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Agile Development with ICONIX Process: People, Process, and Pragmatism
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List Price:
$49.99
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$39.99
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Manufacturer: Apress
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 005.1
EAN: 9781590594643
ISBN: 1590594649
Label: Apress
Manufacturer: Apress
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 261
Publication Date: 2005-02-22
Publisher: Apress
Studio: Apress
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Editorial Reviews:
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...the authors were careful not to throw the (agile) baby out with the (XP) bathwater. The aim was to refactor the process not to destroy it completely. — Pan Pantziarka, Application Development Advisor This book describes how to apply ICONIX Process (a minimal, use case-driven modeling process) in an agile software project. It's full of practical advice for avoiding common "agile" pitfalls. Further, the book defines a core agile subset&emdash;so those of you who want to "get agile" need not spend years learning to do it. Instead, you can simply read this book and apply the core subset of techniques. The book follows a real-life .NET/C# project from inception and UML modeling, to working code&emdash;through several iterations. You can then go on-line to compare the finished product with the initial set of use cases. The book also introduces several extensions to the core ICONIX Process, including combining Test-Driven Development (TDD) with up-front design to maximize both approaches (with examples using Java and JUnit). And the book incorporates persona analysis to drive the project's goals and reduce requirements churn.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Agile development with ICONIX review
Comment: This Text is a very well targeted book for the novice as well as a reference for experts in agile software development. This book when combined with "Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UML: Theory and Practice" creates an excellent package if both documents can be obtained for use simultaneously.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Buy the books in the correct order
Comment: First beware that books with almost the same titles have been written by the same author and some of his fellows between 1999 and 2007:
1999: "Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UML: A Practical Approach": This is the "reference" book although it seems ICONIX has evolved since if we consider later books and various articles online. I am considering acquiring this one after disapointments about "Agile Development with ICONIX Process."
2001: "Applying Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UML : An Annotated e-Commerce Example": This seems to have been written to illustrate the first book with a web example.
2005: "Agile Development with ICONIX Process, People, Process and Pragmatism": This is the book we are talking about here. I bought it because of its relative recentness and was quite disapointed: a bigger part of the book is dedicated to defend the ICONIX process on one hand (this is what many other comments denounce about the 1999 book), and to explore new extensions that obviously have not yet stabilized.
2006 and 2007: Two new books published only a few monthes apart, from two different editors, and especially with almost identical titles: "Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UML - ICONIX Process in Theory and Practice" (Addison-Wesley, jun. 2006) and "Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UML - Theory and Practice", (Apress, jan. 2007). The first is unavailable at this time on Amazon and is very expensive ($160). Given the titles, these two new (and identical ?) books might be a rewrite of the 1999 reference.
What I liked in the book:
1. The process is explained quite clearly
2. Whether you adhere to ICONIX or not (I do), the messages it carries is worth it: use a small and consistent subset of UML and the rest when only needed. It also helps to understand the "why's" of diffrent diagrams, that are not necessarily well explained by quality books such as UML Distilled.
3. For those who did some reading beforehand, the book shows what have been the minor evolutions (and the presistent doubts) in the process compared to what Rosenberg and Scott wrote online around 2001 (DrDobb's and InformIT.
2. An example is given (web), with som code, stressing the explorations around the robustness diagrams.
What I disliked about the book (this the three stars):
1. It is not a reference book :a) Robustness diagram rules aren't even exposed/reminded. b) Almost nothing is said about the milestones leaving (thus the need to consider buying the other books)
2. It is to some extent a too much propaganda book: The book is divided in three parts and only one is about the core process. The first part is ICONIX propaganda and the third part is about forrays into new [and probably immature] extensions.
3. There is a persistent ambiguity about whether use case text should be written as they are identified (before requirements review) or should these be left for the Analysis & Preliminary design phase (and checked at the preliminary design review).
Conclusion: If you'd consider buying a book about the ICONIX process, I'd advise you to buy the 1999 book or one of the two new ones. They most probably would contain precise guidelines on how the method works than this 2005 volume. You should buy this book only as a second read for 1999 or as complement for 2006 or 2007 if needed.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Common sense approach that doesn't throw the baby out with the bath water.
Comment: I'm a big fan of Doug's methodology and books, so I'm biased. I'm a fan because I know his process works... I've used it in a number of medical device projects. In the area of safety critical or mission critical systems, you can't throw out requirments and process; it isn't an option. I would argue that it is also not smart.
This book does a great job of explaining how to achieve the core ideals of agile without sacrificing the up-front work (requirements and modeling) that are necessary to achieve a high quality system within a reasonable schedule and cost. I love the fact that the book harkens back to core software engineering principles and shows how this process enforces those principles while encouraging just the right amount of agility to react in a timely manner to mid-course corrections that every project (accept the very small) experience.
The book demonstrates an important aspect that I have used in my own projects; the core process is robust to the needs of different projects. For example, adding a release plan for scheduling the implementation of individual or groups of use-cases or expanding use-cases using interaction design. Extensibility is the mark of a solid, well thought-out core design; whether it be a process or software.
The approach was very balanced in light of the fact that Doug and Matt have been some of the most vocal detractors of the Agile/XP neuvo processes. It takes someone from outside the religion to bring balance; they have done that with this book. Their "sweet spot" is within reach!
Best!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Real-World Experience
Comment: About two years ago, I reviewed Doug's books and contacted him to help me on a new software development effort I was directing. I had low expectations because my team was just learning professional software methods period. Doug came in and taught the five main diagraming techniques, including robustness diagrams. After the class, he pitched-in to help with documenting all of our use-cases and thoroughly disambiguating our problem domain. This was the most successfull software project in the history of the company. As a direct result of Doug's methodology and consulting, we delivered a reliable and re-usable core product line. Because of this, we have been able to consistently deliver great software based on the original core time-after-time.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Better than the last one
Comment: I was totally shocked at how horrible the "Refactored" book was written. That book was loaded with unsubstaintiated anecdotal claims written by anonymous "informants?" versus actual and highly selective quotes from XP practitioners lifted from usenet postings with misspellings included that struck me as character assassination. It was opinion disguised as analysis and pseudo-scolarship.
This book seems a bit more measured. It seems like the authors finally embrace the core tenets of Agility but they are still (I think unfairly) knocking some of the things that XP in particular touts, based on some strange assumptions. One assumption that runs through the Iconix folks writings is that robustness and responsiveness are opposing forces. They are not, or at least need not be. I know this becuase I've seen a highly robust and highly responsive XP team at work. The root of this thinking is in the belief that developing software is like any manufacturing endeavor, where quality and cost are also trade offs. Oddly, with Agility in general (and XP in particular), increasing the quality actually is shown to reduce cost. Also, I know this because I've seen this. And XP doesn't mean that there are no documents and no diagrams. It just means that they aren't as valuable as executing code. I still can hardly recognize the thinly-disguised invective of the last book as coming from the same authors as this book. I would say the authors have grown up a bit.
I think the Iconix people's departure with XP originates in Pair Programming. My in-the-trenches experience with pairing is that if you've never really done it, ie, given it a real chance not killed the baby with preconceived notions, you won't ever get it. Most anti-XP people are simply against pairing because they don't understand how it actually works in practice.
One example of how pairing works is to hear my friend tell what it was like to program PROM / PAL code as an embedded-systems programmer way back. They ALWAYS pair programmed because you can't afford to screw up a couple of PROMs a day, that would be blowing $400 or so. The same holds true today with an IT developer coding off a cliff alone on his workstation, blowing several hundreds or even thousands of bucks a day because nobody is reviewing his code BEFORE he checks it in.
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