Back to the GWU Summer Publishing Institute...

So, getting back to the GWU Summer Publishing Institute, and the topic on which I need to speak, "Agile vs. Traditional: Methods for Building a Software Infrastructure."

It seems to me that, after exploring what Agile Publishing might mean, it's clear that an Agile Publisher needs a software infrastructure that supports the key tenets. I take that to mean a content management and publishing infrastructure that supports the tenets of Agile Publishing:

• Customer satisfaction by rapid, continuous delivery of useful product
• Working product delivered frequently
• Working product is the principal measure of progress
• Even late changes in requirements are welcomed
• Close, daily, cooperation between business people and developers
• Face-to-face conversation is the best form of communication
• Projects are built around motivated individuals, who should be trusted
• Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design
• Simplicity
• Self-organizing teams
• Regular adaptation to changing circumstances

So what kind of framework is that? I'm envisioning a content management and publishing system that easily pushes out releases on a frequent basis, allows content and structural changes to be readily made, enhances communication between participants, enables remote meetings, provides templates for good design, has easy-to use process and product review tools, enhances workflow with loose rules, and can be easily adapted to changes.

This goes a ways beyond a content management system, or any publishing system on the market today because it demands flexibility and adds project collaboration tools.

In "The Emerging Art of Agile Publishing", XML.COM, 3/8/2006, Michael Fitzgerald makes some specific suggestions about how to be an Agile Publisher:

• "Build real trust through constant, informal communication
• Interleave work processes between writers, editors
• Share work openly, don't store it in secret silos
• Store source files in an online repository and give all members of the team access to it
• Agree on and share tools to reduce the waste of format conversions
• Carve up your work into small, easily consumed and exchanged pieces
• Keep track of what you are doing daily with some other suitable tool
• Publish your work early and often, charge a little something and get free reviews
• Let Herb do things his own way, but not on your team"

I would add to that, "Keep it simple".

So what software is needed? First and formost, a communications tool. Especially in these days of telecommuting, getting face-time is hard. I like instant messaging and the Skype product in particular. Skype has a secure chat and telephony in one kit. Second, a content management system that will permit easy and frequent releases of product. There are many of these, including several open source ones. Third, open project management. The basecamp.com approach seems nice as does the offering from project.net. I'm personally in favor of an open project document repository for sharing project related materials. This could also be used for openly managing project management materials, such as an MS project plan.