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Businesses Programming

Ask Slashdot: Development Requirements Change But Deadlines Do Not? 221

cyclomedia writes "Over a number of years my company has managed to slowly shift from a free-for-all (pick a developer at random and get them to do what you want) to something resembling Agile development with weekly builds. But we still have to deal with constant incoming feature changes and requests that are expected to be included in this week's package. The upshot is that builds are usually late, not properly tested and developers get the flak when things go wrong. I suspect the answer is political, but how do we make things better? One idea I had was that every time a new request comes in — no matter how small — the build gets pushed back by 24 or even 48 hours. I'd love to hear your ideas or success stories. (Unfortunately, quitting is not an option)"
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Ask Slashdot: Development Requirements Change But Deadlines Do Not?

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  • Agile? (Score:5, Funny)

    by pixelpusher220 ( 529617 ) on Wednesday July 10, 2013 @05:03PM (#44243663)
    We have a bastardized combo of waterfall and agile here. I call it the Drunken Sailor approach.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 10, 2013 @05:16PM (#44243829)

    I go upstairs to the salesman who promised that feature to the customer without changing the deadline, grab him by his shirtcollar, and tell him, "You worthless overpaid coke-addled dumbfuck...if you ever, ever pull that shit on me again, you'll be explaining to the customer why you're talking like a soprano and walking like a cowboy."
     
      -- Ethanol-fueled

  • Re: Agile? (Score:5, Funny)

    by MarkusQ ( 450076 ) on Wednesday July 10, 2013 @05:18PM (#44243843) Journal

    We have a bastardized combo of waterfall and agile here. I call it the Drunken Sailor approach.

    What DO you do with a drunken sailor?

    Typically, you start working er'ly in the morning. And stay at it till the even'n's glomming.

    -- MarkusQ

  • Re: Agile? (Score:4, Funny)

    by interval1066 ( 668936 ) on Wednesday July 10, 2013 @06:33PM (#44244743) Journal

    What DO you do with a drunken sailor?

    Maybe your experience is different but I was never put in the hold with the captain's daughter. Either that or she needed a shave and I wasn't interested in holding the mirror. It was a long voyage though.

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