MSF v4.0 and agile development
Microsoft Solutions Framework next version 4 explicitly includes elements from Agile Methods for software development [1], some of these elements will have built-in support [2] in next version of Visual Studio .NET
Behind this evolution are modern observations about software development singularities which imply a particular management to create goods made of bits, in contrast to traditional management to build goods made of atoms [3].
What is plain wrong and misleading with this article [2] is the characterization between an agile and a formal process:
Formal processes are a set of very specialized mathematical modeling techniques that are applicable to systems design, heavily based on propositional calculus or first-order logic mathematics with tools like VDM or Z language. See http://www.afm.sbu.ac.uk/
On the other hand, agile processes are based on empirical control, self-adaptation and emergent behavior.
The article seems to contrast these quite orthogonal things and doing so just add confusion and misleading information.
Perhaps and most likely, what the author is trying to say with “formal processes” is “processes following established forms and conventions”, but even if this is the case, a less misleading phrase could be “traditional processes” instead of “formal”.
A more real difference can be stated as “a plan-driven” (traditional) vs. “planning-driven” (agile) processes.
[1]
Manifesto for Agile Software Development
http://www.agilemanifesto.org/
http://www.agilealliance.org/
[2]
Visual Studio 2005 Team System: Microsoft Solutions Framework
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/teamsystem/msf/default.aspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnvsent/html/vsts-msf.asp?frame=true
[3]
No Silver Bullet Revisited
http://virtualschool.edu/cox/pub/NoSilverBulletRevisted/
