The developer who hated Christmas (part 2)

The developer who hated Christmas - part 2 (read part 1)

Urban takes Dave by the hand again.

Dave is now in an office. Around him, a few dozen computer stations dispersed in a large open space. Dave is surprised to feel a positive and light energy in the air. Not comparable to the horrible ambience in his office. Yes, there is a great vibe about this place. People seem happy. He even heard laughter.

“You see, Dave, says Urban, here the developers work in a team with the client. In fact, do you see the guy in the red t-shirt? That’s a client. He’s part of the team. ” Dave cannot believe his eyes. In his world, he wouldn’t even dream of approaching a client… much less talk to him!

- It must be amazing to discuss with the client and develop based on his requests.
- More than that, Dave, the developers decide the functionalities to develop. Plus, they succeed in delivering functional software to their client at each release.
- Impossible!
- Impossible? Look at the wall Dave.

A sprint backlog is projected on the wall. He’s already heard about this, but has never seen one. Many dozen cards are found in the “Done” column. Dave read functionalities on the cards. It looks like this team really delivers. They can even test the software on a laptop next to the wall. They even use a continuous build.

These guys produce functional software. Wow! And with Visual Studio Team Foundation Server on top of it!

Not too far, in a room, another team is discussing tasks to be done for the next sprint. Dave is speechless. He slowly starts to realize that what Urban was saying is in fact possible: the developers were estimating the tasks… and on an iPad on top of it!

- Dave, whispers Urban, do you believe now that delivering quality software can be fun? It obviously can’t be done overnight though. You will have to work hard to implement this work method into your company. And you will most probably need some help, but it is possible.

Dave is now back in his apartment. He feels a joy for life that he hasn’t felt in many years. He finally has hope that his job conditions can get better. That he can change things, bring a breath of fresh air to his team…and, who knows, maybe in the entire company.

Happy Holidays and an excellent new year from the entire team of Urban “the Agile spirit of Christmas” Turtle!