Welcome to Exoftware's Agile Newsletter. Every quarter we will bring you news, event information and critical thinking that are the shaping Agile strategies of today.

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new website! Visit the site anytime for the latest Agile information and events or to register for public training.

7-9 Nov : Agile Business Conference - Special Offer

We are delighted to be able to offer a special delegate rate for the upcoming Agile Business Conference, 7-9 November 2006, QEII Conference Centre, London.

Attend this comprehensive conference and learn how to improve your Agile strategic decision-making. If you are a Business or IT Executive, you can't afford to miss it! For bookings, please send e-mail.

Regular Price Exoftware Price Savings
1 Day (8 or 9 November)  £385 £320 £65
Both Days £675 £515 £160
Both Days with Leadership Summit £900 £775 £125

Behind Every Great Idea: The Values and Principles of Agile

"Much is made of Agile practices, but in order to really revolutionise your business, you need to start thinking in an Agile way in order to behave in an Agile way", says Sean Hanly, MD of Exoftware.

Discussions on Agile software methods usually focus on Agile practices and their benefits and challenges for teams. The actual values and principles of Agile take a back seat. Even during Agile transformations, companies often relegate Agile values and principles to inspirational talks.

By embedding Agile principles - not just practices - into an organisation, companies can begin to apply Agile thinking rather then just practices to a given situation. A deep understanding of Agile thinking allows companies to find the right Agile practice - and adapt it - for their given context. If companies begin to think in Agile manner and they can begin to act in an Agile way - regardless of what practices they are using. Companies that make this leap can deal with almost any business situation.

Continue reading this article...

Agile and Software Events from around the Globe.

  • DSDM Roadshow : Business Change by Collaboration

    Thursday, 19 October, Stillorgan Park Hotel. 9.00 - 16:30.

    Sean Hanly will be speaking about "Transforming Your Organisation" looking at why and how companies need to shift not just their working practices, but also their thinking to Agile values and principles.

  • The Agile Business Conference

    London, 7-9 November

    Now in it's fourth year, Sean Hanly, MD of Exoftware, is delivering a keynote along with Kent Beck, David Taylor and Pollyanna Pixton.

  • XP Day Benelux

    Belgium, 16- 17 November

  • XP Day Germany

    Hamburg, 24 November

  • XP Day London

    London, 27-28 November

 

    Exoftware periodically runs Agile training courses that provide hands-on, experience as well as real world examples.

    Upcoming courses:

  • Be An Agile Programmer

    3 day course, suitable for Developers, London, 13-15 November 2006.
    Pre-register »

    A foundation course on the "test, code and refactor" development cycle of Agile.

    Includes a detailed look at driving development through the customer's perspective and automated acceptance tests.

    Specific programming languages include Java, using Eclipse environment and C# using Microsoft Visual Studio 2005

  • Be An Agile Project Manager

    1 day course, suitable for Managers and Leaders, London, 9-10 November 2006 or 16-17 November 2006. Pre-register »

    Competencies and skills required to effectively manage Agile projects.

    Will equip managers with best practices in project and people management and will enhance your ability to effectively manage Agile development projects.

 
 
 

Agile in the News

The Agile Journal

The Agile Journal was launched in February 2006. With a readership of over 20,000, it's a "must read" for software professionals involved in developing Agile applications. An online magazine with a monthly e-newsletter, it's feature need-to-know information and resources for developing software for an Agile business. This journal is a vendor-neutral publication that is very content rich delivering thought leadership and pragmatic advice from a wide range of industry experts, as well as direct feedback from hands-on developers and project managers.

You should also check out the Agile Business Webcast Series. This is a multi-part series of live educational broadcasts designed to provide executives, business managers, software developers and architects with valuable "hands-on" information about Agile technologies and techniques.

 

Agile Intelligence

Top 10 Reasons You Want Agile

  1. You have a clear project process that delivers your business objectives.
  2. Projects are delivering value - your customers are satisfied.
  3. ROI on projects is achieved quickly.
  4. Overall project cycles do not over-run.
  5. Projects stay within budget.
  6. Projects are of excellent quality and easier to maintain.
  7. Overall, people and teams work well together and people are happy.
  8. There is clear communication about the project amongst all stakeholders.
  9. Each stakeholder is clear on their responsibility and the goal of the project.
  10. Your organisation is constantly learning, adapting and improving processes.

In business we often move from one business critical project to the next, without a moment to think of the bigger picture. The result is that this often creates an illusion of organisational effectiveness and efficiency. Digging deeper, there are often many areas ripe for improvement. Agile is a business strategy that can produce results - if Senior Managers are willing to commit to making changes.