It was scrumdown in Carshalton on Thursday - out of the office all-day for a training course on agile software development. Specifically, 'Scrum'-based agile development...
Reed Business Information uses the Scrum methodology, and this website is developed by following the process. Basically, rather than development time being an opaque box - into which ambitious plans enter and failed mis-specced projects emerge (late), it is meant to be a more flexible and transparent process, chunking up tasks against specific measurements of time.
Developer time is quantified and managed across development 'Sprints', with the highest priority elements of the highest priority tasks getting the featured time...
While it is easy to be cynical about seemingly high-falutin' talk of 'Velocity', 'Scrum masters' and 'burndown', it is actually a proven useful system for groups to work more effectively. I wish I could have worked under such a regime in my previous existence as a programmer!
The course was ably run by Geoff Watts, a Certified Scrum Trainer, at Strawberry Lodge.
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