Software Process And Measurement Cast

SPaMCAST 317 tackles a wide range of frequently asked questions, ranging from the possibility of an acceleration trap, the relevance of function points, whether teams have a peak loads and safe to fail experiments. Questions, answers and controversy! We will also have the next installment of Kim Pries’s column, The Software Sensei! This week Kim discusses robust software. The essay starts with “Agile Can Contribute to an Acceleration Trap” I am often asked whether Agile techniques contribute to an acceleration trap in IT.  In an article in The Harvard Business Review, Bruch and Menges (April 2010) define an acceleration trap as the malaise that sets in as an organization fails prey to chronic overloading. It can be interpreted as laziness or recalcitrance, which then elicits even more pressure to perform, generating an even deeper malaise. The results of the pressure/malaise cycle are generally a poor working atmosphere and employee loss. Agile can contribute to an acceleration trap but only as a reflection o