Find a nice square peg which fits nicely into that custom hole used in one sector and then use the biggest sledgehammer you can find to smash it into the round hole of every other sector.

Yep. This is the problem, not an agile approach to elaborating, prototyping and changing requirements.

People who have never run a project in their lives listening to consultants who have “done Agile” elsewhere and deciding that it’s the panacea for everything so we’ll base the entire organisation around it. How do I deliver customer value in a 2 week sprint when the end product needs six separate workstream deliverables, taking six weeks each to contract, resource and deploy, from six different suppliers to join together?

The big problem with waterfall, which anyone using it for long projects seems to have forgotton/ignored, is that it is pretty imposible to completely specify everything you will want in a piece of software, almost certainly impossible to specify the best way to provide that functionality, and by the time the software is delivered there may no longer be a requirement for that functionality.
Hence with agile/xp/similar you basically come up with a prioritised list (the ‘backlog’) of functionality you want and then iteratively build the piece of software, with regular releases so people can examine what has been built and confirm that it is what is wanted or whether there are actually better ways to do it, whether some impending bits of functonality from that list are not now required or should be modified, whether there are new bits of functionality that have been recognised and are required, and whether the reprioritise items currently on the list.
It is the business that performs this review and can regularly reprioritise the list of what is to be delivered in the next iteration, and the development process is ‘agile’ in that it can react to this and redirect itself.
It is up to the business to not get carried away changing requirements and therefore keep to budget, but the premise is that at the end what is delivered is what is actually required, even if that has morphed from the original vision of what was going to be delivered, so even if you have gone over budget it will be a lot better than having just delivered a load of dysfunctional software that doesn’t meet the requirements and nobody wants.
In terms of the software development process then applying the agile delivery processes to even something that externally has to follow a waterfall delivery for contractural reasons is still beneficial because the regular, short, delivery increments force things like a constant development velocity, constant testing of deliverables, etc.
To do this successfully though involves a lot of expertise in setting up automated testing (ideally there is no manual testing) and expertise in writing the correct tests at the correct level.
This is not easy – we’ve just had a greenfield development which has still ended up with problems in this area.
And it’s compounded by young developers reading blogs of the internet and thinking they know best and ignoring any prior ‘art’ – even though lots of the principles behind what they think is state of the art can be tracked back to the late 60s…
The ideas behind it are simple but there are, as said, a lot of people trying to turn it into formal processes that they can sell books and consultancy on. e.g. scrum masters…

All very good if you’re developing software. Not so good at all when you’re building the infrastructure for a new factory on a multi-year project moving through design, construction into the deployment of office/meeting room equipment and machine tool integrations.

We’ll be flying and the kids are 8 and 5.

There’s plenty of road riding to be done – I’ve been a few times and both hired bikes and taken my own. The roads are generally a dream to ride on – smooth, wide and traffic-light. I’ve ridden from Playa Blanca, Puerto Del Carmen and Costa Teguise.

I’m not sure about off-road routes but there must be some as you see plenty of dirt/gravel tracks about the place.

I’d recommend Revolution Bikes for hiring.

Latte art.

Armchair “experts” who think they know better than vastly qualified and experienced experts.

At work they sell seven item breakfasts. You’re allowed 2 sausages, 2 rashers of bacon and a selection of non-meat sundries as part of the seven items.

However, while you can have 2 sausages and 2 bacon and 3 other things……you CANNOT have three bacon and 4 other things, as you are only allowed a maximum of 2 of sausages or bacon even if you don’t have any of the other one.

I once asked for a seven item breakfast (with 2 bacon and 5 sundries – no sausages) and an extra rasher of bacon.

They served the extra rasher of bacon on a second plate.

4 and a bit days riding in Morzine at end of July.

New Orange Alpine 6….should make a bit of a change from my old 5s on the rougher stuff.

One constant misguided thing about all this is talking about the EU as if it’s someone else (them) “who is doing bad things to us”….unelected bureaucrats.

