RE: Managing Extreme Programming

Laurent,

These are "real" requirements I'm working on today...

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Laurent Bossavit [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2003 10:50 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: RE: [xpAdoption] Managing Extreme Programming
> 
> Glen:
> 
> Thanks. Nicely concrete and just the thing I had in mind.
> 
> > [>] Post trial balance labor transactions as extracted from the time
and
> > labor reporting systems (see XML output format spec xxx) to the
Earned
> > Value calculation server [snip]
> 
> That one is a "requirement" couched in technical terms. I'd probably
> want to know more about the business implication, but there does seem
> to be little room for discovery on the face of it.

[>] The business requirements are defined in the contracting reporting
process. Detailed billing for software development and telecommunication
work assigned from our customer (the site) to our affiliate contract
(CH2M Hill). How the billing is "assigned" is defined by the Chart of
Accounts which in turn is defined by the project owners accounting
system.

> On the other hand, it's probable that there are other requirements
> coming of the form "feed X data grabbed from Y system to the EV
> server". Depending on how much commonality, and of what type, is
> found between these requirements, the "customer" this is "delivered"
> to - scare quotes until more is known of the business implication -
> might find value in prioritizing such stories in different ways, as
> they find out which type of stories are becoming less costly.

[>] The priority of the stories is to have this EV and billing process
all working on a day in February. No part can be missing or no one gets
paid.

> > Deliver these transactions the project accounting holding file at
the
> > end of the business day (except AWS work days) when the time card
> > system successfully completes the 12:00AM closure cycle for both
exempt
> > and nonexempt personnel.
> 
> Some ambiguity in there. What part(s) of this does "for both exempt
> and nonexempt" qualify ? Do the developers know enough of the domain
> to answer that question ? There probably are different ways to know
> whether the time card system has successfully completed a cycle. And
> of course I'd still be interested in the business implications.

[>] Both exempt and non, are defined by job code and employee number in
a database inside PeopleSoft. There is one way to know. The PeopleSoft
admin says the job ran to completion.

What kinds of things would be in the business implications?

> > Provide a web based Project Accounting interface [...]
> 
> I'd *definitely* want to know about the person who will be using the
> web based interface, and what her goals are.

[>] Goals? Close the T&L system everyday and get the numbers into the EV
system for use on my desk at the beginning of business the next day. Do
this everyday until I say stop ;>)

> > Allow changes through user interface [...]
> 
> Ditto. In both latter cases I'd expect the dynamic where the user
> sees something, then uses that to build a better picture of what
> would be most useful to her.

[>] Yea that's interesting. Our typical approach is to build some kind
of "junk yard dog" UI get it going (so we can get paid) and move one...

> Cheers,
> Glen B. Alleman


------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Flexible Keyboard is the ideal accessory for PDA users that are on the move.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/dCBVZC/WnCFAA/xGHJAA/nhFolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[email protected]

 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/