I have discovered a lot of media including the Internet to find new people, new ideas, share experiences and learn more. This makes a man wiser. I will try and record all my thoughts here so that I can look them up later...others too can share and add value to what I think about life from my point of view
Monday, August 02, 2004
Extreme Programming
Extreme Programming
Team Play - the key to Human Productivity in the Knowledge Industry
XP has been the first to identify "Team Play" as the most critical factor in Human Productivity in the Knowledge Industry. Concepts of Pair Programming, Collective Ownership, Reasonable Pace ( 40hr a week), Metaphor, high feedback communication channels etc....all have built in features that are used in organized Sports Activities in which the team self-organizes iteself for a strategic victory. This has been working wonders in the Software Industry in the way solutions are built to satisfy stakeholders' expectations.
Our team has been conducting formal research on how to harness the collective potential of people involved in software projects. Capability or Competence of an individual being constant over a given short time-frame, his/her productivity or contribution can vary 20 times given the environmental situation is which he is put to work. Some of the factors influencing productivity could include Motivation (state of mind), his committment to the Cause, Interest in the work, Team Members, Quality of the Manager, State of Physical Health (stress, fatigue etc), Personal Problems, Work Environment and many other intangibles. Our ability to harness the best out of each individual lies in how well we understand these human factor.
Extreme Programming values and practices work like magic getting the best of people. We in the knowledge industry need very high levels of creativity, innovation, conviction, commitment and consistency in the way we do what we do for our customers and stakeholders. Building the right attitude in the team directly enhances quality of work.
This is the most wonderful discovery of XP that actually works
Team Play - the key to Human Productivity in the Knowledge Industry
XP has been the first to identify "Team Play" as the most critical factor in Human Productivity in the Knowledge Industry. Concepts of Pair Programming, Collective Ownership, Reasonable Pace ( 40hr a week), Metaphor, high feedback communication channels etc....all have built in features that are used in organized Sports Activities in which the team self-organizes iteself for a strategic victory. This has been working wonders in the Software Industry in the way solutions are built to satisfy stakeholders' expectations.
Our team has been conducting formal research on how to harness the collective potential of people involved in software projects. Capability or Competence of an individual being constant over a given short time-frame, his/her productivity or contribution can vary 20 times given the environmental situation is which he is put to work. Some of the factors influencing productivity could include Motivation (state of mind), his committment to the Cause, Interest in the work, Team Members, Quality of the Manager, State of Physical Health (stress, fatigue etc), Personal Problems, Work Environment and many other intangibles. Our ability to harness the best out of each individual lies in how well we understand these human factor.
Extreme Programming values and practices work like magic getting the best of people. We in the knowledge industry need very high levels of creativity, innovation, conviction, commitment and consistency in the way we do what we do for our customers and stakeholders. Building the right attitude in the team directly enhances quality of work.
This is the most wonderful discovery of XP that actually works
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
Pair Programming in XP has extensive benefits over and above what is apparent. Some examples of direct and indirect advantages of pair programming that I have seen my clients talk about include:
1. Attrition (for any reason including relocation) of team-members does not affect the Project. New team members become productive very soon
2. Cross learning is accelerated and team members develop competencies very fast. Knowledge is shared quickly through out the team.
3. Team Spirit and motivation is much higher. This results in unbelievably high productivity for every member. They are more involved, participative and supportive.
4. EQ (Emotional Quotient) in software professionals, which is normally lower due to their relatively higher IQ, improves very fast. It's fun to watch them work together now relative to when they used to work all alone and would look socially starved and frustrated.
I will continue to keep updating my observations. I run a XP consulting company in India. Binary Essentials Consulting Private Limited. Website www.binaryessentials.com
See you soon with more blogs.
1. Attrition (for any reason including relocation) of team-members does not affect the Project. New team members become productive very soon
2. Cross learning is accelerated and team members develop competencies very fast. Knowledge is shared quickly through out the team.
3. Team Spirit and motivation is much higher. This results in unbelievably high productivity for every member. They are more involved, participative and supportive.
4. EQ (Emotional Quotient) in software professionals, which is normally lower due to their relatively higher IQ, improves very fast. It's fun to watch them work together now relative to when they used to work all alone and would look socially starved and frustrated.
I will continue to keep updating my observations. I run a XP consulting company in India. Binary Essentials Consulting Private Limited. Website www.binaryessentials.com
See you soon with more blogs.
