Agile With A Bottleneck On External Api Development

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Organizations are experiencing enormous success in meeting the fast-paced change of customer needs by adopting the Agile software development methodology, which offers an iterative approach to the design and development of software. The Agile approach embraces the constant changes that occur in the development of technology – allowing teams to break the lengthy requirements, build, and test phases down into smaller segments, ultimately delivering working software quickly and more frequently.

This article will cover the Agile development lifecycle and the process workflow that takes place during an iteration.

Plan, Sprint, Ship. Repeat.

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Agile Software Development vs. Waterfall Software Development

There isn’t a single methodology that you can apply across all projects. However, many teams are moving toward an adaptive methodology, such as Agile, and moving away from the predictive, Waterfall methodology when developing software. The conventional Waterfall development method follows strict phases, sticking to the original requirements and design plan created at the beginning of the project. A project manager spends time negotiating milestones, features, resources, working at length in the planning stages of a project, usually developing a full-blown project plan that details how the work will be moved through many gates to completion.

Customers finalize requirements before development begins and then a lengthy development process occurs, with the project manager tracking every movement of the project through each handoff and finally on to delivery. If everything goes well, this process produces an on-time, on-budget release. The chief drawbacks to this approach are well-documented: it is not responsive to change and it takes a long time to deliver working software. When technology forms the field of play and drives every change, a six month (or longer) release cycle, with requirements chiseled in stone, does not meet the business need.

The history behind Agile software development is one of frustration with the traditional waterfall methodology. Agile is designed to accommodate change and the need for faster software development (as discussed in the Agile Manifesto's Values and Principles). The project leader typically facilitates the work of the development team, eliminates bottlenecks, and helps the team stay focused in order to deliver software iterations on a regular basis. It is less about milestones than it is about hours, feature selection, prioritization, and meetings.

Unlike the Waterfall model, the development team ultimately decides at the beginning of a sprint (or iteration) what can be accomplished in the timeframe and sets out to build a series of features, delivering working software that can be installed in a production environment at the end of the sprint. Since Agile software development methods (such as Dynamic Systems Development Method- DSDM) are flexible, most are suitable for method tailoring – where development teams can adapt the flow to meet the needs of the product.

The Agile Lifecycle

There are a variety of Agile software development (or system development) methodologies, including, but not limited to:

• Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD)
• Adaptive Software Development
• Kanban
• Scrum
• Scrumban
• Extreme Programming (XP)
• Dynamic Systems Development (DSDM)
• Feature Driven Development
• Lean Software Development

The overall goal of each Agile method is to adapt to change and deliver working software as quickly as possible. However, each methodology has slight variations in the way it defines the phases of software development. Furthermore, even though the goal is the same, each team’s process flow may vary depending on the specific project or situation. As an example, the full Agile software development lifecycle includes the concept, inception, construction, release, production, and retirement phases.

The Agile Process Flow

1. Concept - Projects are envisioned and prioritized
2. Inception - Team members are identified, funding is put in place, and initial environments and requirements are discussed
3. Iteration/Construction - The development team works to deliver working software based on iteration requirements and feedback
4. Release - QA (Quality Assurance) testing, internal and external training, documentation development, and final release of the iteration into production
5. Production - Ongoing support of the software
6. Retirement - End-of-life activities, including customer notification and migration

This view presents the full Agile lifecycle model within the enterprise. In any enterprise there may be projects operating simultaneously, multiple sprints/iterations being logged on different product lines, and a variety of customers, both external and internal, with a range of business needs.

Agile Software Development Lifecycle

The Agile Iteration Workflow

The Agile software development lifecycle is dominated by the iterative process. Each iteration results in the next piece of the software development puzzle - working software and supporting elements, such as documentation, available for use by customers - until the final product is complete. Each iteration is usually two to four weeks in length and has a fixed completion time. Due to its time-bound nature, the iteration process is methodical and the scope of each iteration is only as broad as the allotted time allows.

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Multiple iterations will take place during the Agile software development lifecycle and each follows its own workflow. During an iteration, it is important that the customers and business stakeholders provide feedback to ensure that the features meet their needs.

