Design sessions

A technic to better design solutions in a collaborative way

When I was fully in Dev Teams it is a practice we used to define the implementations of our features. It consists in brainstorming and aligning at the beginning of each feature implementation.

How to ?

Once a team member wants to open a new Product Backlog Item, User Story or feature implementation, we do an instant meeting in front of a whiteboard and a computer.

• We start by agreeing on its definition

• Be sure we are all aligned on what needs to be done

We use the whiteboard to align ourselves on the different flows to implement

• We open the source code or create a new one and start designing the contracts :

  • From our external layers (APIs for example) to our Domain model

  • POCOs / POJOs

  • DTOs / Commands

• We don't implement anything except of the contracts

  • We throw exceptions throw new NotImplementedException()

• BUT we agree on the naming / parameters

  • We put TODOs in the code to be clear what is expected to implement

  • Later on I have learned that this TODO approach to implementation had a name : Puzzle Driven Development

The whole team or part of it can now work on the implementation by knowing exactly what to do.

Pros

• Instant alignment feedback on what needs to be done

• Increased knowledge sharing

  • Quick up-skilling for new-joiners

• Better solution when designed collaboratively

  • "Alone we go faster together we go further"

• Save a lot of times

  • Avoid feedback loops (in code reviews for example) when no team alignment

• Reinforce the collective ownership feeling inside the team

• Help to shape a real team spirit as well

  • Everyone is involved at the beginning of everything

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