NxtGenUG are pleased to announce their annual conference Fest10 will be taking place on Bournemouth Pier this year on Friday the 16th July 2010. It’s a great opportunity to take the family to the Seaside for the weekend, and catch up on technology. The best thing is attendance to the conference is free to members and just £59.95 for non-members.
Speakers
We have a great speaker line up this year, Google’s Jon Skeet will be talking about C#, Microsoft’s Glenn Block is coming over from Redmond to talk about MEF, Ryan Simpson will be giving us the lowdown on F#. We’ll also be having NxtGenUG veterans Mike Taulty, on OData and Chris Hay on Azure, Plus Marcus Perryman will be talking about one of the hottest technologies this year Windows Phone 7.
To register simply click here and follow the instructions on screen.
Parking, Hotels and Timings
Full details about parking, hotel accommodation and timings for the day can be found on the Fest10 site. The nearest parking for Bournemouth Pier is either in the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC – 20) car park, the Bournemouth Pavilion car parks (19/24) or the car park next to the Royal Bath hotel (18). However, there is also further car parking available at Eden Glen car park (21), Winter Gardens car park (22) and Beacon Road car park (25).
For Hotels, the RusselCourt is where the evening entertainment will be. Quote: NxtGenUG when booking, otherwise Bournemouth has a large amount of hotels, including the Best Western Hotel Royale.
Geek Dinner
It’s the Fest10 geek dinner – normal rules apply – pay for your own food/drink, and engage in great conversation, and eat fish and chips at Harry Ramsden’s. To register for the geek dinner, click here.
Post Fest Party
We’ll also be having a post Fest Party at the RusselCourt Hotel – If you’ve brought your family down for the weekend feel free to bring them along. Just register on the site and drop us an email on how many people you’ll be bringing with you to enquiries@nxtgenug.net
Sponsorship
NxtGenUG would like to thank DevExpress, our gold sponsor, along with Microsoft, RedGate, PluralSight and Apress for their support in making this event possible.
On the 26th – 30th July in Microsoft’s offices in London Adam Cogan from SSW will be presenting the first Professional Scrum Developer course in the UK. Martin Hinshelwood will be teaching this course along side Adam and it is a fantastic experience. You are split into teams and go head-to-head to deliver units of potentially shippable work in four two hour sprints.
Update 18th June 2010 – SSW is offering a massive 50% discount to make this 5 day course only £1,168…I have been told that this depends on availability so it may go back up.
The Professional Scrum Developer course is the only course endorsed by both Microsoft and Ken Schwaber and they have worked together very effectively in brining this course to fruition. This course is the brain child of Richard Hundhausen, a Microsoft Regional Director, and both Adam and I attending the Trainer Prep in Sydney when he was there earlier this year. He is a fantastic trainer and no matter where you do this course you can be safe in the knowledge that he has trained and vetted all of the teachers. A tools version of Ken if you will
What is the Professional Scrum Developer course all about?
Professional Scrum Developer course is a unique and intensive five-day experience for software developers. The course guides teams on how to turn product requirements into potentially shippable increments of software using the Scrum framework, Visual Studio 2010, and modern software engineering practices. Attendees will work in self-organizing, self-managing teams using a common instance of Team Foundation Server 2010.
Figure: Sam and Ken discuss the PSD Course
Who should attend this course?
This course is suitable for any member of a software development team – architect, programmer, database developer, tester, etc. Entire teams are encouraged to attend and experience the course together, but individuals are welcome too.
Attendees will self-organize to form cross-functional Scrum teams. These teams require an aggregate of skills specific to the selected case study. Please see the last page of this document for specific details.
Product Owners, ScrumMasters, and other stakeholders are welcome too, but keep in mind that everyone who attends will be expected to commit to work and pull their weight on a Scrum team.
What should you know by the end of the course?
