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XP, not your mama's process

• XP, not your mama's process

  AirWave Wireless (previous gig) Acquired

  01.11.08 | Permalink |

  I put nearly four years into my previous gig at AirWave Wireless. They were acquired this week by Aruba Networks.

  Wi-Fi Planet:

  I—and most of our customers—believe that Airwave is simply the best solution for managing multi-vendor networks. … What customers and prospects are requesting is true multi-vendor support … It is in the context of addressing market demand that Aruba is choosing to acquire Airwave

  –Dominic Orr, President and CEO of Aruba Networks

  Professionally, this is a proud moment. Congratulations to business development, sales, customer support and engineering.

  There is a method to Agile methods. Years of listening to customers, testing and coding works to add real value to a business.

  While searching for news, I noticed a recent job posting for AirWave Wireless.

  We believe that running code and short feedback loops speak louder than excessive documentation and month-long design meetings. We practice test-driven development and have a comprehensive suite of tests — over 31,000 at last count. We pair program, so you’ll learn the system quickly and have a great time doing it. We have short release cycles, which means your talents won’t sit idle working on projects that never see the light of day. Software you write today will be managing enterprise networks in just a couple of weeks. We’ve been cited as the longest running continuous XP project in the industry (six years and counting) so we have gotten quite good at embracing advantages while avoiding its pitfalls.

  Personally, I enjoy working at Airwave more than any job I’ve ever had. I am excited to come into work every day, I work hard for eight hours solving challenging problems, and then go home to lead a well balanced life outside of work. When I’m at work I get to interact closely with a group that is brilliant, funny, motivated, and inspiring. I spend most of the day smiling, laughing, and learning. The team we’ve built is truly a special group, and I’m proud and honored to be a part of it.

  Humm… a group of people that truly enjoy and take pride in their work. Does that reflect in the product they build? Does that impact the value they add to the company? You bet.

  

• XP, not your mama's process

  Satisfying the need for perfection

  05.11.07 | Permalink | 1 Comment

  Kent Beck mentioned something in his book about a programmer who made elaborate iron pieces to satisfy his need for perfection - because he couldn’t find it on his team. I have seen others who work on open source or outside projects to get that need out of their system.

  On truly excellent teams, I haven’t felt compelled to pursue outside programming activities. And now that I think about it, those folks haven’t felt that pull either.

  When they did feel the pull, they would build something for the team. Sometimes someone would work on making the development environment better. Everyone was grateful for making their work lives better. Other times, some sub-system was slow, but not slow enough to justify the effort improving it. Someone would tackle that tricky problem - for fun - in their spare time.

  When I am involved with difficult teams, my level of outside work increases. I’ll start hacking, writing, or get obsessive about something else. I need a ‘fix’ of getting something accomplished.

  

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