In the Timeless Way of Building, Christopher Alexander states "Only in the fluidity of your mind can you concieve a whole." and "Each new pattern in the sequence transforms the whole design created by the previous designs.... it transforms it as a whole, it shakes it up, and realligns it.", then "This can only happen if the design is represented in an utterly fluid medium; it cannot happen in any medium where there is the slightest resistance to change. A drawing, even a rough drawing, is very rigid." [Pg 422].
This alligns with the Agile Business Coach practice of "Zero Documentation". No "documentation" should be produced. The system should live in the minds of the project members including the business and the developers. They may draw diagrams etc. to build the common picture but they should certainly not create version controlled documents that require a high level of effort to maintain.
Posted by chrismatts at October 8, 2003 5:11 PMExcept for the fact that the system lives as bits on a computer, and if you thought a drawing was rigid, code is *much* more rigid. An analogy is a professional athlete. The key to their agility is the ability to change direction quickly, even though their feet still have to touch the ground. Agile practices have to enable the change in direction, but that is implemented by the "feet on the ground," or where the thought becomes software.
Posted by: Darrell at October 8, 2003 8:42 PMPresumably by 'zero documentation' you mean, zero documentation that doesn't add business value?
Posted by: Darren at October 9, 2003 9:52 AM