Agile programming advice offered

Agile programming delivers software in short periods of time and is gaining a lot of attention lately. Although the session, presented by Clinton Begin of ThoughtWorks, provided reasons agile teams fail, I'll summarize the session by listing the 10 nuggets of advice featured.

#10. Don't believe myths such as: agile does not need documentation or is "cowboy coding."

"Agile is some of the most disciplined coding you will ever experience, especially with an XP (extreme programming) project," Begin said.

#9. Don't use scary words to describe agile, such as "extreme."

#8. Don't believe the notion that agile does not have key roles; it needs an iteration manager, analysts and testers.

#7. Don't overdo it. Make sure every document has an audience, don't micromanage and drop anything without value.

#6. Under the category of "cherry picking practices," make sure decisions are made by the most involved people, test every change for at least three iterations and don't be afraid to undo changes.

#5. Have discipline and courage.

#4. Don't use iterations that are too long. Iterations should be one week.

#3. Find a supportive sponsor for your agile project.

#2. Rally the team behind the project.

#1. Ask for help. Have experienced leadership and an experienced team.