22 March 2012

A little more conversation

Last week I was asked by a developer for a wireframe to go with a story in our current sprint. A simple request and something that I could have done, but I chose not to.

We've been working in an agile way for about a year now. It's not been easy but we're finding our way. Slipping back in to old habits is something I'm acutely aware can easily happen.

In this case, I was being asked to produce a wireframe for a form that included four fields and two buttons. Why? So the developer would know how the screen should be laid out.

"Without a wireframe we could put the fields in each corner of the screen" they told me. They wouldn't of course but that was their argument for needing it. In response I suggested that instead of a wireframe, what we needed was a conversation. Sitting alongside them and talking it through would be quicker and easier and the result would be a screen laid out as required. I wasn't going to rule out sketching something while we chatted but for this, as I thought, it didn't prove necessary.

I don't know how often people read the twelve principles behind the Agile Manifesto. After this incident I did and was reminded of this one:

The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.

Sums it up nicely doesn't it?!

In this situation an agile business analysts job isn't to supply specifications, but to convey requirements and work with the team to find the best solution. One of the best ways to do that is through conversation - not only can it be quicker, the talents of everyone can be utilised to establish what the solution will be.

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