This is almost an "Ask Slashdot" post, except I think this list has more wisdom.
I'm doing a lot of professional reading on my own that is challenging my core beliefs. I'm trying to be open and less judgemental, looking for what's good in different current movements. But this leads to dichotomies -- pieces that don't seem to fit together. Like trying to make Maxwell, quantum theory, and relativity all play nice. Or something ... So here is my quandry. On the one hand I'm reading a lot about six sigma and quality processes like IEEE 828 (SCM). On the other, I'm reading about SCRUM and other agile processes. At their best, these should (I would think) be able to coexist. But as usually practiced, standards and processes degenerate into rigid constrictions, and agile techniques collapse into uncontrolled chaos. So how can these things be made to work together? Specifically with SCM, can self-directed teams be trusted to honor the imperatives of traceability, repeatability, and accountability? How do self-directed teams fare in a regulated environment where a government auditor might demand a path connecting requirements through issue tracking to code changes and on through to testing and resolution (more code changes)? Does anyone have any experience in a shop where these things coexisted without abuse? Is there a book, a guru, a discipline that blends these impulses? -- Lan Barnes SCM Analyst Linux Guy Tcl/Tk Enthusiast Biodiesel Brewer -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
