StarSoft and SirisiDynix Set Record for Distributed Scrum Development

In a newly released whitepaper, Jeff Sutherland, Ph. D., the co-creator of the Scrum Agile development process and leading authority on Agile methodologies, has declared the Horizon 8.0 project between StarSoft Development Labs, St. Petersburg, Russia, and SirsiDynix, Provo, Utah, to be the world’s most productive large outsourced Java project documented to date.

The research paper, co-written by Sutherland; Anton Victorov, Russian XP expert and StarSoft Horizon 8.0 Project Leader; and Jack Blount, CTO SirsiDynix and former COO of Borland, analyzes and recommends new best practices for globally distributed Agile teams. Two Agile companies, SirsiDynix using Scrum, and StarSoft Development Labs using Scrum with some XP engineering practices, achieved unprecedented performance levels developing a Java application with over 1,000,000 lines of code. SirsiDynix/StarSoft best practices are radically different than those promoted by PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge), and counterintuitive to some practices advocated by the Scrum Alliance.

While some Agile companies operate in a unified distributed manner on a small scale, the Horizon 8.0 project involved fully integrated Scrum teams with 56 developers in the U.S., Canada, and Russia. According to Jeff Sutherland, "This is the first well-documented, successful project that has moved Scrum practices to a new level for large distributed/outsourced teams building complex enterprise systems. The SirsiDynix/StarSoft 56-person distributed Java team was as productive as a 6 person collocated team using Scrum. Unbelievable!"

Sutherland will present the findings at Agile 2006 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, July 23-28, 2006. The paper is available at the Scrum Alliance website.

About Jeff Sutherland

Jeff Sutherland, Ph.D., is CTO of PatientKeeper, an MIT based startup providing mobile/wireless applications to clinicians. He has been CTO or VP of Engineering in nine software technology companies and introduced improved Agile development processes to each of them. His work on reusable business object components through the Object Management Group and the OOPSLA Business Object Workshop during the last decade has led to new database products, software development environments, CASE/OOAD tools, as well as vertical applications in multiple industries. As an inventor of the Scrum development process, his experience in organizational development has repeatedly enabled high-octane development teams to deliver world-class software products. Learn more about Jeff on his website: www.jeffsutherland.com.

About SirsiDynix

SirsiDynix is the global leader in strategic technology solutions for libraries – vital institutions whose primary mission is to make sense of the vast world of information for people and communities. In concert with key industry partners, SirsiDynix supports this strategic role for libraries by offering a comprehensive integrated suite of technology solutions for improving the internal productivity of libraries and enhancing their capabilities for serving people and communities. SirsiDynix was created in June 2005 through the merger of Dynix Corporation with Sirsi Corporation. The new company builds on its constituents' strengths while providing more opportunities for technological innovation and growth. For more information about SirsiDynix, visit www.sirsidynix.com.

About StarSoft

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