Format: lecture / presentation
Duration: 60 minutes

Abstract

Agile development has taken a number of concepts and principles from the study of complex adaptive systems. But since the birth of the Agile Manifesto, the study of complexity has not stopped. In this talk I give a number of ideas copied from complexity experts, and I will review what fitness landscapes, adaptive walks and evolutionary stable strategies could mean for agile software development. The talk will include: - the management problem: can complex systems be managed? - how complex systems form their own fitness landscapes (process dictates chance of survival) - why connectivity in a system influences its stability (including stability of software methods) - why an adaptive walk is non-linear (and therefore process improvement too) - why noise and errors are essential - and some other stuff...

Details & timetable

00:00-00:01 short introduction of myself
00:01-00:30 overview of findings in complexity science
00:45-00:60 discussion about applicability to agile development

Learning outcomes:

• Linear software process improvement leads to suboptimal results.
• Any software method that does not change itself is doomed to fail.
• Not following some agile practices can be a valid survival strategy.
• A method with strong interdependent practices can behave chaotically.
• A self-organizing team with the size of 8 should better be avoided.
• And several more...

Biography

My name is Jurgen Appelo. I am Chief Information Officer at ISM eCompany, rated (a while ago) as the #1 fastest growing technology company in The Netherlands. As a manager, I lead a horde of 100 software developers, development managers, project managers, business consultants, quality managers, service managers and kangaroos, some of which I hired accidentally.

I am primarily interested in software engineering, quality improvement and complexity theory, from a manager's perspective. I am trying to write a book about this, and I keep track of it on my blog. I am a writer, having published a number of papers and articles in several magazines, like Dr. Dobb's, Software Quality Professional, Methods & Tools, The Software Practitioner, StickyMinds, Software Development Network, Computable and Automatisering Gids.

I am also a speaker, being regularly invited to talk at seminars and conferences about agile software development, project management, process improvement, and development management. People tell me I'm quite good at doing presentations. I don't know why. I only show them pretty pictures while making fun of myself. But that seems to help.

However, sometimes I put all writing, speaking and managing aside to do some intensive programming myself, or to spend time on my ever-growing collection of science fiction and fantasy literature.

I live in Rotterdam (The Netherlands) - and sometimes in Brussels (Belgium) - with my partner Raoul. I have two kids, and an imaginary hamster called George.

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