Question

Agile software development listed four values for encouraging better ways of developing

Answer 1

1. Individual and interactions over process and tools.

This first value places its emphasis on teamwork and communication. Teams of people build software systems, not tools. And to do that they need to work together effectively through productive interactions.

Tools are an important part of developing software but think of it this way: Who do you think will develop better software? Five software developers with their own separate but unique tools working together in a single room – or five isolated individuals with a well-defined process, a common set of the most sophisticated tools and a huge office? Obviously the team will perform better. Making great software depends much more on teamwork, regardless of the tools teams are given. Think of the motto, “A fool with a tool is still a fool.”

But don’t take this first value too literally. It’s not that tools are unnecessary. Tools and processes are still key to developing software. Without the right tool or process your team will struggle. The point is that the tool should fit the team’s needs and process – not the other way round.

2. Working software over comprehensive documentation.

User: This feature is confusing and I’m not sure how to use it.
Developer: Well you should have read the manual.

Let me make an extreme point: documentation is a crutch that software developers rely on as an alternative for making software that works well.

Documentation definitely has its place and can be a great resource or reference for users or co-workers who are wondering what the software is and how it works. But often times you might find yourself in a company where they need the documentation before you can even create the software. Those times are frustrating, and if the company is truly Agile they need to be reminded of this value: The primary goal of software development is to create software, not documents.

Take the time to develop software that is clear, self-explanatory, and caters to the tasks that users need to get done.

3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation.

Only your customers can tell you what they want, and it’s your job to listen. Successful development teams work closely with their customers and communicate with them frequently. Of course they will not be able to tell you the next breakthrough idea (that’s your job), but by listening and getting feedback you will understand what they truly want out of your product.

It’s important to find ways to separate the legal relationship you have with your customers from the product relationship. Contract negotiations have their place, but they can easily create a boundary with your customer that doesn’t help you develop great software. Create a relationship with customers that encourages communication and you’ll quickly learn their thoughts, opinions, and preferences. It may make your job a little harder, but it will make the result far better.

4. Responding to change over following a plan.

Change is the reality of software development – technology changes, business trends change, customers change. There is nothing wrong with a project plan – however, it must be malleable. There must be room to allow for change and to respond to it otherwise your plan quickly becomes obsolete.

This makes the job as a tester a little more difficult because in Agile the project or plan becomes very fluid. Developers are the first ones to note the change in the plan and make the decision to alter the code. This in turn affects the testers as they need to change their testing plans accordingly. But sometimes there is a break in communication between testers and developers which often leaves testers under pressure simply because they did not know what was happening to the plan soon enough.

To fix that you need to refer back to the first value of this manifesto, communicate effectively with the entire team. It’s more of taking a proactive approach when it comes to testing, meaning actively reaching out to developers on your team to be in the loop of new changes or course of actions.