Imagine we are starting a new Agile project, one that is key to our competitive position. We need to deliver in six months. Our competition is already in the market, so we must at least match them on features and quality. This project is twice as large as other projects we've done recently, but the project is important enough to put our best people on it. Two teams stand out - their velocity is consistently high on the projects they've completed. If we put those teams together, their combined velocity should do the trick! Well, maybe it's not quite that easy. In Predictable Change - Flexing the Five Core Levers of Software Development, Dr. Andy Berner from QSM introduces the key metrics used to predict what it takes to do a new project and some of the issues you'll encounter when moving from Agile iteration planning to planning new projects and releases.
Dr. Andy Berner is a senior software engineer at Quantitative Software Management, Inc. Previously, Andy worked at IBM where he was lead architect for enablement and strategy in the Ready for IBM Rational program. Andy has done extensive consulting on software development methods and tools, recently focusing on integrations of tools and team members throughout the software lifecycle. Prior to IBM, Andy spent 11 years at EDS. In a former life, Andy was a research mathematician and teacher. He now helps QSM customers improve their ability to manage and control their projects.