Agile Modeling Design Workshop

Overview

2-5 days

In this case, a picture is definitely worth a thousand words:

Agile Modeling Pictures

For decades, I have coached and promoted agile design modeling -- using vast whiteboard spaces surrounding a development team, and then spending "2 hours to 2 days" each iteration "at the walls" to collaborate on design ideas, related to algorithms, objects, databases, UI sketches, and more. I encourage the use of simple visual modeling, using minimalistic "UML as sketch" where the emphasis is on creativity, flow, and communication with others. The theme is exploration and communication for design, not documentation.

Then, after a design workshop, the team can sit down at their tables, ideally surrounded by their sketches on the walls, and start implementing the product, inspired by the agile models on the walls.

Each iteration (or Sprint) the team may hold several design workshops, as they feel the need. I definitely encourage at least one workshop near the start of each iteration.

Methods of Education

primarily workshop coaching "at the walls"; some minor discussion, presentation, Q&A

Audience

This can only be for one or two product groups. Attendees should include the cross-functional development team, the Scrum team composed of all areas of discipline (software, interaction design, domain expertise, database, architecture, business analysis, documentation, testing, ...) necessary for creating the product.

If there are two groups, we will need an especially large modeling room with truly *massive* whiteboard areas, in which each group uses 2 of the 4 walls.

Level

This is an immersive workshop. No prior knowledge is absolutely required, but the experiences and knowledge will extend from introductory to intermediate or advanced. And, it the workshop is most effective for people who have met the prerequisites.

Prerequisites

There are not strict prerequisites. However, people who have attended any one of the follow courses will be better prepared to take full advantage of this workshop:

• Agile Software Development: Hands-on Practices, Principles, Agile Modeling, and TDD
• Agile Design and Modeling for Advanced Object Design with Patterns
• Applying UML and Patterns: Hands-on Mastery of OOA/D, Agile Modeling, & Patterns -- & with TDD introduction

Objectives

This is not a course per se, but a product-specific (or 2 products maximum) workshop to do design work. Nevertheless, in the context of the workshop, participants will learn more about visual modeling, new ways to model problems, and specific analysis- or design-patterns, as required.

Outline

• set up the modeling walls
• short group session to synchronize
• agile design modeling at the walls

Maximum Participants

For each product group (2 maximum): 9 people (i.e., one maximum-sized Scrum team)

Environment - Room, Tools, Texts

If there are two groups, we will need an especially large modeling room with truly *massive* whiteboard areas, in which each group uses 2 of the 4 walls.

Read this: Course Environment - Workshop Style1

Text and Notes

• a useful pre-read is The Scrum Primer