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From: Niklas Holsti <niklas.holsti@tidorum.invalid>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: How to get Ada to ?cross the chasm??
Date: Sat, 12 May 2018 18:51:50 +0300
Organization: Tidorum Ltd
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Xref: reader02.eternal-september.org comp.lang.ada:52318
Date: 2018-05-12T18:51:50+03:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

On 18-05-12 13:57 , Jeffrey R. Carter wrote:
> On 05/12/2018 11:29 AM, Niklas Holsti wrote:
>>
>> Agile versus waterfall depends on the project's goals rather than the
>> language, I feel. In some projects -- space on-board SW is typical --
>> the customer knows what is wanted, based on intense earlier analysis
>> of the mission, its scientific or technical aims, SW/HW trade-offs
>> etc. In agile projects there is flexibility in the scope, the HW, the
>> functionality, everything.
>
> Agile is coders' response to employers who heard that they should hire
> S/W engs who use a method: We'll call what we do (shut up and start
> coding) a method.

Seriously, no. Agile SW development is an attempt to avoid the typical 
waterfall problem of a long delay from the customer saying what they 
want, to the customer seeing the SW the developers implemented -- and 
discovering that (a) the customer's requirements were misunderstood, 
and/or (b) the customer now wants or needs something else.

I've not worked in any (formally) agile projects, so my view may be 
idealised. But AIUI, the first step is certainly not coding; it is to 
talk in depth with the customer about the background and overall aims of 
the SW project, find out what seems to be a good *minimum* set of 
functionality to start from, formalise requirements *only* for that 
part, and then implement it, in the first sprint.

Agile SW development can be seen as a process of continuous requirements 
elicitation interleaved with implementation and refactoring, making use 
of the sad fact that it is easier for the customers to ask for changes, 
extensions, or deletions to some SW they can see and use, than to state 
complete requirements for SW that does not yet exist.

-- 
Niklas Holsti
Tidorum Ltd
niklas holsti tidorum fi
       .      @       .