Better Software - December 2008 - (Page 11)

Technically Speaking Lessons Learned in Close Quarters Combat by Antony Marcano I’m at the door, heart pounding so loudly I’m sure everyone can hear it. Four silhouettes are flat to the wall. I’m point man, stuck to the edge of the door we’re about to breach. The team lead whispers through a covert radio mike, “Alpha 1 in position.” Silence … tense anticipation … then, after a thirty-second eternity, my earpiece crackles as control responds, “Standby … Standby … Strike! Strike! Strike!” The method of entry (MOE) man, on the opposite edge of the door frame, kicks in the door; behind me, the team lead throws in a stun grenade. BANG! As point man, I enter first—followed by number two. Five action-packed seconds and three targets later, we call out, “ROOM CLEAR!” Instantly, we move to the next room. The MOE man is nearest to it, so he immediately becomes point man. The man on rear cover follows, taking up the MOE position becoming the MOE man. I fall into the number two position behind the point man, becoming team lead. The former team lead drops in behind me to provide rear cover. Each of us instantly switches roles, and the next door is breached without hesitation. This might sound like a scene from an action movie, but, no, it was a close quarters combat (CQC) training session I attended with my fellow Dark Angels— a top UK Airsoft team. Airsoft is a skirmishing sport similar to paintball but with realistic, imitation firearms capable of firing 6mm plastic projectiles at rates in excess of 1,000 rounds per minute. In this training session, we were practicing the latest CQC techniques taught to Special Forces. In CQC situations, Special Forces don’t have time to shuffle around to get team members into the position that an individual’s job title might dictate. Lives are at stake (or points in Airsoft). The team must be able to adapt instantly; there can be no waste in the process. Indeed, there are specialists. For exa demand for multiample, our MOE specialist skilled people. Interestmight tackle the especially It’s simply too ingly, however, history tricky entries or advise the seems to be repeating team on entry tactics, but we wasteful for itself! Until the mid all are competent in MOE. 1990s, high- and lowEach of us is capable of dyprogress to be halted level software design namically switching roles, was performed by sysquickly adapting to changing waiting for a fixed-role tems analysts and then circumstances. This is a perspecialist to finish coded by programmers. fect example of a truly crossPerhaps due to the functional team of generalhis previous task. demands of rapid apizing specialists [1]. plication development, This is almost the opposite of your typical software organi- the roles later combined and the multization, in which each person has a job skilled analyst-programmer emerged. title that fixes his role—business analyst, Subsequently, this became the norm and developer, tester. These job titles make analyst-programmers were thereafter complete sense in phased-development known only as “developers.” Today the title of developer-tester approaches (e.g., waterfall) where the work is divided up as if it were a produc- (or tester-developer) is emerging in retion line; business analysts pass the out- sponse to the flexibility demanded by come of business analysis to developers agile teams—kind of an analyst-prowho pass the result of development on to grammer-tester. As the uptake of agile testers and so on. These job titles make methods grows, this demand is only less sense when using agile approaches going to rise! If history repeats itself, that integrate these activities so tightly the developer-tester may, too, become the norm—negating the need for the that they are all but inseparable. More significantly, however, the bal- “tester” suffix that differentiates them. ance of skills needed during each itera- Yes, the “software tester” job title, one tion (or timebox) fluctuates depending of the last remaining titles derived from on the nature of the features being imple- phased-development methods of old, mented. One change may involve more could suffer the same fate as Ye Olde refactoring (changing internal and not Systems Analyst. This wouldn’t mean that software external behavior) and be protected by pre-existing, automated tests. Another testing as a discipline will disappear alchange may involve limited coding and together—just that many of the testers much more exploratory testing. There and developers of today will need to leave their comfort zones to become the are endless variations on those themes. Like the Airsoft team’s going from developers of tomorrow. So, hold on to your job titles for dear one room to the next, software teams must seamlessly go from one iteration life as the world around you evolves, or to the next. It’s simply too wasteful for broaden your horizons and embrace the progress to be halted waiting for a fixed- future of flexible roles. I’ve chosen the role specialist to finish his previous task. latter. What you do is up to you! {end} Everyone on the team must constantly reFerenceS: adapt so that we continue to fulfill our [1] Ambler, Scott. “Generalizing Specialists: shared responsibility of frequently delivImproving Your IT Career Skills.” Agile Modelering working software. ing, 2006. www.agilemodeling.com/essays/ An increasing number of organizageneralizingSpecialists.htm tions seem to recognize this, creating www.StickyMinds.com DECEMBER 2008 BETTER SOFTWARE 11 http://www.agilemodeling.com/essays/generalizingSpecialists.htm http://www.agilemodeling.com/essays/generalizingSpecialists.htm http://www.StickyMinds.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Better Software - December 2008

Better Software - December 2008 Contents Mark Your Calendar Contributors eLightenment Technically Speaking Code Craft Test Connection Management Chronicles What's a Manager to Do? Six Thinking Hats for Testers The Key to Good Interviewing 2008 Salary Survey Product Announcements 10 Things You Might Not Know About … The Last Word Ad Index

Better Software - December 2008

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