IT Project Blog

Agile Software Development Projects: Pros and Cons

  

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There are many ups and downs to agile development. This special IT Project Blog video post goes over the differences between iterative and waterfall development. It also gives an example of an agile software development project. The video is summarized below for those of you who can't watch at work :)

Agile development methodologies place emphasis on:

1. Individuals on the project team

2. Producing a working deliverable

3. Collaborating with business owners/clients

4. Responding quickly to necessary change

Advantages:

• Faster speed-to-market and increased business efficiencies

• A reduced budget

• Less defects in the final product

• Fewer “surprises” (scope changes)

Drawbacks:

• When change comes so quickly, it is difficult to avoid resistance from stakeholders and complications to end user training

• Because agile methods are not process-oriented and require quick response to change, a lack of documentation is often a primary characteristic

A customer story from NuWave Technologies shows just how successful agile software development projects can be. A US government agency had 23 disparate databases that needed to be consolidated into a single data store. NuWave completed this project in phases:

1. Consolidate the 23 databases into one central database, all while capturing updates from the individual databases
2. Replicate database on a SQL server and monitor performance
3. Convert old reports to new Crystal reports

If you would like help with one of your IT projects, email info@nuwave-tech.com or call (603) 594-9896 x252.

Share your agile experiences! What advantages and disadvantages would you add? What real-life examples?

Project Management Video: Top 5 Outsourcing Tips

  

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Thank you for viewing the IT Project Blog's latest project management video! You know, there are so many outsourcing tips out there that I decided to cut down the list to the most important and most agreed upon--and of course I added insight from my own project management experiences. I hope that this project management video will help you make the best decision for your software development project.

To summarize my project management video, here are the top five outsourcing tips:

1. Clearly define scope and schedule
2. Closely evaluate service providers (don't evaluate based on price alone and make sure there is a good cultural fit)
3. Start small
4. Tie payment to milestones
5. Remember post-project support

For a longer list, check out 31 Tips for Successful Outsourcing. Please leave your comments and questions below!

Project Management Video: 5 Habits of a Successful PM

  

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Thanks for viewing the IT Project Blog's first video blog post! In this project management video, I talk about how to be a successful PM by adopting five simple habits. I hope that you project managers out there find this useful.

To summarize my project management video, here are the five habits of a successful PM:

1. Avoid Reactive Behavior--give yourself a couple of hours in "airplane mode" each day so you can get some real work done
2. Categorize Tasks Into Action, Deferred and Reference
3. Hold Meetings With a Purpose
4. Define Scope and Confirm it Often
5. Conduct a Personal Retrospective Study

Well, I hope you enjoyed the video! Please comment or add your good project management habits to the list.