Development Process Artifacts

Overview

There are a few artifacts that are core to an effective development process. Here I catalog both my preferred approach for the established ones as well as those that I have created in my own evolution of the practice.

Team Backlog

A team backlog is to a development team as raw materials are to a manufacturing process. Quality material flows well through the process. Poor materials move roughly, damage the system itself, and produce sub-standard outcomes, like pouring cement mix into a wood chipper.

Task Board

An effective task board can help your team have better conversation and interaction during development cycles. I have yet to see an alternative to physical boards be quite as effective for colocated or mostly colocated teams. That said, there are principles to keep in mind to ensure your digital task boards are as effective as can be.

Burndown Chart

The up-to-the minute visualization of work flowing through the team provides great value, but it doesn’t provide the full picture of the trajectory of the work committed for the cycle.

Development Log

The schedulable work is just one part of what happens in a cycle. Development Logs are an artifact for capturing a more holistic picture of team cycles.