benefits. Filled with humorous stories, how these teams succeed (or failed) is an object lesson for us all.