NoFixed.org

For those of you who are familiar with agile software development will notice many similarities between NoFixed and agile. The NoFixed movement is designed to be compatible with agile. In particular the NoFixed Manefesto is closely aligned with the Agile Manefesto and its four core values. However, the focus of the two is different.

Agile is a set of values for developing software. NoFixed is a set of values for setting client expectations and establishing relationships. Agile does not prescribe a specific engagement strategy. NoFixed is meant to describe that engagement strategy without a specific delivery methodology. In other words, NoFixed is about generating agile friendly engagements.

While NoFixed does not specify a delivery methodology, it does describe delivery commitments to the client. An agile development process will likely be the best way to meet the client commitments. For those of you in the NoFixed movement who are not agile practitioners, we highly recommend integrating agile methodologies as your delivery framework. Agile will significantly help you deliver on the value delivery promise of NoFixed.

Despite their close alignment, NoFixed does not strictly necessitate agile. It strongly hints at it and should drive more agile practices – but we stopped short of requiring it. The primary reason is we wanted to remove barriers thus the NoFixed commitment is simpler and can be implemented faster than those of agile. (Anyone who has made the transition to agile knows what we are taking about)

In addition, some elements of web engagements don’t match particularly well with traditional software development. For example, online marketing should be driven by measurable results such as increased conversion or traffic. Thus optimal value is communicated via metrics, e.g. reports and documentation, not necessarily "working software". Another example is UX design. There are times where the value of a consistent user interface outweigh the user confusion created by "responding to change". There are even a select few occasions when the rigors of an iterative waterfall process may be more appropriate.

The goal is to get the industry to take the first step: establishing more intelligent client vendor relationships that are hospitable to agile. Then the enhanced pragmatism of agile principles will move the industry in that direction. The NoFixed point of view is that taking the first step is what is important, after that people can move at their own pace towards agile.