Using Agile in the ClassroomCindy Royal, Associate ProfessorTexas State Universitycindyroyal.com @cindyroyal

Agile

“able to move quickly and easily”

Agile

“method of project management characterized by the division of tasks into short phases of work and frequent reassessment and adaptation of plans.”

Agile Manifesto

We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

Working software over comprehensive documentation

Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

Responding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.

From the Agile Manifesto - http://agilemanifesto.org/

Traditional Approach

Waterfall development

Complete one phase before the next

No plan to revisit phases

Why Agile?

Development is expensive and time-consuming.

Building software is more like an art, requires creativity.

Teams need to be empowered; collaboration is integral.

Development often requires customers to be involved in the process.

Changing requirements

No clear completion. Development goes on forever.

Agile methodologies help create environments for these types of characteristics to thrive.

Phrases Associated with Agile

Rapid

Adaptable

Quality-Driven

Cooperative

Iterative

It’s not a process. It’s a philosophy, a set of values.

Small teams, spending short timeframes, building small things.

Integrating regularly

Different approaches. Scrum is a popular application of Agile.

12 Principles

Customer satisfaction by rapid delivery of useful software

Welcome changing requirements, even late in development

Working software is delivered frequently (weeks rather than months)

Close, daily cooperation between business people and developers

Projects are built around motivated individuals, who should be trusted

Face-to-face conversation is the best form of communication (co-location)

12 Principles

Working software is the principal measure of progress

Sustainable development, able to maintain a constant pace

Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design

Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential

Self-organizing teams

Regular adaptation to changing circumstances

Terminology

Sprint – an interaction. The sprint starts with a sprint planning meeting. At the end of the sprint there is a sprint review meeting, followed by a sprint retrospective meeting. Product is designed, coded and tested during the sprint.

Scrum meetings: daily, short, productive. Stand up.

Backlog: List of features; there is a product backlog and a sprint backlog

User Stories: how to describe features

Estimates

Ranked and Weighted List; Roadmap

Prototype

Shippable Product Increments

Design Thinking

Lean Startup

In the Classroom

Semester/quarter well suited for 3-4 sprints

Short timeframe for learning and development

Teach collaboration

Regular feedback and assessment

Peer feedback

Client feedback throughout, if applicable

Embracing change/flexibility

Incorporate new learning

TXStateofChange

SXTXState.com

SXTXStories.com

This semester

Three sprints, plus final project Coding Data Charting

Individual and group projects

Classroom scrum meetings

Flipped classroom – training is done via video tutorials and other resources; classroom time is for work, discussion, problem-solving

Work demos

Review progress and adjust after each sprint. Helps build toward final project.

Students quickly saw the value of these approaches for this class, but also for the bigger picture of innovation in any organization.

Agile Resources

The J-School Scrum: Bringing Agile Development Into the Classroom, PBSMediaShift, 2014 - http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2014/01/the-j-school-scrum-bringing-agile-development-into-the-classroom/

The Agile Classroom by Sarah Dillard, 2012 - http://sarahdillard.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/the-agile-classroom/

Managed Chaos: How I Use Agile in the Classroom - http://www.jacobsingh.name/content/managed-chaos-how-i-use-agile-and-scrum-classroom

The Lean Startup - http://theleanstartup.com/

The Stanford d.School - http://dschool.stanford.edu/dgift/

The Art of Agile Development (book) - http://www.amazon.com/The-Agile-Development-James-Shore/dp/0596527675

Agile Software Development Guide - http://martinfowler.com/agile.html

Introduction to Scrum - http://scrumtrainingseries.com/Intro_to_Scrum/Intro_to_Scrum.htm