Velocity Partners offshore software development company’s new Principle Agile Evangelist, Bill DeVoe explains that, “The 3 C’s are a core component of good agile implementations. And making sure that we focus on delivering all 3 – especially our conversations – can help an agile team reach even loftier heights.”  He reminds us all that even if you have been practicing Agile for years (or if you are new to the practice), it is good for all practitioners to review or learn the “3 C’s.”

The 3 C’s were defined by Ron Jeffries in 2001 as the card, conversation, and confirmation.  The card started out as a 3 x 5 card, and the small size ensured it kept the story short and concise.  The evolving format focuses on: As a <role>, I want <some functionality> so that <I get some benefit>.  While it is not necessary to follow this exact format, it is a good starting point especially for Product Owners new to Agile. 

The next C stands for conversation and typically gets started when a developer reads off the card in order to begin a conversation about it.  In most cases, it is the Product Owner who begins to answer questions and gets the dialogue going regarding the story.  Bill reminds Agile practitioners that, “Conversations are the backbone of agile (if you check the Agile Manifesto, you’ll see that three of the four values deal with communication).”

Confirmation is the third C and involved the acceptance criteria.  This included the team’s consensus of when the story was complete as well as answering questions such as what should the software do when finished?  In some cases the acceptance criteria was written on the back of the card as a way to remind developers what the system should do. 

We encourage you to visit Velocity Partners’ website to learn more about our professional nearshore software development services. By combining quality software development and staff scalability, we provide our customers with optimal business solutions.  

 Again expert Bob Galen, Principle Agile Coach and consultant, recently posted a blog on our website that is extremely helpful to the community. He discusses a pattern of collaborative partnering over embedded UX in the teams or independent UX outside of the teams.   Bob illustrates the point with a story that involved helping a client to understand and practice release-level planning across Scrum teams.  He discusses some of the changes that were a result of his advice such as incorporating UX design work and cross-team dependencies in their projects. 

In his example, the firm had hired a talented designer who was given the job of redesigning a few of their legacy applications as well as designing some new components. The problem was that the designer reported directly to the Chief Product Owner and developed an entire view toward a redesign of a specific area in their product line.  Furthermore, it was done without any input from the development Scrum teams.  On top of that, the Chief Product Owner began to push the teams toward the new design ideas.

Bob initially was brought in to fix another problem, but as an Agile expert he soon found people looking to him for a solution.  His first efforts involved engaging the designer in a release planning exercise that included allowing the designer to present her ideas to the team.  In addition the team was allowed to brainstorm design ideas and story reactions of their own.  The next step was to allow the whole group to create a merged or shared view of the work via user stories.  The goal was to allow the Scrum team as well as the designer to develop a shared view for what would become a feasible plan. 

We encourage you to take a look at the rest of Bob’s posts along with his many other very informative blogs.  For 15 years, he has been a pragmatic and passionate Agile trainer, coach and practitioner and has successfully leveraged Agile methods as the best way to deliver software value.  He states that, “While not being a silver bullet, they simply work better than anything I've tried.”  

Since we use a distributed Agile model for our software development, it means we are able to minimize the impact of distribution and offer clients exceptional planning and accurate distribution as well as an exceptional value.  To effectively achieve this goal, our team communicates by a variety of methods including daily standups as well as process and code reviews.

As the name suggests, the “daily standup” is a meeting that takes place every day at a designated time with the purpose of bringing each team member up-to-date.  The timeframe is 15 minutes, although larger teams may need more time.  As defined by the Agile Alliance organization, each team member stands up and briefly describes their completed contributions as well as any obstacles that stand in the way of their continued success. 

Agile Alliance states that, “Usually, Scrum's Three Questions are used to structure discussion.”  Questions include: what have you completed since the last meeting; what do you plan to complete by the next meeting; and what is getting in your way?

To visualize the progress and obstacles of a project, daily standups are typically held in front of a task board.  A white board (or even a wall) is usually divided into three columns, titled, "To Do", "In Progress" and "Done".  This allows the team to easily reference the progress of the project with notations regarding the status of each task the team is working on or already completed.   Agile experts say that using sticky notes, sticky dots etc. ensure that there is an easy system to actively change and update the status of a task. 

Daily standups can prevent problems from getting overlooked and make it easier to catch and address an issue before it becomes a much bigger one.  The meetings also help to support continued team bonding.  Another benefit of the daily meeting is that it is not only much shorter than typical sit-down meetings, but given the short timeframe, it must stay on track to keep within the allotted time. 

Velocity Partners expertly delivers nearshore (Western hemisphere) software development services using a distributed Agile model that offers outstanding planning, accurate delivery and optimal business value. Our team is comprised of top Agile experts, consultants, and engineers who believe in not only meeting but exceeding our customers’ expectations. Contact us to learn more about how a distributed Agile model provides high-quality software development.

As a leading Agile software development firm, Velocity Partners offers your company total transparency and unparalleled collaboration and communication.  When you hire our experienced team, you can be confident we will make your project a priority and deliver on efficiency and output.  For us, software development begins with asking lots of questions and encouraging feedback throughout the process to ensure you get the best business solution to meet your specific challenges and goals. 

Each of our delivery centers is equipped with state-of-the-art voice/video virtual team rooms that allow us to effectively communicate with you and your team as well as VP’s entire team.  On occasions we have even had our team members visit our other centers to lay the groundwork for effectively working with a particular client.  However regardless of the location of our team, it will be built around the technical expertise you require and your business domain.

For example earlier this year, we had members of our Argentina-based development team travel to Caracas, Venezuela to meet face-to-face with their Velocity coworkers.   The trip was an exceptionally fruitful visit as developers attended training sessions, shared tips and engaged in team-building exercises designed to provide optimal service for a new client. 

By working toward their mutual goal, the team established a heightened sense of collaboration that proved to be both highly productive and empowering.  The shared information and technical concepts and processes they developed, which would be used on a daily basis, prepared them for the task that lay before them. 

As we use a distributed Agile model for our software development, it means we work closely with each client in order to present optimal solutions that are designed to reduce the potential for risk.  In addition we recognize that you are our boss, and our job is not done until you are completely satisfied.  Contact us for more information.   

In today’s fast-changing business environment, organizations must adapt quickly to evolving customer expectations, technological advancements, and market demands. Traditional project management approaches often struggle to provide the flexibility needed to respond to these changes effectively. Agile methodologies have emerged as a powerful solution, enabling organizations to improve collaboration, accelerate delivery, increase transparency, and create greater business value. Winmill PPM’s Agile Services help organizations successfully adopt, scale, and optimize Agile practices to achieve sustainable growth and operational excellence.

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