We know that your time here is limited. We understand that you want information delivered with personal opinion. That's why we've created the Two Pages Series. Because of the limited space (the PDF versions must not exceed two pages) two things are our top priority:
These documents contain our thoughts, experience, and philosophies. We hope that you find them useful and entertaining. Most of all, we hope that you'll think about the topics in ways that you previously didn't.
(Do you miss a categorization? Well, when we reach 20 documents in the series, some organization might be useful.)
Oh, one more thing. Because of the limited space in the documents, the online versions (as opposed to the PDFs) of these documents contain some extra goodies, such as acknowledgements that build up when our customers and friends find errors, and additional references to related information.
This document reveals the extremely obvious secret why most agile methodologies (such as Scrum) actually work, and why most heavy-weight processes (such as RUP) don’t. It bothers me quite a bit that so many people fail to see what’s actually going on when it comes to software development. I’ll try to make a small difference in that regard. Will I be able to explain the evident in just two pages? Perhaps.
Do you have comments about the text? Share them, or see what others have to say. You can also download a PDF version here.
2 Pages on Agile Methodologies was written by Björn Karlsson and the latest update was done on 2008-08-12.
What’s the reason for people to work together towards a common goal? Presumably, it is to create something that they could not do on their own. When you go to work, you and your fellow programmers set out to create value – by combining your contributions. The things that you personally do might even be useless without the things others do. You have let go of your individuality in order to create a primitive intellectual focal point.
2 Pages on Intellectual Focal Points was written by Björn Karlsson and the latest update was done on 2008-08-12.
I recently went to Japan on a business trip. Something that I really wanted to learn more about was the cultural differences in organizations. The Japanese are supposedly working very long hours inside very strict hierarchies and protocol is as important as it once was for the samurai. The only thing I knew for certain was the fantastic success many Japanese companies are enjoying. Would I be able to swim in the undercurrents of these mental waters?
2 Pages on Japan was written by Björn Karlsson and the latest update was done on 2008-08-16.
One of the most annoying features of modern software is the licensing. Sometimes it’s a hardware dongle[1] that will cause all kinds of trouble (if you have an appropriate port available for it). Other times, online activation fails for unknown reasons, or known reasons without an easy remedy. When you purchase a new computer, it takes virtually forever to find and install old licenses. And worst of the lot are the systems that require checking out a license from a network license manager at runtime; when they fail (they do), so does the business processes that rely on them.
2 Pages on License Protection was written by Björn Karlsson and the latest update was done on 2008-08-01.
What does it take to be a good manager? Well, management in modern organizations does not really follow predetermined patterns. It’s not enough to read a couple of management books or attend an online management school. In fact, instructions can hurt you more than they help, if you don’t realize that there are no recipes for how you should act. I believe that the only way to become a good manager is to also be a leader. Only then should you start working on those colorful reports that will make your manager happy.
2 Pages on Management was written by Björn Karlsson and the latest update was done on 2008-08-14.
Why do (software) engineers constantly try to find THE RIGHTTM methodology? Well, for one thing, we want to be as efficient is possible. Nothing wrong with that, but what concerns me is when we start believing in universal methodologies that simply do not exist. The reasons why they don’t exist are that 1) we have different needs and 2) the environments in which we act are different. Thus, how to organize and work in the best way clearly depends on who we are and where we are. Scrum, eXtreme Programming, RUP, and even that nasty old waterfall; any methodology must never be more than a framework from which we obtain a solid foundation to build from.
2 Pages on One Size Fits All was written by Björn Karlsson and the latest update was done on 2008-08-08.
Throughout the streets, people are briskly walking with a determined look on their faces; towards targets that must not be missed, deadlines that desperately need to be met. The people do not need to look where they are going, for they have been there many times before. They are all prisoners of habit; of following existing patterns.
2 Pages on Patterns was written by Björn Karlsson and the latest update was done on 2008-08-27.
Should programmers play the muscle-flexing gym game that the big (dumb) broilers do? Is it really reasonable to expect runners to share their tracks with engineers listening to Weird Al Yankovic’s "White and Nerdy" on their iPods? And if that is indeed the case, what’s in it (I mean, really?) for those brainiacs that are suddenly turning into slim, good-looking, and all-too-healthy people? Read on for some truly shocking claims about the Real WorldTM and what exercise could do for you.
2 Pages on Programmers' Physical State was written by Björn Karlsson and the latest update was done on 2008-07-30.
A lot of people dream about writing a book. Others would never even think of pursuing such a crazy idea. And some actually go ahead and write one, and since I belong to that lucky category I wanted to share a few things that might be of interest to you – whichever category you belong to. Yes, even if you don’t want to write a book you could learn something valuable about writing. If that’s what this text is really about.
2 Pages on Writing a Book was written by Björn Karlsson and the latest update was done on 2008-08-25.
