Becoming Agile
AgileData.org: Techniques for Disciplined Agile Database Development
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Becoming AgileAgileData.org: Techniques for Disciplined Agile Database Development |
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Chances are pretty good that you
think that there is something to the
philosophies and techniques described at
this
site. Good. Unfortunately
there is a big difference between reading about agility and actually becoming
agile. You’ve already taken the
most important, you’ve decided to consider new ways to do things, now you need
to follow through and actually internalize them. |
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This
site describes a wide range of skills that agile software developers, in
particular
Agile DBAs although
Agile
Developers should also have these skills,
should have. These include an
understanding of:
Agile software development, in particular the Agile Manifesto.
The
basics of object
orientation, relational
databases, data
modeling, and the object-relational
impedance mismatch.
Evolutionary
database techniques including
agile data
modeling, test-driven
development (TDD),
database
refactoring,
database
regression testing, and other
best practices.
Development
techniques such as mapping
objects to relational databases, database
encapsulation, concurrency
control,
transaction control, security
access control, referential
integrity, and effective
use of XML.
This is
a formidable list. Am I asking too
much of you? It clearly isn’t
realistic to expect you to become adept at all of these things overnight, but it
would be reasonable to expect you to pick up these skills over time.
After perusing this site, which provides a very good overview of all of
these issues, how long do you think it would take you to become reasonably
adept? My experience is that many
IT professionals can become adept at agile database techniques, when given the
opportunity, in several months. The
secret is that you need to be actively involved with a project and working with
others who already have some of these skills (or at least closely resembling
them). For example many Java programmers are familiar with some if not most of
the techniques listed for working with relational databases, although they might
not be aware of all of their options or the implications of each alternative.
Many DBAs may already be quite adept at evolving a database schema
although may not have taken it to the next level encompassed by database
refactoring. The point is that it
isn’t as hard to pick up these new skills as you may think, you just need to
get started.
So what
does it mean to be agile? Agility
is more of an attitude than a skillset. In
my experience, the common characteristics of agile software developers are:
They’re
open minded and therefore willing to learn new techniques.
They’re
responsible and therefore willing to seek the help of the right person(s)
for the task at hand.
Willing
to work closely with others, pair programming or working in small teams as
appropriate.
Willing
to work iteratively and incrementally.
Notice
how I didn’t say that they program in a specific language, or that they have X
years of experience with JUnit, or that they are a certified DBA.
Technical skills are definitely important, but they aren’t what
determines your agility. It’s
your mindset that is the determining factor.
To help you grow into each of the four
roles defined by the
Agile
Data method, Table 1 provides some specific suggestions
that you should consider.
Table
1. Recommendations to Become More Agile.
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Role |
Recommendations |
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The books Who Moved My Cheese and Navigating the Winds of Change are both short, well-written resources for anyone struggling with change, and Fearless Change describes a wonderful pattern language for effective change. The first book will help you to identify four common personality types and their ability to handle change and both books provide advice for accepting and embracing change in your day-to-day working life.
A critical concept is that you need to move away from being a narrowly focused specialist to become more along the lines of what I like to call a generalizing specialist. A generalizing specialist is someone with one or more technical specialties who actively seeks to gain new skills in both their existing specialties as well as in other areas, they have a general knowledge of software development, and a good understanding of the domain in which they work. When you get your first job as an IT professional it is often in the role of a junior programmer or junior DBA. You will initially focus on becoming good at that role, and if you’re lucky your organization will send you on training courses to pick up advanced skills in your specialty. Once you’re adept at that specialty, or even when you’ve just reached the point of being comfortable at it, it is time to expand your horizons and learn new skills in different aspects of the software lifecycle. When you do this you evolve from being a specialist to being a generalizing specialist.
A generalizing specialist is more than just a generalist. A generalist is a jack-of-all-trades but a master of none, whereas a generalizing specialist is a jack-of-all-trades and master of a few. Big difference. A team of generalists can easily flounder because none of the have the skills to get anything done. In short, I believe that generalizing specialists are much more effective than specialists or generalists. My experience is that the best developers are generalizing specialists, or are at least actively trying to become so. There is still room for specialists within your IT departments, they can often act as internal consultants to your development teams, but as IT departments become more agile we will see fewer specialists surviving over time.
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We actively work with clients around the world to improve their information technology (IT) practices, typically in the role of mentor/coach, team lead, or trainer. A full description of what we do, and how to contact us, can be found at Scott W. Ambler + Associates.
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2003-2012 Scott W. Ambler This site owned by Ambysoft Inc.
