The Agile Architect

Agile Holiday Wishes: T'was the Night Before Release...

Our agile architect offers a programming twist on a classic holiday tale.

• By Mark J. Balbes, Ph.D.
• December 20, 2011

T'was the night before release
All lights shining bright
Not a programmer was sleeping,
They'd been awake a fortnight

The servers were crashing
The bugs piled up high
No one tested the system
They just yelled "retry"

When suddenly a sound,
Much to their astonishment
The Agile Architect appeared
Spouting his admonishment

Where are your tests? Do you pair?
Is your customer aware?
Fear not, my friends
Do not yet despair

Let's go back in time
Let's do this thing right
Let the power of agile
Shed a new light

Test-Driven development
That's the first thing
Then pair with your colleagues
Get the benefit it brings

Continuous integration
Let those build servers run
We mustn’t let up
Fix those bugs as they come

Sustainable pace
Don’t work horrible hours
Long days make things worse
Keep sharp your mental powers

Now look quick, my friends
Again the release is upon us
But things are different this time
We’re working smooth without fuss

A brand new result we have
The system just works
The customer is happy
There are no anomalous quirks

A release retrospective
A look back in time
Can we do better?
At least better than my rhyme

The Agile Architect waved adieu
His work was now done
On to the next project
For more agile fun