Crystal Light is a family of software development methods, which is counted to the Agilen methods of the software development. The members of this family are usually named colors; the simplest variant however is called "“Crystal CLEAR"”.

Crystal principles

• passive knowledge transfer: More informally, "“more passively"” knowledge transfer is promoted by spatial proximity and free spaces for discussions.
• personal security: Criticism and fears can be expressed without Repressalien.
• current criticism and improvement: Constantly improvement suggestions are looked for, collected and evaluated the importance of their conversion.
• focused working: The coworkers know exactly, what their goal is, and are not diverted or for other projects are not taken off.
• the frequent releases: It is avoided by frequent publication of intermediate versions to the customers or other project-taken part that expectations are dammed up and larger explanation need develops. At the same time a higher security for the team can result from intermediate acceptance.
• Entrance to well-informed users: Because constantly an experienced user of the future product is attainable, can be clarified detail questions fast and informally. This avoids among other things that misunderstandings attain full growth to problems.
• automated testing: by unit Testing for durably stable program code one provides, which also the confidence of the team strengthens into the own work.
• frequent integration: Not only the program code is tested, also regularly (e.g. daily and automated) an executable test version is provided.
• Use of configuration management, or at least a version administration.

The Crystal variants

Crystal is not an individual method, but - as mentioned - a family of methods, with variants.

This partitioning negotiated the sense that on the one hand rule set a suitable the project circumstances can be selected, not individually on the other hand these rules and to be specified to have.

Allocation in variants

The choice of the Crystal variant depends on the number of the persons involved and the criticality (height of the risks).

The methods are designated with colors: Crystal CLEAR, Crystal Yellow, Crystal orange, Crystal orange Web, Crystal talk, Crystal Magenta, Crystal Blue. The color essentially reflects the person's number. Thus the simplest variant, "“Crystal CLEAR"” is recommended for team sizes of two to six persons.

Criticality however illustrates the risks, i.e. which kind and which extent of damage are to be expected in case of a failure of the project. Dependent on the criticality a "“hardening degree"” of the respective Crystal variant is selected. As stages of the criticality are defined in Crystal: Endangerment of the customer satisfaction, loss of money, loss of much money, image damage, and as the highest stage: Loss of human lives.

Depending upon selected Crystal variant change the number of roles, the quantity of the methods which can be used and the documentation extent.

The classification after criticality and number of employees happens according to the following pattern:

Selection of the variant

The grouping after coworker size is justified with the fact that the communication expenditure must be structured different with rising number of employees. While a team of six persons leaves itself still at any time informally to together drums (spatial proximity is given according to the principles), must one at a team of 20 persons one time constitute. With 60 persons however a common discussion is unrealistic.

For each of the group sizes different Kommunkationsformen is suggested and - means.

The grouping after criticality however affects, how is formally and proceeded exactly. The more serious the risks, all the more auxiliary expenditure for correctness and security of the program in purchase one takes. There is a progressive rate of the methods also which can be used here.

The Kurzname of the specific variant can be found by the combination of the two criteria, whose details can be looked up then directly clearly. Thus an adjustment is given to the project circumstances, without one would have to negotiate for a long time, which rules in the available case be used should.

Comparison with other Agilen methods

In relation to other Agilen methods (like extremes Programming) Crystal is regarded formalized of its proponents than less dogmatisch and. Thus with Crystal CLEAR never pair programming or "“customer on site"” demanded. customer on site meant: It must be constantly a representative of the Kundenposition at the development team present.

More neutrally one can say that Programming turns extremes around the kind of working, whereas Crystal orients itself at the individual project.

Crystal introduces not durable methods for the team, but intended with each individual project again the methods which can be used for it. With simpler projects this can lead to the fact that many are used also the Agilen methods used in XP; with more complex projects a variant was used, which resembles rather more complicated procedural models.

Literature

• Alistair Cockburn: Surviving Object Oriented Projects. Addison Wesley, 1998 ISBN 0-201-49834-0
• Alistair Cockburn: Agile software development. mitp, ISBN 3-8266-1346-5

Related links

• Conception of Crystal in a seminar work (Hollenstein)
• Crystal Methodologies

Articles in category "Crystal Family"

We found here 2 articles.

Related Websites

We found here 6 related websites.

• Crystal Family of Methodologies
  Alistair Cockburn, the codeveloper of IBM's first object-oriented methodology and creator of the well-respected Crystal family of methodologies. ...


• Crystal Holidays
  So, wherever you go with us, you'll find Crystal people who share the same ... Crystal are the UK's Number One Ski Specialist, featuring 140 resorts in 14 ...


• Crystal>Philosophy
  "Ultralight" means that for whatever the project size and priorities, a Crystal-family methodology for the project will work to reduce the paperwork, ...


• Designing A Light Methodology
  Crystal is a family of methodologies because every project is slightly different and needs its own. ... Crystal Clear is the lightest of the Crystal family, ...


• Family Holidays from Crystal
  Family holidays from Crystal Holidays including skiing, city breaks, lakes and mountains, Disneyland Resorts..


• What we know about the Crystal Family
  Last Name: Crystal. Northern Irish: reduced Anglicized form of Mac Criostal (see McCrystal). Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ...