Choosing between Waterfall and Agile SA&D Approaches Workshop

by Lucas Miglionico

The home grounds model is a simple framework for mapping and measuring key project characteristics for software systems projects. Gary Spurrier and Heikki Topi expanded on this model by developing three distinct groupings for these characteristics, and operationalize their use in a radar chart. They provided a detailed presentation at an AMCIS 2020 workshop titled, A Holistic SA&D Approach to Agile, Plan-Driven and Hybrid Systems Project Options. This expanded model is featured in Dr. Spurrier and Dr. Topi's Systems, Analysis, and Design textbook, and can help students choose between waterfall, agile, and hybrid approaches to projects. Now let's find out what attendees learned about in this workshop.

 

Highlights of this workshop

      • Industry Practices Debate: This division between plan-driven and agile was explored in a recent blog post by Joe McKendrick for ZDNet. You can find the blog here: Culture still keeps eating Agile software strategies for breakfast.

      • Home Grounds Model: The home grounds model was developed by Barry Boehm and Richard Turner. Gary Spurrier and Heikki Topi expand on this model in this workshop, and utilize it in their pedagogy of their new textbook.

      • Hybrid Approach: A new SA&D approach which combines elements from both waterfall and agile methods. The authors made the case that the hybrid approach takes the requirements from both methodologies.
       
      • Project Characteristics Groupings: These include; functional requirements, non-functional requirements, and team characteristics.

      • Radar Chart: A visual aid that helps in mapping and measuring key project characteristics.

      • Tutorial: Attendees participated in an exercise to plot these characteristics on a radar chart.
  • Click here to see the full video recorded by AIS at AMCIS 2020.

 

Other videos featuring Professors Topi and Spurrier

 

Find out more about Spurrier and Topi's Systems Analysis & Design

 

Topics: Conferences

Lucas Miglionico

Written by Lucas Miglionico