AgileScotland - Nov 12 - "Crossing New Frontiers in Agile Creating support for Agile testing in ETL and Data Warehousing" by Adrian Mowat

Hi everyone,

 

And now for something a little different ... Our next meeting will be presented by Adrian Mowat an expert in using agile and lean in batch and ETL environements - he is also in the process of releasing FIT4Data, a testing framework for data-centric apps - as open source.  You should enjoy this one!  The meeting is in Edinburgh on Monday the 12th of November.

 

"Crossing New Frontiers in Agile Creating support for Agile testing in ETL and Data Warehousing" by Adrian Mowat

Synopsis: Even since the dawn of computing, companies have used batch processes (known as Extract Transform and Load (ETL) in modern terms) to crunch numbers and share critical data between systems. Many teams use specialist 4th generation languages designed for the ETL domain are used to improve developers productivity but because they are not object oriented and the challenges of working with raw data are quite different to those faced in 'conventional' software development much of the Agile literature appears irrelevant to the uninitiated ETL manager or developer.

So is it possible to do Agile on ETL projects? If it is, then how is it done and do we need to change the conventional approach in any way?

The answer is, of course, a resounding YES! Agile is a great fit for ETL projects. Armed with specialist knowledge, the ability to see the principles behind the practices and a bit of lateral thinking many Agile techniques can be applied with little or no modification. In this talk, I will discuss the factors that make ETL different, the surprising similarities between object oriented and ETL projects and, ultimately how to apply Agile to the ETL domain. By attending, you will discover a new perspective on an age old problem you may discover some tools that are useful in your own company.

Bio: Adrian Mowat believes coding should be interesting and fun and he is proud to call himself a professional software developer. He has over seven years experience building multi-terabyte data management and data warehousing applications for some of the biggest companies in the UK. Having worked as a consultant since 2003 he and a colleague co-founded M2Consortium last year and they are dedicated to furthering the development of Agile and building a world class consultancy holding respect for people and technical excellence at its core.

When are Where? We'll be meeting at the SKM offices in the 160 Dundee Street building, Edinburgh, EH11 1DQ at 19:30 on Monday, November 12th. The offices are between Fountainbridge Leisure complex and the Victor Paris Bathroom Shop.

All are welcome but can you please email me if you want to come along - clarke.ching@gmail.com

Clarke

AgileScotland - Nancy Van Schooenderwoert - 'Coming of Age' of an Agile Company

Hi everyone,

 

This should be a good one ...

 

I've very pleased to announce that our next meeting will be in Edinburgh on THURSDAY October 18th. 
 

Nancy Van Schooenderwoert -  'Coming of Age' of an Agile Company

 

What really happens when a company decides to go agile? What happens after the first pilot project when everyone's on their best behaviour? Like any relationship, there's a "first fight". There is a "coming to terms" with the things we cannot change. There is a realisation that this is bigger than just 'Agile'. It's not only about software anymore.It's not only about the agile teams. The needs of other departments must be addressed. If agile teams are self-organizing, what are managers supposed to be doing? This session presents stories from Nancy's experiences coaching many agile teams and their managers as part of one company's move to go agile.

Sometimes methodologies are confusing, but we all understand stories from the experiences of others who've faced the same issues we are facing. This session will present stories from actual agile teams, their managers, and customers over the course of an agile conversion at a large company. Agile adoption initiatives fail because there are really
four simultaneous initiatives that must all be done correctly:

• Agile teams must master the technical practices of specifying software via tests and preventing defects through strong developer-level testing
  practices
• Empowered teams and Servant Leadership must be fostered 
• Managers must control the flow of work, matching it to capacity
• Management must adopt a Lean discipline for project portfolio management

We will see through the experiences of real teams how the operation of these four sub-initiatives has impacted one company.


BIO:

Nancy Van Schooenderwoert does Agile Enterprise coaching – everything from launching new agile technical teams to advising executives on how to take Agile and Lean principles far beyond software development in their drive to deliver more customer value faster. Nancy pioneered agile practices for embedded software development beginning in 1998. Her background in electronics and software development for avionics, factory automation, medical, and defense systems brings a unique perspective to her coaching practice.

 

When are Where? We'll be meeting at the SKM offices in the 160 Dundee Street building, Edinburgh, EH11 1DQ at 19:30. The offices are between Fountainbridge Leisure complex and the Victor Paris Bathroom Shop.

 

Clarke