Scrum will be experienced through a combination of lecture, demonstration, discussion, and hands-on exercises. Attendees will learn how to do Scrum correctly while being coached and critiqued by the instructor, in the following topic areas:
Form effective teams
Explore and understand legacy “Brownfield” architecture
Define quality attributes, acceptance criteria, and “done”
Create automated builds
How to handle software hotfixes
Verify that bugs are identified and eliminated
Plan releases and sprints
Estimate product backlog items
Create and manage a sprint backlog
Hold an effective sprint review
Improve your process by using retrospectives
Use emergent architecture to avoid technical debt
Use Test Driven Development as a design tool
Setup and leverage continuous integration
Use Test Impact Analysis to decrease testing times
Manage SQL Server development in an Agile way
Use .NET and T-SQL refactoring effectively
Build, deploy, and test SQL Server databases
Create and manage test plans and cases
Create, run, record, and play back manual tests
Setup a branching strategy and branch code
Write more maintainable code
Identify and eliminate people and process dysfunctions
Inspect and improve your team’s software development process
What does the week look like?
This course is a mix of lecture, demonstration, group discussion, simulation, and hands-on software development. The bulk of the course will be spent working as a team on a case study application delivering increments of new functionality in mini-sprints. Here is the week at a glance:
Monday morning and most of the day Friday will be spent with the computers powered off, so you can focus on sharpening your game of Scrum and avoiding the common pitfalls when implementing it.
The Sprints
Timeboxing is a critical concept in Scrum as well as in this course. We expect each team and student to understand and obey all of the timeboxes. The timebox duration will always be clearly displayed during each activity. Expect the instructor to enforce it.
Each of the ½ day sprints will roughly follow this schedule:
Component
Description
Minutes
Instruction
Presentation and demonstration of new and relevant tools & practices
60
Sprint planning meeting
Product owner presents backlog; each team commits to delivering functionality
10
Sprint planning meeting
Each team determines how to build the functionality
10
The Sprint
The team self-organizes and self-manages to complete their tasks
120
Sprint Review meeting
Each team will present their increment of functionality to the other teams
≤ 30
Sprint Retrospective
A group retrospective meeting will be held to inspect and adapt
10
Each team is expected to self-organize and manage their own work during the sprint. Pairing is highly encouraged. The instructor/product owner will be available if there are questions or impediments, but will be hands-off by default. You should be prepared to communicate and work with your team members in order to achieve your sprint goal. If you have development-related questions or get stuck, your partner or team should be your first level of support.
Module 1: INTRODUCTION
This module provides a chance for the attendees to get to know the instructors as well as each other. The Professional Scrum Developer program, as well as the day by day agenda, will be explained. Finally, the Scrum team will be selected and assembled so that the forming, storming, norming, and performing can begin.
Trainer and student introductions
Professional Scrum Developer program
Agenda
Logistics
Team formation
Retrospective
Module 2: SCRUMDAMENTALS
This module provides a level-setting understanding of the Scrum framework including the roles, timeboxes, and artifacts. The team will then experience Scrum firsthand by simulating a multi-day sprint of product development, including planning, review, and retrospective meetings.
Scrum overview
Scrum roles
Scrum timeboxes (ceremonies)
Scrum artifacts
Simulation
Retrospective
It’s required that you read Ken Schwaber’s Scrum Guide in preparation for this module and course.
MODULE 3: IMPLEMENTING SCRUM IN VISUAL STUDIO 2010
This module demonstrates how to implement Scrum in Visual Studio 2010 using a Scrum process template*. The team will learn the mapping between the Scrum concepts and how they are implemented in the tool. After connecting to the shared Team Foundation Server, the team members will then return to the simulation – this time using Visual Studio to manage their product development.
Mapping Scrum to Visual Studio 2010
User Story work items
Task work items
Bug work items
Demonstration
Simulation
Retrospective
Module 4: THE CASE STUDY
In this module the team is introduced to their problem domain for the week. A kickoff meeting by the Product Owner (the instructor) will set the stage for the why and what that will take during the upcoming sprints. The team will then define the quality attributes of the project and their definition of “done.” The legacy application code will be downloaded, built, and explored, so that any bugs can be discovered and reported.
