The Agile Frameworks for Developers – Part 2

For Crystal Clear in software development, there is a greater emphasis on developers and their skills. Even in the same organization, different developers have different backgrounds and specialties. As a result, each programmer is more or less equipped to work on certain parts and features. Crystal Clear seeks to maximize the effectiveness that developers would have on particular tasks. The idea is that if developers work in an environment that they are experienced in, they will ultimately create better software.

In practice, Crystal Clear is better suited for shorter and smaller projects. It does not have the consistent pace that Scrum has, but does allow developers to work efficiently in the short term. Crystal Clear projects that run on longer timelines are more likely to build up technical debt than other Agile frameworks.

Lean

One of the oldest Agile frameworks, Lean is based on the Japanese automotive industry of the 1950’s. These companies sought to reduce loss and keep a sustainable production pace. With such limited resources and so susceptible to the effects of loss, the industry needed to minimize risk at the cost of possibly slower production.

Lean development is great for startup companies with limited capital and resources. With this reduced risk, startup ideas are more likely to last longer and have a better chance to reach the market. Developers in this environment should expect to take very calculated and planned steps. Without the safety net of an established organization, startup companies must be careful not to make bad decisions. As such, they typically only assign programming tasks when they have been determined to be the best way to move forward.

Extreme Programming (XP)

As the name implies, XP takes Agile ideas to the logical extreme. Many Agile frameworks keep some similarities with traditional methods, but extreme programming only keeps what is absolutely necessary. This bare-bones approach works best for smaller and more simple projects that need to be released quickly.

For developers in XP environments, there is even less overhead and planning than in most Agile frameworks. Since projects that use XP are typically kept much smaller, documentation and specifications are less necessary. Teams are small, typically 12 or fewer people, with only enough members to complete the work. Any more people than necessary adds to the bulk of the team and reduces the efficiency of the bare bones approach of XP.

Overview

Since each of these frameworks is a style of Agile software development, there are some common threads. As a development method, Agile is fast-paced. Therefore, each of these frameworks is more fast-paced than traditional development methods. Similarly, all Agile frameworks encourage colocation and short development cycles. Each of these frameworks is adaptable and responds to change rather than sticking to a set plan.

Each of these frameworks follows the Agile principles and core tenants. The differences are simply the finer details of implementation. Each organization and project is going to work better with one framework over others. It is important that the organization decide which flavor of Agile works best for them.

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