working with developers
DESCRIPTION
Presentation given at IWMW13TRANSCRIPT
what’s in a name?
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things you need to know
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http://freetheanimal.com/2013/01/corralling-‐the-‐paleo-‐movement-‐is-‐like-‐herding-‐cats.html
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learn some of the jargon
5
get good at estimating
• this is often not done very well, because
• it’s hard• they’re too close to make an objective estimation
• you need to either be or to make friends with an experienced project manager
6
understand what ‘the cloud’ means
• where your infrastructure is outsourced
• pros• no need for local low-‐level systems-‐support(i.e. hardware, operating system)
• may still need to conDigure and maintain the particular system, even if it is running in the cloud
• elastic ‘hardware’ provision -‐ more Dlexible/responsive to rapidly changing requirements -‐ easier to budget for
• cons• not necessarily cheaper (contrary to popular opinion)
• some loss of control & data privacy/jurisdictional issues
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understand what Software as a Service means
• where your system or service is outsourced
• pros• all the advantages of using cloud infrastructure, plus:
• reduced or no requirement to maintain/conDigure the SaaS system
• potential for continuous improvement -‐ “perpetual beta”
• cons• reduction in control, especially ability to customise to local requirements
• the ability to innovate locally is impacted. The provision of good APIs by the remote service may mitigate this.
• the con that might actually be a pro• good APIs offer a good opportunity for local innovation -‐ better than locally customising third-‐party software
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development paradigms
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engineering
• software development is called many things: we talk about ‘writing’ software, software ‘engineering’, software as a ‘craft’, as an ‘art’....
• “The last time people constructed a vocabulary for software development was in the late 1960s, when they coined the phrase software engineering, as both a wish and a direction for the future.”
Agile Software Development, Alistair Cockburn, 2000
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http://www.Elickr.com/photos/tonymangan/349034093/sizes/l/in/photostream/
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communications - documenting & modelling
http://www.agilemodeling.com/essays/communication.htm
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Manifesto for Agile Software Development
We are uncovering better ways of developingsoftware by doing it and helping others do it.Through this work we have come to value:
Individuals and interactions over processes and toolsWorking software over comprehensive documentationCustomer collaboration over contract negotiationResponding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items onthe right, we value the items on the left more.
http://agilemanifesto.org
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“rough consensus, running code”
Internet Engineering Task Forcehttp://www.ietf.org/tao.html
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http://farm6.staticElickr.com/5310/5616474374_ea5007a5a9_o_d.pnghttp://www.Elickr.com/photos/improveit/1684378416/sizes/o/in/photostream/
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Scrum
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local development in a recession
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innovation happens in a local context
local developers empower the organisation to innovate
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the value of the local developer
• can understand local conditions better than an external supplier
• is more accessible -‐ especially when adopting agile development techniques
• through web APIs, can tailor remote services to idiosyncratic local needs -‐ can make cheap services into good services
• can engage the technical people in an external supplier -‐ not just the pre-‐sales people!
• can engage with and exploit available open source developments
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use the local talent!
• Student as Producer at Lincoln University
• sourced developer effort and skills from the student cohort
• “demonstrated to us that students can have the requisite skills, enthusiasm and experience to enable us to innovate rapidly”
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developers are people
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"If the UK's creative businesses want to thrive in the digital future, you need people who understand all facets of it integrated from the very beginning. Take a lead from the Victorians [...]: bring engineers into your company at all levels, including the top."
Eric Schmidt, Chairman of Google
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the case of the missing career path....
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Higher Education Institution
} }}?
Undergraduate
Postgrad researcher/developer
Employed developer
♫
1 2 3 4
Academic
Manager
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Spontaneous technical innovation does
happens here
Strategic leadership for technical
innovation could happen here
?
Spontaneous technical could happen here
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