Abstract: Many developers have had the experience of learning new development methods such as TDD and design patterns only to find they can’t readily use them in their current situation. These skills, however, are very critical to Agile improvements. But we seem caught in a ‘catch-22’ situation. The answer is by looking at the challenges present and solutions required and creating a road map for adoption.
The first step is to become aware of the need for safety, lowering risk while you pay down technical debt. We must also be aware of how the changes to our eco-systems (i.e., the way our teams work together) due to Agile improvements will cause problems. This is Conway’s corollary - when you change your team structure, Conway’s law will work against you.
This talk presents an approach to move out of this dilemma:
1) Create agreements among your team members on the objectives you are trying to achieve as well as your agreed to behavior – e.g., Hippocratic oath of coding (leave your code at least as good as it was before you touched it)
2) Wrap your system with tests for safety
3) Some practices that can be used to improve practices gradually, but across the board (e.g., programming by intention, encapsulation of constructors)
Learning Outcomes: - Attendees will understand the issues they must attend to while being provided a few simple practices that will move them forward.