A typical iteration process flow can be visualized as follows:

• Requirements - Define the requirements for the iteration based on the product backlog, sprint backlog, customer and stakeholder feedback
• Development - Design and develop software based on defined requirements
• Testing - QA (Quality Assurance) testing, internal and external training, documentation development
• Delivery - Integrate and deliver the working iteration into production
• Feedback - Accept customer and stakeholder feedback and work it into the requirements of the next iteration

For the duration of the project, while additional features may be fed into the product backlog, the rest of the process is a matter of repeating the steps over and over until all of the items in the product backlog have been fulfilled. As a result, the process flow is more of a loop and not a linear process.

Making the Agile Process Work for You

As with any methodology, there are advantages and disadvantages (Read about the advantages and disadvantages of Agile). The Agile method is more suitable in situations where customers and project stakeholders are available to provide input, functional portions of software are needed quickly, flexibility is desired to accommodate changing requirements, and the team is co-located and able to effectively collaborate. As with any change, integrating Agile processes into your business can be overwhelming. Below are four activities that will help support the adoption of Agile workflow:

• Daily Meetings - Host consistent or daily stand-up meetings to maintain open communication, hold workers accountable, and keep each iteration moving forward
• Live Demonstrations - Deliver live demonstrations of each iteration’s final product to show progress
• Share Feedback - Receive feedback from stakeholders and customers and share it with the entire team before the next iteration begins
• Remain Agile - Make changes to your process based on feedback to ensure each iteration improves the last

Using Smartsheet to Manage the Agile Lifecycle

Smartsheet is a powerful collaboration and project management tool. It’s ideal for prioritizing user stories and managing product and iteration backlogs. Easily switch between Grid, Gantt, and Calendar views to manage project details and track deadlines. Use the Card View to focus attention with rich cards, provide perspective with flexible views, and prioritize and adjust work more visually. Display information on cards including custom fields, images, and color-coding to better focus your team’s attention. Agile project managers can categorize cards into lanes to help organize what needs to happen in sprints and iterations.

Use one of Smartsheet’s pre-made Agile templates and make it easy to track requirements, store documents, establish timelines, and organize backlog items. With in-app discussions, reminders, and attachments, you can store all Agile documentation in one place and create a repository of important project information. Try Smartsheet for free for 30 days.

1 Introduction to Agile PLM Web ServicesWeb services are technologies for building distributed applications. These services, which can be made available over the Internet, use a standardized XML messaging system and are not tied to specific operating systems or programming languages. Through web services, companies can encapsulate existing business processes, publish them as services, search for and subscribe to other services, and exchange information throughout and beyond the enterprise. Web services are based on universally agreed-upon specifications for structured data exchange, messaging, discovery of services, interface description, and business process design.A web service makes remote procedure calls across the internet using:.HTTP/HTTPS or other protocols to transport requests and responses.Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) to communicate request and response information.Oracle's Agile PLM Web Services use industry standard core technologies. 1.1 About Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a business-centric IT architecture for building enterprise applications through adaptable and re-usable business processes and services.

1.2 Web Services - BenefitsThe key benefits provided by web services are:.Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) - Unlike packaged products, web services can be delivered as streams of services that allow access from any platform. Components can be isolated; only the business-level services need be exposed.Interoperability - Web services ensure complete interoperability between systems.Integration - Web services facilitate flexible integration solutions, particularly if you are connecting applications on different platforms or written in different languages.Modularity - Web services offer a modular approach to programming.

Each business function in an application can be exposed as a separate Web service. Smaller modules reduce errors and result in more reusable components.Accessibility - Business services can be completely decentralized. They can be distributed over the internet and accessed by a wide variety of communications devices.Efficiency - Web services constructed from applications meant for internal use can be used externally without changing code. Incremental development using web services is relatively simple because web services are declared and implemented in a human readable format. 1.2.1.1 Web Services Description LanguageWeb Services Description Language (WSDL) is an XML-based format for describing the interface of a Web service.

1.2.1.2 XML and XML SchemaA WSDL file is published as an XML file. Document/Literal formatting is required as part of the WS-I interoperability standard. This standard sets the basis for modern Web service usage.Document - The payload for an operation, however complex, must be defined in a single XML element.Literal - The definition of a single XML element must be described by an XML Schema embedded in the WSDL file.When using Document/Literal formatting, the WSDL file will contain an XML Schema definition that defines all messages and data types that are used for a particular service.

