Validating Assumptions: From Unknown to Known

Although many organizations are successfully using agile practices to develop higher quality, customer-satisfying solutions faster and cheaper, an increasing number of companies are using the same practices to develop the wrong solutions—faster and with a higher level of quality, too. Why is that? Even though most people know that assumptions are the mother of all things that go badly wrong, many “agile” adopting organizations still invest time, money, and resources developing “solutions” based solely on assumptions, opinions, and guesses. Typically, in instances where opinions conflict, the person with the “biggest stick” wins—and when things go wrong, the blame game begins. Drawing on agile principles, lean practices, and personal experience, Ade Shokoya shares a scientifically proven approach for validating assumptions and minimizing the risks inherent in software development projects. Leave knowing where to get the empirical evidence that will enable you to confidently support or challenge—in a non-confrontational way, of course—the key assumptions made on your projects.