Presentation: Agile Values, Innovation and the Shortage of Women Software Developers

Presentation notes: http://khj.me/KLKm0u


Judy, K.H.; , “Agile Values, Innovation and the Shortage of Women Software Developers,” System Science (HICSS), 2012 45th Hawaii International Conference on , vol., no., pp.5279-5288, 4-7 Jan. 2012

doi: 10.1109/HICSS.2012.92

Abstract: The percentage of women software developers in the U.S. has declined from 42% in 1987 to less than 25% today. This is in a software/internet marketplace where women are online in equal numbers to men, directly or indirectly influence 61% of consumer electronics purchases, generate 58% of online dollars, and represent 42% of active gamers. Women avoid careers in software due to hostile environments, unsustainable pace, diminished sense of purpose, disadvantages in pay, and lack of advancement, peers or mentors. Agile Software Development is founded upon values that challenge such dysfunction in order to build self-organizing, collaborative and highly productive teams. In a high functioning Agile practice, developers engage each other, product owners and sponsors in a shared concern for quality, predictability and meeting the needs of end users. Can Agile values and practice drive changes in the workplace to better attract and retain women software developers?

URL: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=6149534&isnumber=6148595

Life lie (Excuses)

Are there lies you tell yourself to face work each day?

“If you take the life lie from an average man, you take away his happiness as well” — The Wild Duck Act V, Henrik Ibsen

Developers often feel powerless in their workplace. At agile conferences I’ve heard:

  • it’s the nature of the business
  • it’s not my responsibility
  • I don’t have the authority
  • I do what I’m told

Yes, we have to pick our battles and yes we can’t always win. Fear is a hard thing. But it seems obvious that a way of working doesn’t mean anything unless we use it to change what we do.

Our team is hiring an agile ruby on rails developer

Hi,

We’re looking for a developer to join our team at Simon & Schuster. We’re a small shop mainly working in Ruby on Rails. We practice Extreme Programming (XP) and Scrum. We value sustainable pace, work/life balance, and the sanity and happiness of our team members.

You can look at the full posting on Craig’s List or Simon & Schuster’s corporate jobs extranet.

Unfortunately, no recruiters.

Thanks.