Adaptive Software Development: A Collaborative Approach to Managing Complex Systems

Chapter 1. Software Ascents

High on the north ridge of Mount Jefferson in the Oregon Cascades, near the top of a 25-foot ice wall—a left cramponed foot with two small front-points embedded in the ice, an ice ax pick buried a quarter-inch deep in the ice overhead, right foot scrabbling for purchase on a rock nubbin, and rear extremity hanging 800 feet above the Jefferson glacier—I asked myself, “Did I pick the wrong mountain to climb?”

There are all kinds of climbing environments, ranging from the afternoon recreational outing to those stretching the limits of human capability. Software projects are the same—from those any reasonably skilled team can complete to those only a few world-class organizations should attempt. This book describes a particular ...