The XML Schema offers an automated mechanism for validating the XML documents. The payload itself will consist entirely of XML data structures. 1.3.2 Agile PLM EC ServicesAgile PLM Engineering Collaboration (EC) Services are a set of business services that supplement PLM's Core Web Services for CAD use cases. Customers and partners can build next generation MCAD and ECAD connectors utilizing Agile PLM Web Services and Engineering Collaboration Services.Some of the benefits are:.Significantly improves WAN performance for CAD connectors because the bulk of the logic is deployed to the server.Makes it easier for development partners and customers to implement CAD connectors.Provides the unique and interface friendly API name field to access PLM metadata. 1.3.3 Agile Recipe & Material Workspace Web ServicesThe Recipe & Material Workspace module in Agile application caters to the needs product lifecycle management of the pharmaceutical development industry. It is made up of several dimensions such as Recipe (Instructions), Equipment, Material, Analytical (Test and Assays), Environment, Standards and People.

These dimensions enable drug manufacturers to conduct the preparation, execution and analysis necessary during the scale-up life cycle of a substance across multiple pilot plants, located in disparate geographic locations. It also helps scale up material production in a systematic and reproducible manner.The RMW Web Services are a set of business services that supplement Agile PLM's Core Web Services for Pharmaceutical industry use cases. They also offer a set of higher level BPEL orchestration services. Customers and partners can build next generation applications to perform business object processing, searches and data editing. 1.3.4 Agile PLM Web Service Authentication and PerformanceIn implementations where scalability is critical, a lightweight context management facility for authentication is available and its use is recommended. With this facility, authentication is managed using a combination of user credentials and a sessionID token:.When user credentials are presented in the SOAP header of a Web service request, formal authentication is performedbefore executing the application of the Web service operation. If the authentication succeeds, the operation proceeds and a special SessionID token are placed in the SOAP header of the Web service reply.Whenever the sessionID is included by the client in subsequent Web service requests, that sessionID will be used to restore cached session information, thus bypassing the substantially more expensive process of re-executing the authentication.

Note that, when presented with both the sessionID and a valid set of user credentials, an attempt will be made to use the sessionID before resorting to the user credentials and re-authentication. As expected, the session that is being tracked by the sessionID is subject to expiration and other security checks.The facility is a distinct alternative to the basic authentication standard described by WS-Security.

Using the UserName token as provided in WS-Security, while fully supported as part of Agile PLM's WSI Basic Profile compliance, will not yield the same benefit as using the higher-performance session optimization facility provided by the Agile PLM implementation. 1.3.5 Impact on Existing Agile PLM Extensions and ServicesAgile PLM provides tools and process extensions to customize the Agile PLM to meet unique user requirements, provide access to external databases, extend automation capabilities, and develop UI extensions.

These tools and services are listed below. Agile PLM Web Services implementation has no impact on these capabilities; they are in addition to the existing services.Agile SDK - The SDK is a set of Java APIs that enable building custom applications to access or extend the Agile PLM server functionalities. For information, refer to Agile PLM SDK Developer Guide.Agile Integration Services (AIS) - AIS is a collection of predefined Web Services in the Agile Integration framework that enable communication between PLM server and disparate database. For information, refer to Agile PLM AIS Developer Guide.Agile Content Services (ACS) - ACS is a process for transferring data to other Agile PLM solutions or to any other external system. For information, refer to Agile PLM ACS User Guide.Process Extensions (PX) - PX is a framework for extending the functionalities of the Agile PLM system.