Introduction to the case study
Download the source code, build, and explore the application
Define the quality attributes for the project
Define “done”
How to file effective bugs in Visual Studio 2010
Retrospective
Module 5: HOTFIX
This module drops the team directly into a Brownfield (legacy) experience by forcing them to analyze the existing application’s architecture and code in order to locate and fix the Product Owner’s high-priority bug(s). The team will learn best practices around finding, testing, fixing, validating, and closing a bug.
How to use Architecture Explorer to visualize and explore
Create a unit test to validate the existence of a bug
Find and fix the bug
Validate and close the bug
Retrospective
Module 6: PLANNING
This short module introduces the team to release and sprint planning within Visual Studio 2010. The team will define and capture their goals as well as other important planning information.
Release vs. Sprint planning
Release planning and the Product Backlog
Product Backlog prioritization
Acceptance criteria and tests
Sprint planning and the Sprint Backlog
Creating and linking Sprint tasks
Retrospective
At this point the team will have the knowledge of Scrum, Visual Studio 2010, and the case study application to begin developing increments of potentially shippable functionality that meet their definition of done.
Module 7: EMERGENT ARCHITECTURE
This module introduces the architectural practices and tools a team can use to develop a valid design on which to develop new functionality. The teams will learn how Scrum supports good architecture and design practices. After the discussion, the teams will be presented with the product owner’s prioritized backlog so that they may select and commit to the functionality they can deliver in this sprint.
Architecture and Scrum
Emergent architecture
Principles, patterns, and practices
Visual Studio 2010 modeling tools
UML and layer diagrams
SPRINT 1
Retrospective
Module 8: TEST DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT
This module introduces Test Driven Development as a design tool and how to implement it using Visual Studio 2010. To maximize productivity and quality, a Scrum team should setup Continuous Integration to regularly build every team member’s code changes and run regression tests. Refactoring will also be defined and demonstrated in combination with Visual Studio’s Test Impact Analysis to efficiently re-run just those tests which were impacted by refactoring.
Continuous integration
Team Foundation Build
Test Driven Development (TDD)
Refactoring
Test Impact Analysis
SPRINT 2
Retrospective
Module 9: AGILE DATABASE DEVELOPMENT
This module lets the SQL Server database developers in on a little secret – they can be agile too. By using the database projects in Visual Studio 2010, the database developers can join the rest of the team. The students will see how to apply Agile database techniques within Visual Studio to support the SQL Server 2005/2008/2008R2 development lifecycle.
Agile database development
Visual Studio database projects
Importing schema and scripts
Building and deploying
Generating data
Unit testing
SPRINT 3
Retrospective
Module 10: SHIP IT
Teams need to know that just because they like the functionality doesn’t mean the Product Owner will. This module revisits acceptance criteria as it pertains to acceptance testing. By refining acceptance criteria into manual test steps, team members can execute the tests, recording the results and reporting bugs in a number of ways. Manual tests will be defined and executed using the Microsoft Test Manager tool. As the Sprint completes and an increment of functionality is delivered, the team will also learn why and when they should create a branch of the codeline.
Acceptance criteria
Testing in Visual Studio 2010
Microsoft Test Manager
Writing and running manual tests
Branching
SPRINT 4
Retrospective
Module 11: OVERCOMING DYSFUNCTION
This module introduces the many types of people, process, and tool dysfunctions that teams face in the real world. Many dysfunctions and scenarios will be identified, along with ideas and discussion for how a team might mitigate them. This module will enable you and your team to move toward independence and improve your game of Scrum when you depart class.
Scrum-butts and flaccid Scrum
Best practices working as a team
Team challenges
ScrumMaster challenges
Product Owner challenges
Stakeholder challenges
Course Retrospective
What will be expected of you and you team?
