A study of the use of agile methods within Intel

This study investzgated the use of the agile methods, eXtremeprogramming (XP) and Scrum, at the Intel Network Processor Diwsion engineering team based in Shannon, Ireland over a three-year period The study is noteworthy as it is based on real industrial sofnvare projects involving experienced software engineers, with continuous reflection and monitoring of the application ofthese approaches. It provides evidence that agile methods are far from anti method; rather, they require disciplined application and careful customization to the particular needs of the development context. The study also shows how, XP and Scrum can complement each other to provide a comprehensive agile development method, with XP providing support for technical aspects and Scrum providing support for project planning and tracking. The manner in which XP and Scrum have been customized to suit the needs of the development environment at Intel Shannon is described, as are the lessons learned. The XP practices that Mlere applied did lead to significant benefits, with pair-programming leading to reductions in code defect density of a factor of seven, and one project actually achieving zero defect densit), However, some observed limitations of pair-programming are described. Intel Shannon, also found that not allXPpractices were applicable in their context. Thus, the study suggests that, contrary to suggestions that XP is not divisible or individually selectable, a la carte selection and tailoring of XPpractices can work very well. In the case of Scrum, some local customization has led to a very committed adoptiorl by developers themselves, irl contrast to many development methods whose use is decreed mandatory by management. The success of Scrum is significant. Projects ofsix-month and one-year duration have been delivered ahead of schedule, which bodes well for future ability to accurately plan developnlent projects, a black art in software development up to now.