Tag Archives: XPlorations

Intensifying Stories: Running with the Winners

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Bill Wake

For a given story headline, many interpretations are possible. These vary in their quality and sophistication. I call this the intensity or depth of a story. Story intensity is a knob you can control, dialing it down for earlier delivery, … Continue reading →

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Valuable Stories in the INVEST Model

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Bill Wake

Of all the attributes of the INVEST model, "Valuable" is the easiest one to, well, value. Who is against value? We'll look at these key aspects: What is value? The importance of external impact Value for whom? What is Value? … Continue reading →

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Negotiable Stories in the INVEST Model

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Bill Wake

In the INVEST model for user stories, N is for Negotiable (and Negotiated). Negotiable hints at several important things about stories: The importance of collaboration Evolutionary design Response to change Collaboration Why do firms exist? Why isn't everything done by … Continue reading →

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The System Metaphor Explored

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Bill Wake

The System Metaphor is one of the less popular parts of Extreme Programming (XP). Newer descriptions often even omit it. But metaphor is useful – when you have  a good one, it really helps you understand and organize your system. … Continue reading →

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Independent Stories in the INVEST Model

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Bill Wake

The INVEST model is a reminder of the important characteristics of user stories, and it starts with I for Independent. Independent stories each describe different aspects of a system's capabilities. They are easier to work with because each one can … Continue reading →

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3A – Arrange, Act, Assert

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Bill Wake

Some unit tests are focused, other are like a run-on sentence. How can we create tests that are focused and communicate well? What's a good structure for a unit test? 3A: Arrange, Act, Assert We want to test the behavior … Continue reading →

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Tests from a Hat

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Bill Wake

How does the order of tests affect the design of software? A game to explore that idea. Continue reading →

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Review – Growing Object-Oriented Software, Guided by Tests

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Bill Wake

Growing Object-Oriented Software, Guided by Tests, by Steve Freeman and Nat Pryce, ISBN 0-321-50362-7   Freeman and Pryce explain Test-Driven Development through an extended example. (They have a somewhat different perspective than I do, with much heavier use of mock objects. … Continue reading →

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Movie Retrospective

Posted on August 15, 2010 by Bill Wake

When I'm teaching about retrospectives, there has always been a challenge: a simulated retrospective wants a shared experience. But what shared experience to use? The one experience I know we share is the session we're in, but using a retrospective … Continue reading →

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Coach Interview: Declan Whelan

Posted on March 12, 2010 by Bill Wake

Interview with coach Declan Whelan. Continue reading →

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Embracing Commitment

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Bill Wake

Commitment is a powerful tool. Continue reading →

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Coach Interview: Alexey Krivitsky

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Bill Wake

Interview with coach Alexey Krivitsky. Continue reading →

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User Story Examples

Posted on April 17, 2009 by Bill Wake

This is a sample set of user stories for a time management system. Continue reading →

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Coach Interview: Lisamarie Babik

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Bill Wake

Interview with coach Lisamarie Babik. Continue reading →

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Set-Based Concurrent Engineering

Posted on December 20, 2006 by Bill Wake

Set-based concurrent engineering: considering a solution as the intersection of a number of feasible parts, rather than iterating on a bunch of individual “point-based” solutions. Continue reading →

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