This is a unique course in that it’s technically-focused, team-based, and employs timeboxes. It demands that the members of the teams self-organize and self-manage their own work to collaboratively develop increments of software.
All attendees must commit to:
Pay attention to all lectures and demonstrations
Participate in team and group discussions
Work collaboratively with other team members
Obey the timebox for each activity
Commit to work and do your best to deliver
All teams should have these skills:
Understanding of Scrum
Familiarity with Visual Studio 201
C#, .NET 4.0 & ASP.NET 4.0 experience*
SQL Server 2008 development experience
Software testing experience
* Check with the instructor ahead of time for the exact technologies
Self-organising teams
Another unique attribute of this course is that it’s a technical training class being delivered to teams of developers, not pairs, and not individuals. Ideally, your actual software development team will attend the training to ensure that all necessary skills are covered. However, if you wish to attend an open enrolment course alone or with just a couple of colleagues, realize that you may be placed on a team with other attendees. The instructor will do his or her best to ensure that each team is cross-functional to tackle the case study, but there are no guarantees. You may be required to try a new role, learn a new skill, or pair with somebody unfamiliar to you. This is just good Scrum!
Who should NOT take this course?
Because of the nature of this course, as explained above, certain types of people should probably not attend this course:
Students requiring command and control style instruction – there are no prescriptive/step-by-step (think traditional Microsoft Learning) labs in this course
Students who are unwilling to work within a timebox
Students who are unwilling to work collaboratively on a team
Students who don’t have any skill in any of the software development disciplines
Students who are unable to commit fully to their team – not only will this diminish the student’s learning experience, but it will also impact their team’s learning experience
In this show, where no beer had been consumed (a-may-zing), I’ve taken Claudio Perrone aside and forced him to give me a one-2-one presentation! Claudio delivered an awesome lunchtime session at the Irish Software Show: Crafting Outstanding Presentations – Storytelling Techniques. I really wished that I had taken my camcorder to record it, it was amazing. However, fear not, Claudio was kind enough to share his skills in this audio recording!
I have updated the demos to use the Open XML SDK 2 RTM and have provided a more advanced example of the Content Controls demo. Remember, you can view the original Content Control demo here.
The Irish Software Show http://epicenter.ie begins next week in Trinity College Dublin. It’s a four day event with around 80 tutorials given by over 50 international speakers.
There’s some great Microsoft development sessions throughout the event, and particularly on Wednesday. I’ll be there on Tuesday talking about Word & Excel 2007 / 2010. I’ll be explaining how the Open XML SDK helps us write C# code to create and work with .docx and .xlsx files. I’ll also be showing off “Content Controls” which are an awesome feature that often goes overlooked!
I have been given 10 tickets allowing you to book for just €50 per day – 1, 2, 3 and 4 day options are available. There’s more information here: http://epicenter.ie/2010_Craig_Murphy_Page
To book, simply email epicenter@irishdev.com or call 01 443 4131 (In Ireland!) and the organisers will give you further instructions.
If you are unable to make the show but have a spare hour first thing on Tuesday, you are also invited to go along to Dr Chris Horn’s keynote presentation which starts at 9am. Chris is the co-founder of IONA Technologies and now sits on the Government’s Innovation Taskforce. In his keynote, he will be explaining the rationale behind their strategy, which should give clues to CEO’s on how to position their businesses to take advantage. See http://short.ie/chrisjhorn for more information. To reserve a seat, email epicenter@IrishDev.com with Chris Horn in the subject line.
The 4-day Irish Software Show, epicenter.ie, kicks off in Trinity this Tuesday (8th June) and
there are a number of free-to-attend sessions open to the general public.
What: epicenter 2010: http://epicenter.ie
epicenter is designed to be both an educational and a meeting hub for the Irish software community; a place where technologists can hear experts, see the latest and greatest products in the market, connect with fellow industrialists or meet new business connections.
