Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Questioning and digging is the major difference in how the Agile TWG oper-
ates over traditional TWGs.
6
The focus of the Agile TWG is digging to
uncover the real activities that are being followed and used successfully in
the organization—not to create new ones. Now let us return to the Peer
Review example to learn more about how this TWG process works.
4.10 Returning to the Peer Review Example
What is the intent of the specific practices in the Verification Process Area
related to performing peer reviews? The tips in the CMMI guidelines topic
give us good hints that can help us understand intent. In the Peer Review
case, they tell us “peer reviews provide opportunities to learn and share
information across the team,” and “many different types of reviews might be
considered.” The text also tells us that the purpose of peer reviews is to:
Identify defects for removal and recommend other changes that are needed.
This information leads us to ask some different questions, which we did at
BOND. When I asked:
How do you identify defects for removal and get recommendations for other
changes that are needed?
I heard:
We demonstrate our products early and often to our customers.
and:
We meet daily with our teammates and discuss openly the work we are
doing. Our products are checked into a library every day where others can
see them and are encouraged to provide feedback. And they do.
As I listened to the answers, I realized that when they said they didn't do
“formal peer reviews” they meant they didn't have a single defined time
when people went into a conference room to provide feedback on a product.
However, they did achieve the intent of “peer reviews” by doing continual
“less formal” peer reviews throughout the development. This is a common
practice in many Agile organizations.
6. See “Effective Techniques to Run an Agile TWG” later in this chapter, and the “Thread” Approach to
Process Development and Deployment in Chapter 7, GEAR case study, for more information on running
Agile TWGs.
