AGILE METHODS

Agile Modeling

is a practice-based methodology for modeling and documentation of software-based systems. It is intended to be a collection of values, principles, and practices for Modeling software that can be applied on a software development project in a more flexible manner than traditional Modeling methods.

Agile Modeling is a supplement to other Agile methodologies such as:

• Extreme Programming
• Agile unified process
• Scrum

In which it is used to replace the more standard UML, or other standard design tools.

Agile Unified Process

 (AUP) is a simplified version of the IBM Rational Unified Process (RUP) developed by Scott Ambler. It describes a simple, easy to understand approach to developing business application software using agile techniques and concepts yet still remaining true to the RUP. The AUP applies agile techniques including test driven development (TDD), Agile Modeling, agile change management, and database Refactoring to improve productivity.

Dynamic systems development method (DSDM)

It is an agile project delivery framework, primarily used as a software development method. DSDM was originally based upon the Rapid Application Development (RAD) method. In 2007 DSDM became a generic approach to project management and solution delivery. DSDM is an iterative and incrimental approach that embraces principles of Agile development, including continuous user/customer involvement.

DSDM fixes cost, quality and time at the outset and uses the MoSCow prioritisation  of scope into musts, shoulds, coulds and won't havesto adjust the project deliverable to meet the stated time constraint. DSDM is one of a number of Agile Methods for developing software and non-IT solutions, and it forms a part of the Agile Alliance.

The most recent version of DSDM, launched in 2007, is called DSDM Atern. The name Atern is a shortening of Arctic Tern - a collaborative bird that can travel vast distances and epitomises many facets of the method which are natural ways of working e.g. prioritisation and collaboration.

The previous version of DSDM (released in May 2003) which is still widely used and is still valid is DSDM 4.2 which is a slightly extended version of DSDM version 4. The extended version contains guidance on how to use DSDM with XP.

Essential Unified Process for software development, or EssUP,

It was invented by Ivar Jacobson as an improvement on the Rational Unified Process. It identifies practices, such as Use Cases, Iterative development, architecture driven development, team practices and process practices, which are borrowed from RUP, CMMI and Agile development. The idea is that you can pick those practices that are applicable to your situation and combine them into your own process. This is considered an improvement with respect to RUP, because with RUP the practices are all intertwined and cannot be taken in isolation.

EssUP is supported by a set of playing cards, each card describing a practice. This is because Ivar Jacobson believes that people buy his books but few read them.

It is announced that EssUP will be supported both by the IBM Rational toolset, Eclipse and Microsoft's Visual Studio.

Extreme programming (XP)

It  is a software development methodology which is intended to improve software quality and responsiveness to changing customer requirements. As a type of agile software development,it advocates frequent "releases" in short development cycles (timeboxing), which is intended to improve productivity and introduce checkpoints where new customer requirements can be adopted.

Other elements of extreme programming include: programming inpairs or doing extensive code review, unit testing of all code, avoiding programming of features until they are actually needed, a flat management structure, simplicity and clarity in code, expecting changes in the customer's requirements as time passes and the problem is better understood, and frequent communication with the customer and among programmers.The methodology takes its name from the idea that the beneficial elements of traditional software engineering practices are taken to "extreme" levels, on the theory that if a little is good, more is better.

Critics have noted several potential drawbacks,including problems with unstable requirements, no documented compromises of user conflicts, and a lack of an overall design specification or document.

Feature-driven development (FDD)

It is an iterative and incremental software development process.It is one of a number of Agile methods for developing software and forms part of the agile alliance. FDD blends a number of industry-recognized  best practices into a cohesive whole. These practices are all driven from a client-valued functionality (Feature) perspective. Its main purpose is to deliver tangible, working software repeatedly in a timely manner.

The Open Unified Process (OpenUP)

It is a part of the Eclipse Process Framework (EPF), an open source process framework developed within the Eclipse Foundation. Its goals are to make it easy to adopt the core of the RUP / Unified Process.

OpenUP preserves the essential characteristics of RUP / Unified Process , which includes incremental development, use case and scenarios driving development, risk Management, and architecture-centric approach.

The most agile and lightweight form of OpenUP, OpenUP/Basic, targets smaller and co-located teams interested in agile and incremental development. Small projects constitute teams of three to six people and involve three to six months of development effort.

Scrum

It is a form of agile project management. Although the Scrum approach was originally suggested for controlling manufacturing, its use has shifted on the management of other projects, and it can be used to run manufacturing maintenance groups or as a general restaurant management type daily chore with a repeated machine driven effort that does not require any creativity or intelligence.

Crystal Clear

It is a member of the Crystal family of methodologies as described by  Alistair cockburn and is considered an example of an agile or lightweight methodology .

Crystal Clear can be applied to teams of up to 6 or 8 co-located developers working on systems that are not life-critical. The Crystal family of methodologies focus on efficiency and habitability as components of project safety.Crystal Clear focuses on people, not processes or artifacts.

Crystal Clear requires the following properties:

• Frequent delivery of usable code to users
• Reflective improvement
• Osmotic communication preferably by being co-located

Crystal Clear additionally includes these optional properties:

• Personal safety
• Focus
• Easy access to expert users
• Automated tests, Configuration Management, and frequent integration

Kanban

It  is a method for developing software products & processes with an emphasis on just-in-time delivery while not overloading the software developers. It emphasizes that developers pull work from a queue, and the process, from definition of a task to its delivery to the customer, is displayed for participants to see.

Kanban can be divided into two parts:

• Kanban - A visual Process Management system that tells what to produce, when to produce it, and how much to produce.
• The Kanban method – an approach to incremental, evolutionary process change for organizations