Comments for Agile Focus http://agilefocus.com A group weblog for and about Agile software development Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:31:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 Comment on 9 Signs of Bad Team Spaces by Decreased Productivity in Open Floor Plan vs. Scrum and Agile « Spare Cycles http://agilefocus.com/2010/02/15/9-signs-of-bad-team-spaces/comment-page-1/#comment-757 Decreased Productivity in Open Floor Plan vs. Scrum and Agile « Spare Cycles Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:59:32 +0000 http://agilefocus.com/?p=270#comment-757 [...] William Pietri commented recently on one of the top signs of a poorly functioning scrum space is people wearing headphones. I think that people wearing headphones is a direct result of team members trying to combat noise [...] [...] William Pietri commented recently on one of the top signs of a poorly functioning scrum space is people wearing headphones. I think that people wearing headphones is a direct result of team members trying to combat noise [...]

]]> Comment on 9 Signs of Bad Team Spaces by William Pietri http://agilefocus.com/2010/02/15/9-signs-of-bad-team-spaces/comment-page-1/#comment-754 William Pietri Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:48:50 +0000 http://agilefocus.com/?p=270#comment-754 @CTheB: Thanks for the comment. Regarding headphones, I think it depends on the kind of work you're doing. If you don't need to be in touch with the people around you, by all means listen to music. But this being a blog about Agile software development, which is a team-oriented approach, I believe that not needing to be in touch with the people around you is often a sign of a problem. That's not to say one should never do it. Sometimes people really need to do a bit of solo work. In which case, sure, wear headphones. Or, better, go somewhere else for a bit. But as a general rule, people not being present in the team room is a bad sign, whether that's physically or just mentally. @CTheB: Thanks for the comment.

Regarding headphones, I think it depends on the kind of work you’re doing. If you don’t need to be in touch with the people around you, by all means listen to music. But this being a blog about Agile software development, which is a team-oriented approach, I believe that not needing to be in touch with the people around you is often a sign of a problem.

That’s not to say one should never do it. Sometimes people really need to do a bit of solo work. In which case, sure, wear headphones. Or, better, go somewhere else for a bit. But as a general rule, people not being present in the team room is a bad sign, whether that’s physically or just mentally.

]]> Comment on 9 Signs of Bad Team Spaces by CTheB http://agilefocus.com/2010/02/15/9-signs-of-bad-team-spaces/comment-page-1/#comment-753 CTheB Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:25:14 +0000 http://agilefocus.com/?p=270#comment-753 Number 1 is wrong as a sign of a bad space. It presupposes that people don't listen to music while they work because they enjoy it or for any reason other than to tune out some distraction(s). While it may be true that some people listen to music to tune out distractions, whether all or some of the time, that doesn't mean that that's the case with everyone or all the time. What the point should say is that one should identify whether or not there is something negative causing people to listen to music and if there is one (or many) to deal with them. I tend to spend an hour or two a day, sometimes more, listening to music while I work. Why? Well, mostly because I enjoy listening to music. That's why I have it. Sometimes it's because I'm preparing for a set and having it playing in the background helps me get more familiar with it. Every now and then it's because something is distracting or annoying me. The rest I agree with. Number 1 is wrong as a sign of a bad space. It presupposes that people don’t listen to music while they work because they enjoy it or for any reason other than to tune out some distraction(s). While it may be true that some people listen to music to tune out distractions, whether all or some of the time, that doesn’t mean that that’s the case with everyone or all the time. What the point should say is that one should identify whether or not there is something negative causing people to listen to music and if there is one (or many) to deal with them.

I tend to spend an hour or two a day, sometimes more, listening to music while I work. Why? Well, mostly because I enjoy listening to music. That’s why I have it. Sometimes it’s because I’m preparing for a set and having it playing in the background helps me get more familiar with it. Every now and then it’s because something is distracting or annoying me.

The rest I agree with.

]]> Comment on 9 Signs of Bad Team Spaces by William Pietri http://agilefocus.com/2010/02/15/9-signs-of-bad-team-spaces/comment-page-1/#comment-752 William Pietri Wed, 17 Feb 2010 04:56:31 +0000 http://agilefocus.com/?p=270#comment-752 Excellent point, Rick. Now that you mention it, I've seen that pattern, too. Excellent point, Rick. Now that you mention it, I’ve seen that pattern, too.

