Change requests - Ruby on Rails meets the business world

Message from discussion Change requests

Robby Russell

More options Jun 18 2007, 2:26 am

From: Robby Russell <ro...@planetargon.com>

Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2007 23:26:25 -0700

Local: Mon, Jun 18 2007 2:26 am

Subject: Re: [rails-business] Change requests

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On Jun 14, 2007, at 10:12 PM, Nick Coyne wrote:

> So one of the requirements in our Fortune 500 proposal, is a detailed
> plan for change management. I'm guessing that the client will be
> wanting to sign off each and every modification or update.

> Working with Agile and Rails, change management isn't something we
> normally consider too carefully during initial development - features
> are scheduled into iterations and the client is always aware of what
> is in which iteration. And if they want to change their mind, that's
> just fine - we shuffle things around. So would I simply have a form
> that signed off for any changes to the content of an iteration? Does
> anyone have an example of such a form?

Currently, when a client has a change request, it goes through a
series of discussions about why something needs to be changed. How
does it affect the rest of the existing application and where does it
fit into the road map. We often say no to some change requests
because they aren't supported with rationale for them, which our
process requires for any features to exist. This is our way of
working with our client to avoid the, "wouldn't it be cool if...?"
requests and keep the system focused on it's primary objectives. When
changes are necessary, they become new deliverables in an upcoming
iteration.

If the change impacts other areas of the application, there should be
some discussion/tracking of the dependencies it may affect. Not sure
that a form that a client would fill out... would work with our
process, aside from it being where a conversation begins. (example:
client posts an idea in a basecamp message)

Anyhow, that's how we currently handle it at PA.

Cheers,

Robby

--
Robby Russell
Founder and Executive Director

PLANET ARGON, LLC
Ruby on Rails Development, Consulting & Hosting

www.planetargon.com
www.robbyonrails.com

+1 503 445 2457
+1 877 55 ARGON [toll free]
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