Re^2: Agile programming a skill?

That, in itself, is just Iterative Development w/ a bit more spin. Not saying such concepts are bad, but all concepts have situations when they should and should not be applied. Too much of a good thing is almost always bad -- the best programmers learn from many sources

What the an above poster called "head's down programming" is simply recognizing a "hype machine", and often elitists will make fun of people that don't buy their particular religion -- calling them dumb, "head's down programmers" or "grunts" or what have you -- often these are the best practical and creative people you have. Why? They think for themselves. THIS is what you want. The best "head's up" programmers are ones that don't need overpaid consultants dictating new methods to them. They can figure out processes and invent processes on their own. That's me.

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Re^3: Agile programming a skill? by gregor42 (Parson) on Jan 25, 2005 at 16:09 UTC
Just to clarify - since my intent was not to offend. By "heads down programmer" I refer not a "grunt" or any other such negative euphamism. What I refer to rather is a programmer writing code in a solo environment to the exclusion of all else. If that's what you do - my advice is to reinvent yourself before you get outsourced. Are your eyes only on the code or are they on the overall goals of the project? Is your focus to write the best code possible for the job or merely to keep your seat so you can receive a paycheck next week? The criticism is "Iterative Development w/ a bit more spin" and you're absolutely correct. However without that "spin"/"hype"/documented research you're NOT going to sell the idea to upper management & therefore they're going to impose the Waterfall method on you. Why? Because it works better for business concerns. Be it RUP or XP or whatever methodology/"Hype" you buy into - YES it's common sense coding practices - rendered in the form of a methodology. So - to recap - we're all for common sense, and we're all for the priciples we preach. But we're against solidifying on a "methodology" because..... we don't like being told what to do? And for every brilliant programmer like "anonymous monk" how much dead wood makes it's way into the department? How do you keep them in line? What happens when you get a promotion & you have to manage programmers instead of writing code? Do you teach them the best practices you've learned or do you trust in their artisitic and creative brilliance to spontaneously know what it took you years of experience to learn? ANY development method tries to organize your approach to development. They get you to think about a problem up front instead of later. They get you to address & mitigate risks up front instead of later when they're more expensive. And as for the original comment about Resumes... YES if you've worked with RUP or XP put it on your resume. It means that much less training you'll need to fit into a new job where they do such things. It means you know how to work with a team and be organized. Is that enough to get you hired? No. Can it hurt? No. Wait! This isn't a Parachute, this is a Backpack!	[reply]
Re^3: Agile programming a skill? by McMahon (Chaplain) on Jan 25, 2005 at 16:03 UTC
Of course. I agree with two points that you almost made... =) One is: that any methodology exists in order to keep stupid people from hurting themselves or hurting the company. Smart people are often rightly exempt from the most rigid implementation of whatever process is in place. (Of course, even smart people make mistakes. CPANTS and kwalitee implement a lot of agile ideas.) The other point is: I wouldn't use agile methods to build, say, a cruise missile. Or an air-traffic control system. Or a spaceship. There are any number of applications that demand the discipline and documentation that agile methodologies lack.	[reply]