]]> Comment on 9 Signs of Bad Team Spaces by Rick Tonoli http://agilefocus.com/2010/02/15/9-signs-of-bad-team-spaces/comment-page-1/#comment-751 Rick Tonoli Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:49:28 +0000 http://agilefocus.com/?p=270#comment-751 How about: Excessive tea/coffee/smoke breaks - I've found a correlation between frequency and duration of "breaks", and general morale of the team. How about: Excessive tea/coffee/smoke breaks - I’ve found a correlation between frequency and duration of “breaks”, and general morale of the team.

]]> Comment on 10 rules for great development spaces by Agile Focus » Blog Archive » 9 Signs of Bad Team Spaces http://agilefocus.com/2009/04/20/10-rules-for-great-development-spaces/comment-page-1/#comment-750 Agile Focus » Blog Archive » 9 Signs of Bad Team Spaces Tue, 16 Feb 2010 06:17:50 +0000 http://agilefocus.com/?p=259#comment-750 [...] of the most popular articles here is 10 Rules For Great Development Spaces, so I thought I’d follow up by explicitly listing signs of bad spaces. These are my top 9, [...] [...] of the most popular articles here is 10 Rules For Great Development Spaces, so I thought I’d follow up by explicitly listing signs of bad spaces. These are my top 9, [...]

]]> Comment on 21 ways to hate pair programming by Andrew http://agilefocus.com/2009/01/06/21-ways-to-hate-pair-programming/comment-page-1/#comment-747 Andrew Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:57:08 +0000 http://agilefocus.com/?p=197#comment-747 Great list! Really good amplification. I'm guilty of 1 and 21. I think pair programming must start from this list. Great list! Really good amplification. I’m guilty of 1 and 21. I think pair programming must start from this list.

]]> Comment on 21 ways to hate pair programming by aimee.mychores.co.uk http://agilefocus.com/2009/01/06/21-ways-to-hate-pair-programming/comment-page-1/#comment-743 aimee.mychores.co.uk Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:21:01 +0000 http://agilefocus.com/?p=197#comment-743 Really good list. I suffer from different mistakes depending who i'm pairing with. One of my worst habits is not on your list: Dictate to your pair. Because you are awesome and your partner is just a secretary to type your wonderful code for you! Really good list. I suffer from different mistakes depending who i’m pairing with.

One of my worst habits is not on your list:

Dictate to your pair. Because you are awesome and your partner is just a secretary to type your wonderful code for you!

]]> Comment on The myth of “undesigned” by William Pietri http://agilefocus.com/2009/09/14/the-myth-of-undesigned/comment-page-1/#comment-741 William Pietri Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:26:58 +0000 http://agilefocus.com/?p=445#comment-741 Hi, Jeffery. That was exactly the point I was trying to make. Except I'm taking it one step further. The source code is the design, but the finished artifact is the running software, not just the object code. Hi, Jeffery. That was exactly the point I was trying to make. Except I’m taking it one step further. The source code is the design, but the finished artifact is the running software, not just the object code.

]]> Comment on The myth of “undesigned” by Jeffrey Aguilera http://agilefocus.com/2009/09/14/the-myth-of-undesigned/comment-page-1/#comment-740 Jeffrey Aguilera Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:06:18 +0000 http://agilefocus.com/?p=445#comment-740 "One group of people makes up some blueprints, and then an entirely different group of people makes physical objects. That second group is judged not by the utility of the objects, but by conformance to the design." It's not that this analogy is wrong for software. The analogy is apt. But the second group has been entirely automated (by members of the first group.) The second group is the compiler and build tools ... and yes, the compiler is judged based on its conformance to the design (i.e., software.) “One group of people makes up some blueprints, and then an entirely different group of people makes physical objects. That second group is judged not by the utility of the objects, but by conformance to the design.”

It’s not that this analogy is wrong for software. The analogy is apt. But the second group has been entirely automated (by members of the first group.) The second group is the compiler and build tools … and yes, the compiler is judged based on its conformance to the design (i.e., software.)

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