SPA Conference session: Developer Anarchy at Forward

One-line description:The evolution of development from Scrum, through Lean to Anarchy at Forward
 
Session format: Case study (75 mins) [read about the different session types]
 
Abstract:
At Forward we have been using Agile principles since 2007 but we have continued to evolve our process and practices. We moved through a fairly typical Scrum-XP-Lean-Kanban type continuum but have more recently jumped into something quite different which could be described as Developer Anarchy. As a result we have begun to question how far we can push things in the pursuit of delivering value quickly.

We've ended up in a place that feels slightly anarchic but highly efficient. Equally, we've created an environment that fosters truly creative solutions to business problems. We'd like to present this to others in a slightly provocative fashion in order to foster debate over the merits of our approach.

 
Audience background:Experience of Agile or XP environments.
Relevant for Developers, Project Managers, CTO/IT Directors plus other roles (e.g. QA, BA)
 
Benefits of participating: - Understand how the removal of conventions, roles and structure in the Forward environment lead to increased productivity and creativity.

- Discuss whether adherence to principles such as the Agile Manifesto or Joel's Test continues to make sense in an Anarchic environment.

- Answer the question - Does Anarchy lead to more value in software development?
 
Materials provided: - Presentation
 
Process: - A presentation
- A discussion/questionnaire on adherence to Agile principles for those in the room
 
Detailed timetable:00.00 - 00.05: Intro to Forward development practices.
00.05 - 00.20: Survey of how those in the room score on Joel's Test.
00.20 - 00.40: How does Forward score on Joel's Test?
00.40 - 00.60: Principles of Developer Anarchy.
00.60 - 00.75: Questions and discussion.
 
Outputs: - Presentation
- Joel's test questionnaire
 
History:Not presented previously
 
Presenters
1. Mark Durrand
uSwitch Ltd
2. Fred George 3.