A few years ago the Software development teams at ASTRON decided to adopt the Agile/Scrum software development method. We are building instruments and software that push technological boundaries. Requirements often lack sufficient detail and are subject to constant change, whilst the first data from a new instrument or early prototype become available. The unknown unknowns largely outnumber the known unknowns. Agile/Scrum has proven to be successful in situations like these. We stumbled and fell, but gained a lot of experience in how Agile development techniques can be used in the scientific arena. We learned what works, and what does not work. We became more and more convinced that Agile/Scrum can be very effective in the area of Scientific Software development. In this presentation I would like to take you by the hand and revisit the journey we have made, in the hope that you will learn from the mistakes that we have made, and the lessons that we have learned.
Link to PDF (may not be available yet): O6-1.pdf