Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
of protest and justification for an alternative. Attempts to include
service-oriented methodologies or new programming styles such
as rapid-prototyping “scrum” techniques can cause projects to halt
while technologists argue the relative merits of one technique over
another or one standard over another.
SOA and Scrum:
Service-oriented architecture (SOA) programming
techniques rely on standards for connectivity, rather than requiring all
code elements to combine into a single massive application. Implemented
as modular stand-alone sub-applications that communicate with one
a not her, t h is met hod a l low s mu lt iple de velopment te a m s to work on piec e s
of a project in isolation—provided the interfaces are designed according
to a set of agreed-on standards. This programming style often relies on
Internet connectivity among the application segments, which rely on Web
services and other standards for common communication interfaces.
The “scrum” method of programming extends this paradigm by
seeking to create a prototype before requirements are completed. The
prototype can be evaluated and then a new version produced based on
feedback to include more user requirements, following on the old mili-
tary adage, “Doing anything is better than doing nothing, even if it is
wrong.” Because the developers are always running ahead of feedback,
the parts that are kept afterwards are already completed rather than just
being started. This results in a lot of discarded code, but as Thomas Edi-
son noted regarding his thousands of failed attempts, “I have not failed,
I have found three thousand ways not to make a light bulb. All I need
is one way that works.” Scrum programmers may have already created a
code element that can be reused later, as they look for the one right way
to fulfill user requirements.
Technologists will passionately defend their One True Way to such an
extent that this conflict may add months or even years to a simple tech-
nology selection process. It is here that the architect's vision and under-
standing must be used to move things along, because behind everything
else, it doesn't matter which end you eat from. It is only important that
you meet all requirements.