The functionality can be server-side extensions such as custom automations, or client-side functionality such as new commands added to the Java/Web Client's Actions or Tools menus. For information, refer to Agile PLM SDK Developer Guide.Web Service Extensions (WSX) - WSX is a Web service engine that enables communication between Agile PLM and internal and external systems. For information, refer to Agile PLM SDK Developer Guide.Dashboard Management Extensions (DX) - Similar to PX, DX extends the functionalities of the Agile PLM system. For information, refer to Agile PLM SDK Developer Guide. 1.4 Casual User Interface Integration ExamplesAgile Web Client and Agile Java Client are targeted towards those who use the more complex product lifecycle management features of Agile PLM on a daily basis to perform assigned tasks and duties. There is also another set of users who use the auxiliary capabilities of Agile PLM to perform lightweight tasks such as document management, importing compliance and price data, or approving ECO and Sales RFQ.The tools of choice for these users are the popular desktop products provided by Microsoft Office or Adobe Acrobat, Mobile devices. They prefer simple user-friendly interfaces, for example:.Microsoft Word and Acrobat for document management.Microsoft Excel to import price and compliance data.Oracle WebCenter and Oracle Application Development Framework (ADF) for simple document management tasks.Oracle WebCenter and ADF for simple item management tasks.Mobile devices to access sales RFQ.Mobile devices to access ECO Approval.Microsoft Sharepoint for simple document management tasks.

1.4.1 User Interface Integration - MS WordThis example demonstrates document management capabilities of PLM's Web Services. Currently, when casual users want to view or update a document in Agile PLM, they do so by logging in to the Web Client to retrieve and view the Word document. The steps are:.Log in to PLM Client.Search and locate the document.Check out the document (in Word).Modify the documents (in Word).Check in the document.Log outUsing Agile PLM's Web Services, the casual user directly accesses Agile PLM documents from MS Word. This simple UI encourages and accelerates greater user participation. Agile PLM is transparent to this class of users which eliminates training and exposure in PLM Web Client. 1.4.2 User Interface Integration - MS ExcelThis is similar to MS - Word integration. In this case, the casual user is one of your partners and suppliers.

Using PLM's Web Services, you can provide a simple UI in Excel template for suppliers and partners. Then when necessary, suppliers import information such as compliance and price data directly into PLM system from Excel. Benefits include greater and more convenient supplier participation in the PLM process with no training in Agile PLM Web Client.

1.4.3 User Interface Integration - Portals and Agile Web ClientBefore PLM Web Services, the practice was to create custom Web applications using Agile PLM SDK with various tools and technologies. With Web Services, you can build rich Web applications in Oracle Web Center (and ADF) by taking advantage of Web 2.0 UI and mobile services.Once you develop the custom UI Web application for casual users, you can also integrate the custom UI with Agile Web Client using Agile PLM's URL Process Extensions (refer to Agile PLM SDK Developer Guide) and Smart URL features. 1.4.4 User Interface Integration - Mobile ADFOne of the key demands in Agile PLM installations is mobile access for management and executive personnel. One such example is ECO Approval by the senior or management staff using mobile devices.

PLM's Web Services enable developing simple ECO Approval applications for users of mobile devices.The following illustrations depict a sales RFQ implementation from a sales manager's perspective:Using the mobile device's browser, the sales manager launches the Mobile application built using Agile Web Services. The first screen is the Search RFQ screen. The second is the RFQ Details screen and the third, the Send RFQ screen. 1.4.5 CAD Integration through EC ServicesCustomers and partners can build next generation MCAD and ECAD connectors with the aid of Agile PLM Core and Engineering Collaboration Web Services. The benefits are summarized in theSome of the EC services are orchestrated using Business Process Execution Language (BPEL). BPEL, short for Web Services Business Process Execution Language, is an executable language for specifying interactions with web services.

Processes in Business Process Execution Language export and import information by using web service interfaces exclusively.The CAD integration and the role of BPEL server is shown in the following illustration. 1.5.1 Developing User Interfaces for MS OfficeMicrosoft supports building UI integration interfaces by providing the Microsoft Office Add-in (a piece of code) for this purpose. MS Office Add-in supports integration at application level and document level.To develop the MS Word Add-in with PLM, the following tools and applications are necessary:.Application software.Microsoft Visual Studio 2005/2008.Dot NET framework 3.5.Agile PLM (v9.3 or above) server.Microsoft Word 2003/2007.Programming languages.C#.Visual Basic for.NET.Microsoft Visual C/ATL.Plug-in templates.Shared Add-in Extensibility template.

Note:Using the Shared Add-in Extensibility templates, you can deploy a single add-in onto multiple Microsoft Office applications (common add-ins across Word, Excel, and other office applications).