When: Tuesday 8th through to Friday 11th June 2010
Where: Trinity College, Dublin
Cost: One day €129.00. Two Days €189.00. Three Days €229.00. Four Days €239.00 – discounts are available!
It was one thing to see the DeveloperDeveloperDeveloper branding go regional within the UK and Ireland, now it has gone international!
May 15th 2010 sees the first international DDD in Melbourne, Australia.
For those who don’t know, DDD events are free, held on a Saturday. Content is typically Microsoft .net related, however there is opportunity of non-Microsoft content to be included. Typically, it’s a multi-track event, with 15+ sessions throughout the day. Community is the key driver behind the event: you will get the chance to mingle with your peers and chat with the speakers and organisers throughout the day. You might win some swag and you might get a free lunch! But you will leave the event more informed.
If you are interested in speaking at this event, please drop Alex and his small team an e-mail: dddmelbourne@gmail.com. Session submissions will be via the official event web-site, but there’s no harm letting the chaps know that you’re interested!
And if you’re interested in attending the event, drop the chaps an e-mail too!
If you’re up in Edinburgh then you’re lucky as it’s a great city and it also has the nicest Microsoft office I’ve seen in the UK ( rooftop gardens ).
You’re also lucky in that on the 16th April there’s a Visual Studio 2010 launch event happening in our Edinburgh Office and Jason Zander, the General Manager for Visual Studio, will be there.
I imagine, given the size of the office, that this will give you very good access to chat to Jason about whatever you like in Visual Studio.
So…if you’re up in that part of the country then why not drop in? Here’s the blurb for the event:
LAUNCH AGENDA:
9.30am – 10.00am Arrival
10.00am – 11.30am Keynote & Q&A – Jason Zander, Global GM for Visual Studio @jlzander
11.30am – 12.00pm
Break
12.00pm – 1.00pm Developer & Tester Collaboration with Visual Studio 2010 – Giles Davies, Technical Specialist
1.00pm – 1.30pm Lunch
If you would like to attend, please email Nathan Davies on a-ndavie@microsoft.com with your name, company and email address – demand for this event will be high, so please register asap.
Mail Nathan to grab a seat and meet up with other Scottish developers interested in Visual Studio.
Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Professional will launch on April 12 but you can beat the rush and secure your copy today by pre-ordering at the affordable estimated retail price of £484.99.
If you use a previous version of Visual Studio or any other development tool then you are eligible for this upgrade. Along with all the great new features in Visual Studio 2010 (see www.microsoft.com/visualstudio) Visual Studio 2010 Professional includes a 12-month MSDN Essentials subscription which gives you access to core Microsoft platforms: Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise, and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Datacenter.
WHAT
Windows 7 adoption is happening at a startling pace. Commodity hardware has unique capabilities in terms of graphics, audio, touch, sensors and multi-core processing power. Windows 7 ships with .NET Framework V3.5 Service Pack 1 to make it the most developer friendly operating system in Microsoft’s history.
In this demo-driven day, we’ll look at the developer landscape around Windows 7 to get you up to speed on the operating system that your applications will run on through the new decade.
WHERE
Screen 6
Vue Cinema Fulham Broadway
Fulham Broadway Retail Centre,
Fulham Road,
Fulham,
London,
SW6 1BY
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Professional Scrum Developer course is a unique and intensive five-day experience for software developers. The course guides teams on how to turn product requirements into potentially shippable increments of software using the Scrum framework, Visual Studio 2010, and modern software engineering practices. Attendees will work in self-organizing, self-managing teams using a common instance of Team Foundation Server 2010.
![LondonCallToAction[1]](http://geekswithblogs.net/images/geekswithblogs_net/hinshelm/WindowsLiveWriter/ProfessionalScrumDeveloperTraininginLond_CC39/LondonCallToAction%5B1%5D_a8fa1093-585b-4381-a6b3-61420612ad43.png "LondonCallToAction[1]"){kind=small}
).
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