Why does agile software development work?

I know a lot about the "how" of agile software development, but I'm not afraid to admit that I learned a lot from this video by Martin Fowler and Neal Ford, who work for ThoughtWorks.

Sometimes, agile software development seems unintuitive, or even counter-intuitive. A lot of teams try doing agile software development without knowing why it works. This can lead to some missteps. In the video, Martin and Neal explain why.

If you're interested in learning about, or even doing, agile software development, you really should watch the video.

Fixed our clothes dryer - followup

Just recently, the clothes dryer started squealing again, especially when I started drying a heavy load (a couple of bathrobes, some towels, etc.). So it looks like the "cleaning" thing from the previous post didn't quite take.

So I bought the bullet and ordered the repair kit. It took just about a week to get here, which was what I expected, and it wasn't expensive (less than $40).

This time, I took the drum out, vacuumed out the lint, replaced the idler pulley, and put it all back together. The whole thing took just over 30 minutes.

The next time I dried a heavy load, the noise was totally gone. And I don't expect it to come back.

If you own a Whirlpool/Kenmore dryer that measures 29 inches across and has the lint filter on top, this repair is pretty easy.

Fixed our clothes dryer!

We just got back from a two-week vacation and had to do laundry. Simple enough. I've done laundry lots of times. You just wash the clothes in the washer and then dry them in the dryer.

Well, the first part worked fine. I washed a load of clothes. Then I took them out of the washer, stuck them in the dryer, and turned it on. WHOA! WHAT'S THAT NOISE????

The dryer was making this horrible squealing noise. I immediately opened the door to stop it. Then I looked for the "Work Properly" switch. There wasn't one. :-(

The easiest thing to do was, of course, call someone to repair it. But what's the fun in that. :-)
I decided to do it myself.

Problem #1: How do I figure out what to do?
Answer #1: Look it up on the internet. A few Google searches got me to this page (http://www.davesrepair.com/DIYhelp/DIYWPLdrycleanlube.htm), which told me what to do.

I didn't actually remove the drum or lubricate anything, but I did clean it up once I had it open. And when I put it back together, the squeal was gone.

If it starts to squeal again, I'll follow the entire procedure but, for now, I'm happy. And so is my wife. And isn't that what life is all about? :-)

Build a tower, build a team

This seven-minute video clearly demonstrates the nature and benefits of collaboration, in a fun way.

Important: You do not have to be a developer to understand and enjoy this video.

Since collaboration is an essential part of Agile Software Development, I found it particularly interesting. I hope you do, too. If you believe in agility as a success factor in software development, this should enforce your belief. If you don't, maybe this video will convince you. :-)

Keyboard problem solved

This morning, all of a sudden,the keyboard on my wife's Dell Studio 17 laptop stopped working. And not having a working keyboard is very problematic for a technical writer. Not good news...

I am "the wall"

As a business analyst, it's my job to ensure that the software that gets developed matches what Product Management expects. Many years of software development experience have made me keenly aware of the misunderstandings that can occur when requirements are "thrown over the wall" from Product Management to the developers. And also when the implementation is "thrown over the wall" from the developers to QA.

Age and Experience vs. Youth and Skill

I just came across this while I was looking for information on hiring/retaining experienced people. While not exactly what I was looking for, it's certainly worth reading.

The BlackHawk Chronicles: Age and Experience vs. Youth and Skill

It's a training issue!

Tester:		"I get an exception when I enter non-numeric data into the "Cost of goods sold. What are the people that buy and run our software supposed to do?"
Developer:		"It's a training issue! The customer should know they're only supposed to enter numeric data in that field."

I can't begin to tell you how many times I've heard variations of this in my career as a software developer/business analyst. And I'm not happy about it.

It's not a training issue, people!