Agile is not the easy way out according to Agile Africa 2015 keynote speaker, Dr Rebecca Parsons, ThoughtWorks’ CTO. In her address at the third annual Agile Africa conference, taking place on 24 to 26 August 2015, Dr Parsons will explore three perspectives on Agile software development and demonstrate why the various Agile practices, while not the easy way out, are indeed the most effective in both the short and long term.
Prof Barry Dwolatzky, director of the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) at Wits University and the host of Agile Africa says: “We are excited to learn more from Dr Parsons who has over 20 years of application development experience across several vertical industries. With our third conference being the most exciting, we are honoured to have Dr Parsons address Agile Africa 2015.”
According to Dr Parsons, Agile is not the easiest way to develop software, but it is the easiest way to develop good software effectively. There are three aspects of Agility that make it hard: the rigour involved in the practice of Agile, the support for sustainability that is achieved through the practice of Agile, and the extent to which Agile forces us to deal with the world as it is and not how it might be.
Dwolatzky says that Agile Africa 2015 will gain immense benefit from a speaker such as Dr Parsons: “Rebecca has been published in both language and artificial intelligence publications, served on numerous program committees, and done reviews for several journals. She has extensive experience leading in the creation of large-scale distributed object applications and the integration of disparate systems.”
Agile Africa 2015 will take place at The Parktonian Hotel and will yet again be part of the Fak’ugesi African Digital Innovation Festival, which runs from 24 August until 13 September 2015.