The EU isn’t “them”, it’s actually “us”. So leaving the EU absolutely doesn’t guarantee anything new because we’ll have the same class of politicians voting for the same sort of things, only without the solidarity from likeminded people in the EU that add balance to any one country’s leanings.

Just stayed at “Yorkshire Wolds Glamping” for the weekend, who have converted railway carriages that would suit a family of four. Nice small relaxed site, pub with great food right next door. 20 minutes from coast or moors – we’d definitely go again.

For anyone’s future reference, I’ve now done it online.

Within 2 minutes it provided me with:

1) A retention certificate number which I can give to the buyer to allow them to transfer it to their vehicle
2) A form of authorisation for a new number plate which I’ve printed off.

The promise of a new V5 in 3-4 working days.

I had Hope X2s in the Alps and suffered occasional total absence of brakes – bearing in mind I’m 95kg and a bit of a brake-dragger.

I’m now on Hope V4s which have been flawless on two Alps trips.

I ditched Virgin and went with Vodafone broadband only a few weeks ago. It seems fine so far.

I use a Netgear Orbi system to propagate wifi through my Victorian house – this works well.

I’ve got a pair too – 27.5 with Debonair spring sticker on the leg.

I also got a pair of Lyriks for £350. Apart from the internals, the lowers/crown look pretty much identical.

Both have the poo-brown decals.

Got to be Native River in the Gold Cup at 4/1.

I’ll be there in person tomorrow.

I usually have a few games on the go on the app on my phone. Played ~2500 games – best game score 532 – best word “unwarmed” across two triple word scores for 185.

Thanks all. Looks like PlusNet with £5 a month tv is the favourite.

Virgin rang me and offered me exactly the same mediocre deal as previously. I tried Sky which was the same price for less services.

crashrash

Subscriber
We went to Pure Mountains in the Sierra Nevada last year

What time of year did you go? A mate suggested we try it instead of Morzine in August but I’m fearful of 35 degrees in pads and full-face helmet….

Can’t remember exactly how I did it but my 7 year old can only voice chat to his “Xb
ox friends” and I make sure they are only known friends/family.

If you work at the same secure site as me, it’s worth seeing what Cyclo Monster near Spondon Asda have.

I thought I was reasonably happy with where I lived until I read with increasing jealousy through this thread!

Beeston, Nottingham – nice local community feel, lots of pubs, independent coffee shops and eateries within 10 minutes walk.  10 minutes drive to the M1.  Mainline train station – 1h30 to London or 1 hour to Matlock.  1 hour drive to Peak District.  Not much more than 2 hours drive to a large proportion of the country.

More riding from the doorstep and a nice house with lots more land might be nice but it’s a great area for young kids.

It depends what the transfer value is.  Mine was 35 times the predicted annual pension……

I have an Ebay shop as well as the day job.  Takes a few hours a week and the idea was to make enough over the year for a family holiday rather than putting it on the credit card.

Ambrose – I’m pretty certain that I have ridden where Marc Sutton was shot, dropping down from Super Morzine to Montriond. IF it is where I think it is, I seem to recall that there are small signs dotted around that give the permitted times and dates of hunting. They are not warning signs however. Even if they were warning signs though, it would not be the rider’s fault in the event of an accident, surely.

So have I – 8 weeks ago in fact.  We came across that way uphill! from Super Morzine, missed the sharp left back to Morzine and ended coming down (walking) a goat track in the woods to Montriond.  As you say, lots of little signs about hunting periods in the woods……

If Brexit is so clear, then why are Brexiteers are getting so uptight about the prospect of BRINO (Brexit In Name Only)?

I had the same problem for an eBay store – HSBC identified that they thought I was using my personal account for business transactions.  I’ve opened an HSBC business account which I think is free for the first year.

It actually helps to have business finances completely separate from personal.

