Greenfields considered harmful

Greenfields considered Harmful
Or at least not very Agile
by Mike Wessling
mike.wessling@bitbrains.nl

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< I feel drained... >
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^__^
(oo)_______ ________
(__) )/ |Super |
||----W | |Milker|
|| UDDDDDDDDD|______|

Long term views required
Greenfields cost time and investments
+
Greenfield opportunites are big and rate events
=
Must cover a large chunk of future
->
But the Future is harder and harder to predict

__________
< Et Voila >
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Illusion of Done
Goal is to delivery the complete thing
Versus
continuous improvable thing

Danger big monoliths
Big integrated solutions
->
Less focus on modular & replaceable designs
->
Unknown dependencies
->
Stuck with the solution for a long time
Consider : Multiple generations

____________________
< I don't like grass >
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/ ___ /
// / /
(( O O ))
/ //
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| | | |
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| o |
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|m| |m|

Long Feedback Loops
Starting from scratch + big goals
->
Long time to deliver
->
Separates Dev from Ops/Users
->
Long time before feedback
(from users, reality, operations)
->
Lots of invested time and money
->
Hard to change course

_____________
< Happy now?? >
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(__)
/oo|
(_"_)*+++++++++*
//I#I
I[I|I|||||I I `
I`I'///'' I I
I I I I
~ ~ ~ ~
Scowleton

Creates Legacy
What about the last generation greenfield?
&
What about the cows in the old fields..
->
Deny new features?
&&/||
Wait until they die/leave?

_______________
< Rest in Peace >
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, ,
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___ / |
/- _ `-/ '
(// /
/ / | `
O O ) / |
`-^--'`< '
(_.) _ ) /
`.___/` /
`-----' /
<----. __ / __
<----|====O)))==) ) /====
<----' `--' `.__,'
| |
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______( (_ / ______
,' ,-----' |
`--{__________) /

From Cradle to what??
Think about Retirement when designing
->
Even consider a test retirement
->
Easier to replace/upgrade parts when needed.

In summary – Design for Change
• Now is old and the future is fluid.
• Changeability is the main feature
• Usage and Fast Feedback is essential
• Run 1 system with multiple generations
• Consider obsolescence from start
(Note Greenfields are not forbidden.. Just hard
to do right)

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Editor's Notes