Implementing Agile in an SDLC Environment

As IT systems have increasingly become critical cornerstones to an organization's ability to conduct business, there has been a growing demand - often through legislation - that the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) mitigate the risk of updating these systems. Development in such a world often involves gatekeepers and an abundance of artifacts to document the testing and approval milestones that were achieved in producing the system change.

On the face of it, such an environment appears to beg for the standard waterfall approach to SDLC. Usually a bureaucratic process has grown up surrounding software release to ensure that compliance can be documented. This is hardly a nursery for an Agile methodology with its focus on releasing workable software every sprint. However, this month's presentation by Philip Manketo will challenge that mindset and show how even in a company where IT governance must be part of the release process there is still room for an Agile methodology to improve the traditional SDLC.

Philip Manketo is a senior Agile consultant with the Eliassen Group and a Certified Scrum Master. With his proven track record leveraging Agile practices for Fortune 500 clients, start-ups, and federal government entities, you won't want to miss this opportunity to hear the insight from this experienced Agile practitioner.

If time permits there will be a second presentation, "Debating Big Design Up Front vs. Emergent Design" by the P&P Meetup organizers, Steve Stewart and Jim Tomney. As a preview of their topic, consider the following statement from the Random Acts of Architecture website:

"One argument software architects regularly encounter is that time spent designing systems is wasted. Many say that 'big design up front' is not the agile way and 'emergent design' is more effective. This cuts straight to the value proposition of an architect. If up front design has no place in the Agile world, are architects redundant?"

We will meet at TEKsystems in Linthicum. There is plenty of free parking in front of the building. The meeting will start at 7:00 PM. If you get there after 7:00 and find yourself locked out, you will find our phone number posted on the front door. Call the number and someone will come to let you in. Don't be embarrassed - happens all the time.

We will provide a little time for networking before the meeting, so you are welcome to arrive a few minutes early for pizza and conversation.

Many thanks to TEKsystems for hosting this meeting and providing pizza and soft drinks.