Doc Norton
An Experiment Canvas

The Experiment Canvas is a simple means of planning, tracking, and responding to your experiments.

An Experiment Canvas
Doc Norton
Create simple things in small steps

Simple Things

When I say simple, I don’t necessarily mean easy. And I certainly do not mean crude in form or incomplete. Simple indicates something that does not have superfluous parts or multiple responsibilities, is easy to understand, is as independent from the rest of the solution as possible, and meets a need as is.

Simple may not address all use cases, but it does address some use cases.

Create simple things in small steps
Doc Norton
The Behaviors

Over the past several years, as I’ve been helping teams and organizations improve their ability to deliver software products that are desirable, viable, and feasible, I have been experimenting with a Behavior Framework that has proven to be rather effective. And I’d like to share it with you in hopes that you find it useful and that you provide me feedback on your experiences with it.

Doc Norton
Beginning a New Book

My plan is to write a series of blog posts all related to the behaviors framework. Some of them will be about a specific behavior. Some of them will be about tools or techniques that help teams express one or more of the behaviors. Some of them will be my own experiences. And some will be damn near complete fiction.

Doc Norton
What is Velocity?

In this excerpt from Escape Velocity, we take a more in-depth look at Velocity and try to answer (at least in part) the question, “What Is Velocity”?

What is Velocity?

I disagree with Uncle Bob on this one

I am reading Bob Martin's "Clean Code - A handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship" again. For the most part, I am really digging it. It reminds me a bit of Steve McConnell's Code Complete. I still have the original version of McConnell's book around here somewhere. But I digress (and show my age).

In Chapter 9, Martin covers unit tests. In listings 9-3 and 9-4, Martin shows the "simplification" of a unit test. Listing 9-3 makes two method calls followed by five assertions. Each assertion checks a specific state. Each state is clearly identified. I do not particularly like the five assertions. But this is not the point that Bob makes. This is not the correction he covers. Instead, he condenses all five assertions into a single assertion by introducing a string of seemingly arbitrary characters.

Code Retreat #2


Yesterday was the second Code Retreat. Thanks to LeanDog for the use of their facilities. We didn't quite hit 40 in attendance, but we came close. With participants like Chris Judd, James Shingler, Corey Haines and J.B. Rainsberger, we had some real ninjas present. I had the fortune to pair with Corey and J.B. as well as several others. All of the pairing experiences were fantastic. I learned something new with each iteration of the kata. I couldn't have asked for more.

Don't be like "Ted"

I have a friend; Let's call him "Ted".

Ted's place is a mess. Frankly, it's a disgusting, blatant, offensive, inexcusable mess. I visit Ted on occassion. He has a nice family. They're good people. Yet they live in near squalor and seem to be relatively unbothered by it. Ted complains regularly, but knows that sometimes there are circumstances beyond our personal control.

Allow me to share with you a few of Ted's household issues.

Agile Methodologies for Non-Developers?

This is just a thought right now. More of a mental note; possibly not yet worthy of a blog post. But I think putting it out there will help it grow.

I've been working with teams and implementing Agile methodologies since before I knew there was a phrase for it. I used to call it "getting it done development". I was going to call my original company "JDI Software" for "Just Do It", but then Nike came out with that damn ad campaign...

Anyway, I digress.