2007 November-December

The free monthly resource on business change and technology using Agile techniques for the wider business community.

Agile Business Change for November/December 2007 by Marcus Price, Agilier Ltd

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1) Comparison book review "Software Estimation" by McConnell and "Agile Estimating and Planning" by Cohn

2) SBVR and the Semantic Web

3) Agilier has ISO9001 certificate confirmed

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1) Comparison book review: "Software Estimation" by McConnell and "Agile Estimating and Planning" by Cohn

For this review, I am comparing two recently-published books concerning estimating activities on software development projects. Cohn’s book, as the title suggests, is firmly aimed at the agile development end of the market. McConnell’s book, while covering all sizes of project, will be more useful to practitioners running projects in the large software/systems engineering sector.

There are two interesting findings: one is that Cohn’s book contains much useful material that is otherwise scattered throughout the literature – and material that a casual reader would not expect to find in a book on agile development techniques. The other is that McConnell’s book encompasses the techniques in Cohn’s book and sets them alongside others for comparison. Read more...

2) SBVR and the Semantic Web

One of my associates asked me if I had heard of SBVR. By and large, I hadn’t, and so I did a bit of investigation. It stands for the “Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Rules” and forms part a framework called Model-Driven Architecture (MDA). MDA is a framework provides a set of guidelines for structuring software engineering specifications, expressed as models. These models can be converted into other entities (such as software code) via automated tools. However, the problem has been that it is difficult to specify natural language, such as corporate mission statement, within a formal model. Read more...

3) Agilier has ISO9001 certificate confirmed

We are pleased to confirm that Agilier has been awarded certification to IS09001:2000 standard. This award assures that our internal processes and procedures meet the highest independent standards and ensures that we are able offer our customers the most efficient service delivery.

All best wishes for 2008.

Kind regards,

Marcus Price

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