Lucas, Todd, Chris and all, For more information on Agile software development methods, you can look at: www.agilealliance.org and, specifically, www.agilemanifesto.org
And, yes, they are used in situations where highly complex software is being developed. Sometimes folks who are developing open source software use agile methods but not always. The only time I've seen open space in a software development context is as a conference format. (Which doesn't mean it hasn't happened. I just am not aware of it.) As to whether open source and/or open space and/or agile methods have some points of congruency, I think they do. All have an emphasis on self-organization and, as the agile folks say, finding the simplest effective way, for instance. To the extent that some external group sets the priority for the focus of activity, Agile and Open Space have a similar starting point. However, there are also differences. Agile methods are intended to culminate in a primarily pre- determined product, even though there may be adjustments along the way. Open source developers often work in physical isolation and may communicate primarily through email and IM-ing. That can work well for solving thorny technical problems, but has its limits for human and organizational process issues. I've witnessed both the excitement and the limits of this. Comparing Open Space with Open Source and Agile SD Methods is a bit like comparing apples, oranges and rubber tires. They all take the form of a circle, but things are different from there. Diana Diana Larsen www.futureworksconsulting.com 503-288-3550 Upcoming Workshop: "The Secrets of Agile Teamwork: Beyond Technical Skills" Presenters: Diana Larsen, Esther Derby and Ken Schwaber. April 5-7, 2005 See the Events section of our website for more details... * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
