The Scrum Guide by Ken Schwaber on ScrumAlliance is a condense (14 pages) and recent (May 2009) pocket guide on the major principles and guidelines of Scrum. It’s also gives very practical advice and tips on concrete issues when implementing Scrum.
Just thought I’d share … Yesterday, I came across a nice piece of reading material for everyone interested in Scrum as agile methodology. The Scrum Guide by Ken Schwaber on ScrumAlliance is a condense (14 pages) and recent (May 2009) pocket guide on the major principles and guidelines of Scrum. It’s also gives very practical advice and tips on concrete issues when implementing Scrum.
I think this is an excellent reference manual for anyone interested in a good overview on Scrum. Even a document to keep at hand when working with Scrum on a project.
Design Driven development (D3) starts from the premise that the design of any system is an accident that kicks in at conception. Hence, maximizing the opportunities to make that accidents happen is the key for (product) innovation. Thereto D3 integrates design games into the project iteration at the start of the sprints, where the design games can provide input to the product backlogs. However, no process can guarantee a better design; creating the right environment with the right set of people is the only way to bring innovation and design. The Design Cube defines the people, culture and environment aspects that contribute to an innovative organization.
Anybody that is working on software engineering, software development and/or agile methodologies, will be very interested in the ideas from the Design Driven Development (D3) website.
Premise
The premise they start with is that the design of any system is an accident that kicks in at conception. Hence, maximizing the opportunities to make that accidents happen is the key for (product) innovation.
Agility
Thereto, the author(s) define procedures and practices on how to integrate design in your iterative product life cycle. D3 makes the clear distinction between the management, engineering and design aspects of product development. Most current agile practices focus on the former aspects, whereas D3 introduces the latter by integrating design games into the project iteration, nl. at the start of the sprints, where the design games can provide input to the product backlogs.
Design Games
D3 turns the design practices into set of games, which brings different sets of people, skills and experiences together to make design decisions in a collaborative way. D3 describes 11 different design games, which are grouped into five different categories: Startup, Understand, Question, Design and Experience.
But first and foremost, D3 is about focusing on the solution and not the problem. D3 can be as simple as the hilarious example laid out in their blog.
Innovation is larger level breakthrough in solving the indented problem
Interaction is about how software or products behave with the users
Information is how you arrange the different elements on the screen
Intelligence focus on little things which can change the usability of an application.
In this way, D3 tries to bring design to the higher level of the solution space, whereas design used to remain at the product’s code and/or architecture level. The solution is the boundary where the product ends and thus where you as a solution builder can have impact. The higher levels of business and life on the other hand need to be impacted by other means.
Design Cube
D3 also recognizes that no process can guarantee a better design. Creating the right environment with the right set of people is the only way to bring innovation and design. Guidelines to this are laid out in the Design Cube, which defines the people, culture and environment aspects which can greatly contribute to build an innovative organization.
Conclusion
The ideas laid out in the D3 approach seem to be very viable. However, they have to be tested into practice to prove if they do bring enough value to the solution development in the form of product innovation. Most certainly, more practical guidelines, best practices, procedures and tools will have to be defined.
I do have some projects on my radar that might be helped by incorporating the ideas of D3. But in the mean time, does anyone have any practical experience with the D3 or other principles on entailing product innovation in solution development?
As Christmas gift, I received an Amazon Kindle from my loving family. Thank you all!
Amazon Kindle
The amazon Kindle is an electronic book reading device, that spurts wireless connectivity to, amongst others, shop and download e-books. The e-book reader comes in two versions: the standard version with a 6″ display, and the Kindle DX with a larger 9,7″ display. However, only the standard version supports global connectivity … 3G! So, I got the 6″ version.
In a couple of blog posts, I’d like to share my impressions and experiences using this device.
Unwrapping
The Kindle and matching leather cover was ordered through Amazon.com (of course) and got delivered after a few days at home. No complaints about that. Both came as separate parcels, in a nice dark blue gift wrapping with yellow ribbon and to-be-filled-in greeting card.
Kindle tear off strip
Unwrapping, reveals sturdy cardboard boxes marked as “guaranteed 100% frustration free packaging“. Indeed, a tear off strip on the side allows the top side to fold open. It’s shown at Warwick Poole‘s and Obsessable’s.
The box contains the Kindle obviously, a getting started guide and power cable. The power cable actually is an microUSB to USB to power plug cable. Thus you can take off the power plug to get a standard USB cable. The power plug is an American plug, which is incompatible in Europe. I don’t find this is a problem, because I’ll most likely hook the device up to my laptop … to charge also.
Uhhh? Is that the screen?
Kindle screen cover image
Taking out the actual device, shows a drawing on the screen surface on how to start the device and hook it up to the power cord. OK, let’s peal off that protective paper cover and have a look at this nice, comfortable feeling device.
And than it hits you in the face … that is no sticker! That’s the device’s screen actually showing the drawing!!! As seen on Obsessable, it is razor sharp, just like a printed drawing. And how is it even possible to maintain that drawing without draining the battery?
Electronic Paper Display
The Kindle uses an electronic paper display (EPD) enabled by electronic ink (e-ink) that results in those razor sharp drawings and texts that are actually qualitatively equal to printed paper. Reading on the Kindle is thus a real pleasure and I couldn’t imagine any self respecting reading device adopting LCD, which is so tiring for your eyes. On the Kindle you can actually read an e-book for hours. And that’s what it is meant for.
On the other hand, however, the EPD limits the Kindle at being a reading device. It only can do grey scale, no colors, and it reacts rather slowly. Going to the next page of a book, actually kind of fades out and in to the next page. This seems to be inherent to the technology and takes about a second. It is however not a problem during normal reading, but you can not quickly page through a book.I do not experience this as a big problem, but sometimes it’s a bother if you’d like to quickly browse back a number of pages for something you just read.
A few other advantages of EPD: bright, high contrast, full viewing angle, sunlight readable, thin, light weight, shatterproof, flexible. Ideally suited for e-book reading devices.
Low power consumption
But 2 specific characteristics makes EPD ultra low on power consumption. First, there is no need for a backlight; second, the screen does not need energy to maintain the ‘image’ on the screen, only to change it! Charged, the Kindle should be able to last for weeks, when being somewhat ‘economic’ (e.g. turning off wireless). I’ll keep you posted on that aspect of the device.
Kindle's splash screen
But, not needing energy to maintain the screen image, is the feature Amazon uses to install the startup screen that you see when unpacking the Kindle. It’s also used to give the device a nice schwung: on stand-by a random image from some famous writer or book is put out on the screen … and stays there! Always a nice surprise when you finish reading. Note here the wording … stand-by… I left it at that and my kindle was out of battery after a few days.
Conclusion
So, my first impression is that the Kindle is perfect at what it is: a great reading device for electronic books. But it can do much more … I’ll be posting more articles on my Kindle experiences in the next few weeks. So check back once and a while.
