RE: Agile working with offsite teams

["Leonard C. Porrello" <Leonard -dot- Porrello -at- SoleraTec -dot- com>]

I should probably backtrack a little. I think you can succeed with Agile even with a distributed team. You'll need an excellent development lead with excellent software engineering and communication skills as well as a properly indoctrinated and compliant customer. You'll also need excellent communications technology (teleconferencing and remote video presentation at the least). I would also add that Agile seems to work best for very tight-knit, disciplined teams that have already mastered an iterative-incremental methodology. To really understand Agile (IMO), you have to take seriously the idea of a scrum. As far as I know, the term comes from Rugby:

"a scrum is formed by the players who are designated forwards binding together in three rows. The scrum then 'engages' with the opposition team so that the player's heads are interlocked with those of the other side's front row. The scrum half from the team that did not infringe then throws the ball into the tunnel created in the space between the two sets of front rowers' legs. Both teams may then try to compete for the ball by trying to hook the ball backwards with their feet" (Wikipedia).

As you can imagine, for this to work, players have to have an intimate understanding of their teammates and need to be able to work together intuitively. On a good team, I'll know what my teammate is probably going to do in almost any given situation even before he himself realizes it. Like a scrum in Rugby, an Agile software development team needs to be of one mind.

My previous company lacked both a good lead and an indoctrinated customer. The result was terminal frustration, extensive rework, and endless scope creep.

Having said all that, I don't understand why a distributed team would want to try use Agile when other methodologies lend themselves perfectly to successful product delivery by distributed teams. My first guess would be that someone is looking for a shortcut. And unfortunately, shortcuts in software development generally lead only to failure.

But maybe I am full of ... and am missing something. If anyone has thoughts to the contrary of those that I've expressed, I hope you'll chime in.

Leonard
________________________________________
From: Pro TechWriter [mailto:pro -dot- techwriter -at- gmail -dot- com] 
Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 9:25 AM
To: Leonard C. Porrello
Cc: Sarah Blake; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Agile working with offsite teams

I am following this thread with interest, as I am on an Agile team that is distributed across several locations--and time zones. We have just started daily scrums after several months without regular communication. 
 
After reading Leonard's response, I am concerned. I am not an auditory learner, so I have to write detailed notes at review time, which adds to the level of difficulty. 
 
Any tips?
 
PT

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