Intro SWE Chapter 5 (B) Part One
Crystal Method was developed by who?
Alistair Cockburn
Crystal Method focuses on?
Focuses primarily on people and their interactions when working on a project rather than on processes and
tools.
• One methodology cannot be adequate for all projects, and that the methodology needs to be adapted to the
project.
Crystal Method is based on two fundamental assumptions:
Teams can optimize workflow - Team members can and should work together to develop the optimal
workflow process for each project.
• All projects are unique - Every project is different from others and requires some specific methods and
strategies. Since all projects are unique and constantly changing, the tools and processes needed vary
project by project. It should therefore be up to a project’s team to determine which methodologies to use.
Crystal method projects are like?
Every project is a game, and we need to make a strategy to win the game. The model suggests that we should
include everyone, allow them to interact and welcome everyone's idea while planning for a project. Also, we
should not focus on what we made; we should focus on what the customer wants us to make.
Crystal methods focus on:-
1. People involved
2. Interaction between the teams
3. Community
4. Skills of people involved
5. Their Talents
6. Communication between all the teams
1. Frequent delivery
Crystal Method
Properties
2. Reflective Improvement
Crystal Method
Properties
3. Osmotic Communication
Crystal Method
Properties
4. Personal Safety
Crystal Method
Properties
5. Focus
Crystal Method
Properties
6. Easy Access to an Expert User:
Crystal Method
Properties
7. Good Technical environment & frequent integration
Crystal Method
Properties
Crystal Method is broken down by?
1. Criticality
2. Team size
3. Priority
Criticality
Gauged by the losses that a malfunction would cause and the level of potential damage the system can cause if it
does not perform as designed. How imperative are the results of the project? Is it life or death?
Four Levels of criticality
(1) Life (L)
(2) Essential money (E)
(3) Discretionary money (D)
(4) Comfort (C)
Life (L)
which are malfunctions that can cause physical harm to a person, or possibly loss of life
Essential money (E)
which are malfunctions that may cause loss of money essential for the organization’s
survival
Discretionary money (D)
which are malfunctions that may cause loss of money but are not essential for the
organization’s survival
Comfort (C)
which are malfunctions that do not cause measurable monetary loss and yet still decrease
comfort and pleasure to the users.
Suitability of the Crystal method depends on three dimensions
2. Team size:
• Determined by the number of team members working in the project
• that project size is not measured in lines-of-code or function points but by the number of developers.
Suitability of the Crystal method depends on three dimensions
3. Priority:
Measured by the time pressure on the project.
Where does the project rank? Is it a higher priority than other work?
Crystal gives teams the
flexibility to adapt their work to fit these factors, as opposed to sticking with strict and
uncompromising rules and methodologies.