So….I lucked out on eBay.  I took the passenger seat out of my van and assumed that even if I had to drive with poptop up, I would somehow fit 2m high, 1.4 metre wide doors in.  After 30 seconds I realised there was NO CHANCE!

Fortunately the bloke I was buying them off was a decorator and had his own van with a roof-rack, so he ended up delivering them across town for me – I chucked another £20 his way which he hadn’t asked for.

Ta, I’m in Nottingham :-)

I think I can answer my own question – buy some off eBay and get a man with an emptier van to pick them up….

Next week – resolving the straight forward plan closing out Middle East peace talks.

I read recently about a theory supporting the creationism belief that the world was created by god only a few thousand years ago, versus the popular scientific assertion that is it 4.5 billions years old.

The theory goes that all the scientific evidence of the world being 4.5 billion years old was in fact put there by god as part of the creation.

Therefore ALL scientific evidence can simply be dismissed as false as it’s only something god created.

Brexit will be exactly like this – anything that doesn’t turn out as anticipated will simply be blamed away as “the fault of the EU”, “the fault of Theresa May”, “The fault of traitors”, “the fault of people who don’t believe in democracy”, “the fault of the people who weren’t positive enough and ruined it from the start”….etc…

I’d be surprised if many Brexiteers every admitted that the experts were right all along…..

So many that I am forever having to clear our my 500MB inbox just to be able to send any replies.

A lesson learned from me….when you take money out, don’t forget to set aside what you will owe in tax, otherwise you’ll get a surprise come end of year and have to take more money out to pay what you should have set aside…therefore will pay more tax on that.

It looks like Rolls Royce owners BMW are prepared for Airbus to move

BMW do not own the Aero-engine-makers Rolls-Royce.

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Why were the public ever allowed to vote on Brexit when 95% don’t understand the actual implications of staying/ leaving?

I think you’re underestimating the average Brexiteer.  They understood fully what the implications were:

*£350m a week for the NHS

*Fewer immigrants.  Especially Asian/African ones.

*Not having an unelected elite (like the House of Lords) making rules for us

*Magical trade opportunities with poorer, further away countries than those in the EU

*Blue passport

*”Taking back control”

*”Making Britain Great again”

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I work at the obvious employer and live in Beeston on the west side of Nottingham.  I can make it to the closest site in Derby in less than 20 minutes and to the main site in 25, so don’t rule Nottingham out unless you really want Peak District type hilly riding immediately from the doorstep, in which case the Amber Valley is the best bet.

It has excellent transport links and you can be at Sherwood Pines, Cannock Chase or the heart of the Peak District in an hour, give or take 10 minutes.  The bike commute to Derby is easy with several safe (decent cycle lanes etc) options on/off road.

Hello. Ireland here. Definitely Europe, just with worse weather. Hope you enjoy your freedom. Sorry to hear you’re all racists now.

52% of “us” at least.

The campsite in Keswick is a perfect location but the ridiculous rules about when you can check in (must be there by 7pm, don’t care if you’re travelling 4 hours, no you can’t get your mate’s pitch even if he can’t get there till 9) spoil it.

Scotgate at Braithwaite is pretty good with average pubs close by and an easy bus or brisk walk (via the infinitely preferable Farmer’s Arms in Portinscale) into Keswick.

I think they landed near me at Chilwell Barracks but sadly I missed the whole thing…..

I second class everything and only get a signature if it’s £50 or above and likely to go Walkies

i weighed up the cost of £1 for a signature vs the likelihood of it getting lost. Cheaper to suck up the one that may get lost than pay £1 every time

Normal second class only insures to £20.  The £1 extra buys you insurance up to £50 so I usually do it and charge it to the buyer.

I stayed with Custom Break at Chalet Alice in Morzine for skiing in January.  I’d recommend them for a one stop package including transfers – great chalet with secure storage and a short stroll into town.

I’d also recommend Le Boomerang in Les Gets who I’ve stayed with biking in the summer.