Our Blog Excerpts Savings Contact

logo

Dorset House Publishing
High-Quality Books on Software Engineering and Management.  Since 1984.
dorsethouse.com > titles

 

iDH Sign-Up


Get Our e-News
Delivered by FeedBurner

Contents of

Adaptive Software Development:
A Collaborative Approach to
Managing Complex Systems

by James A. Highsmith III
foreword by Ken Orr

ISBN: 978-0-932633-40-8  
©2000  392 pages   softcover  
$44.95 (plus shipping)

Subject(s): Software Management, Software Project Management, Team Management

Paypal
*For UPS Ground within U.S. only.
For more info., or for Int.'l or rush orders, click here.

Rate this
Book.

Acknowledgments xv

Permissions Acknowledgments xvii

Foreword xxi

Preface xxiii

Introduction xxix

top

Part 1 1

1: Software Ascents 3

A Historical Perspective 4

Monumental Software Development 5
Accidental Software Development
7

A Rebirth in World View 9

Complex Adaptive Systems 10
A New World View of Software Development
11
The Challenge of Understanding
13

Components of Adaptive Software Development 14

The Adaptive Conceptual Model 15
The Adaptive Development Model
17
Thriving on Speed and Change
18
The Adaptive (Leadership—Collaboration) Management Model
20
Integrating the Models
22

The Road Ahead 23

Summary 24

top

2: Thriving at the Edge of Chaos 27

People as Agents 29

Emergence and the Flocking of Boids 31

Characteristics of Complex Adaptive Systems 33
Orderly, Chaotic, and Complex Realms 35

The Adaptive Development Model 37

The Evolution of Software Life Cycles 38
Speculate—Collaborate—Learn
41

Speculate 42

Speculating on a Mission 44

Collaborate 45

Learn 45

Working in a Complex Environment 46

Summary 49

top

Part 2 51

3: The Project Mission 53            

Identify the Mission 55

A Need to Focus 57
A Need to De-Focus
58

Create Mission Artifacts 59

The Project Vision (Charter) 62
The Project Data Sheet
65
The Product Mission Profile
66
The Product Specification Outline
69

Share Mission Values 71

Quality 74
Evaluate the Mission Every Day
77

Focus on Results 77

Summary 79

top

4: Planning Adaptive Development Cycles 81

Characteristics of Adaptive Cycles 83

Adaptive Cycles Are Mission-Driven 84
Adaptive Cycles Are Component-Based
84
Adaptive Cycles Are Iterative
85
Adaptive Cycles Are Time-Boxed
88
Adaptive Cycles Are Risk-Driven and Change-Tolerant
89

Adaptive Planning Techniques 90

Defining Versions, Cycles, and Builds 91
Cycle Planning Steps
91

Step 1: Conduct the Project Initiation Phase 93
Step 2: Determine the Project Time-Box 94
Step 3: Determine the Optimal Number of Cycles and the Time-Box for Each 94
Step 4: Write an Objective Statement for Each Cycle 96
Step 5: Assign Primary Components to Cycles 97
Step 6: Assign Technology and Support Components to Cycles 98
Step 7: Develop a Project Task List 99

Cycle Reviews 100
Cycle Replanning
103

A Hypothetical Cycle Example 103

Cycle 1: Demonstrate Project Viability 104

Primary Components 105
Technology Components 106
Support Components 107

Cycle 2: Explore the Features 107

Primary Components 108
Support Components 108

Cycle 3: Refine Features and Insure Performance 109
Cycle 4: Finalize All Product Components
109

The Evolving World of Components 110

Summary 111

top

5: Great Groups and the Ability to Collaborate 113          

Barriers to Collaboration 115

The Essence of Great Groups 117

Using Complexity Concepts to Improve Collaboration 120

Control Parameters 121
The Management Challenge
126

Building Collaborative Groups 126

The Groan Zone 127
Core Values
129
Collaboration's Pitfalls
132
Rancorous Collaboration
134

Joint Application Development 135

Facilitation 136
JAD Roles
137
Techniques for Successful JADs
139

Prepare 139
Conduct the Session 140
Produce the Documents 140

Stable Change 140

Summary 141

top

6: Learning: Models, Techniques, and Cycle Review Practices 143

What Is "Learning"? 144

Senge's Learning Model 147

A CAS Learning Model 149

Innovation and Change 151

Learning Techniques 154

Customer Focus-Group Reviews 156

A Partnership with Customers 157
Objectives of CFG Reviews
160
Preparing for the CFG Session
163

Preparation Tips 163

Conducting the CFG Session 164

Conducting Tips 165

Evaluating Focus-Group Results 166

Software Inspections 167

Preparing for the Inspection 169
Conducting the Inspection
170

Inspection Tips 170

Evaluating Inspection Results 170

Project Postmortems 171

Preparing for the Postmortem 172
Conducting the Postmortem Session
173
Evaluating Postmortem Results
174

Summary 174

top

Part 3 177

7: Why Even Good Managers Cause Projects to Fail 179

Disruptive Technologies 180

High Change 182

No Silver Bullet 185

Are Organizations True Complex Adaptive Systems? 188

Requisite Variety 190

Project Ecosystems 190

Value Disciplines 191
Tornado Marketing
193

The Technology Adoption Life Cycle 194
The Chasm 196
Implications 197

Simplicity and Complexity 199

Summary 200

top

8: Adaptive Management 202      

The Adaptive (Leadership—Collaboration) Management Model 205

Leadership 209
Collaboration
211
Accountability
212

Creating an Adaptive Culture 213

Distributed Governance 214
Poise 216

Compromise 217
Managing the Emotional Roller Coaster 219
Holding Anxiety 221
Accidental Success 222

Balance 223

The Progression from Process to Pattern 223

A Process Classification 225

Rigorous Processes 227
Flexible Processes 228
Problem-Solving Processes 229

Patterns 229

Poised at the Edge of Chaos 232

Summary 233

top

9: Workstate Life Cycle Management 235

Breaking the Workflow Mindset 239

The Workstate of a Component 241

Using Partial Information 241
Component Life Cycles
245
Component Types and States
249

1. Outline (Conceptual) State 249
2. Detail (Model) State 249
3. Reviewed (Revised) State 250
4. Approved (Available) State 250

Constructing an Advanced Adaptive Life Cycle 250

Cycles (Phases) 252
Milestones (Gates)
254

Managing Component Rigor 255

Increase Component Rigor 256
Increase Emphasis on Dependencies
257
Refine State Transitions
258

Managing Workflow in an Adaptive Environment 258

Summary 259

top

10: Structural Collaboration 261

The Critical Distinction Between Content and Context 264

Collaboration Services and Tools 268

Large Projects and Virtual Teams 268

Nodes and Links 271
Organic Growth 273
Push and Pull 275
Who and What 275

Collaboration Tools 276
The Collaboration Facilitator 280

Collaboration and Emergence 281

The Boundaries of Self-Organization 283

Order for Free 284

Tuning Collaboration Networks 286
Why Optimization Stifles Emergence
287

Eight Guidelines for Applying Rigor to Project Work 289

Summary 292

top

11: Managing Project Time Cycles 294          

A Project Management Model 295

Initiate the Project 296

Identify the Project Team 298
Create the Project Mission Data
299
Define the Project Approach
300
Increase Speed by Starting Early
301

Plan the Project 301

Time-Boxing Projects 303
Staff Fragmentation
305
Define the Work
307
Develop the Project Schedule
307
Analyze the Resource Requirements
308
Assess Project Risk
309

Manage the Project 311

Persisting 311
Monitoring Progress
312
Finishing Strong
315
Containing Change
316

Bounding Change 317
Ignoring Change 317
Postponing Change 318
Filtering Change 318
Replanning Based on Change 318
Buffering the Project Schedule 319

Close the Project 319

Summary 319

top

12: Dawdling, McLuhan, and Thin Air 321

Dawdling 322

McLuhan 323

What Does Adaptive Software Development Enhance? 323
What Does Adaptive Software Development Make Obsolete?
324
What Does Adaptive Software Development Bring Back?
325
What Does Adaptive Software Development Flip Into?
325

Organizational Growth 326

Surviving in Thin Air 331

top

Bibliography 333

Index 349


Go to the Book Page


Features
Reviews
Table of Contents

Excerpt: "Building Better Software"

Excerpt: Foreword by Ken Orr

Index

Author Interview

Interview on Qualityplustech
Windows Media file
Real Audio file

Downloads
Dorset House Catalog
This Book's Flyer

Also Recommended

Creating a Software Engineering Culture, by Karl E. Wiegers

Five Core Metrics: The Intelligence Behind Successful Software Management, by Lawrence H. Putnam and Ware Myers

Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams, 2nd ed., by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister

Roundtable on Technical Leadership: A SHAPE Forum Dialogue, edited by Gerald M. Weinberg, Marie Benesh, and James Bullock

Waltzing with Bears: Managing Risk on Software Projects, by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister

How to Order

To order this book by credit card directly from Dorset House in New York, please call (800) 342-6657 or (212) 620-4053, weekdays, 9am to 6pm. Alternatively, print out our Faxable Order Form and fax to (212) 727-1044.

To order this book from an online bookstore, please see above.

To purchase at a bookstore, contact our Recommended Booksellers to verify availability. Any store can order from Dorset House using the book's title and ISBN number. Also, bookstores can order our books through Baker & Taylor.

We'd like to make it easy for you to order, so please contact us at any time for help!

  DORSET HOUSE PUBLISHING CO., INC.
New: 3143 Broadway, Suite 2B    New York, New York 10027    USA
1-800-DH-BOOKS or 212-620-4053, fax 212-727-1044
Copyright © 1996-2008 by Dorset House Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.
Home | Blog | Savings | Stores | Features | Titles | Authors | Subjects | Orders | About | Contact | Legal