A study of the use of agile methods within Intel

This study investigated the use of the agile methods, eXtreme programming (XP) and Scrum, at the Intel Network Processor Division engineering team based in Shannon, Ireland, over a three-year period. The study is noteworthy as it is based on real industrial software projects involving experienced software engineers, with continuous reflection and monitoring of the application of these approaches. It provides evidence that agile methods are far from anti method; rather, they require disciplined application and careful customization to the particular needs of the development context. The study also shows how XP and Scrum can complement each other to provide a comprehensive agile development method, with XP providing support for technical aspects and Scrum providing support for project planning and tracking. The manner in which XP and Scrum have been customized to suit the needs of the development environment at Intel Shannon is described, as are the lessons teamed. The XP practices that were applied did lead to significant benefits, with pair-programming leading to reductions in code defect density of a factor of seven, and one project actually achieving zero defect density. However, some observed limitations of pair-programming are described. Intel Shannon also found that not all XP practices were applicable in their context. Thus, the study suggests that, contrary to suggestions that XP is not divisible or individually selectable, a la carte selection and tailoring of XP practices can work very well. In the case of Scrum, some local customization has led to a very committed adoption by developers themselves, in contrast to many development methods whose use is decreed mandatory by management. The success of Scrum is significant. Projects of six-month and one-year duration have been delivered ahead of schedule, which bodes well for future ability to accurately plan development projects, a black art in software development up to now.