In this presentation Robert C. Martin (Uncle Bob) asks the question "Do we have a job or a profession?" and answers that we have not had a profession until recently. A profession is defined and has a history and, until recently, programmers did things "their way". He makes the argument that Agile has helped us move towards a profession by by introducing discipline in the way we write software.
Some of the disciplines Uncle Bob discusses are:
- Short iterations (he recommends 1-2 weeks)
- Incremental improvement
- Don't wait for definition, participate by building code
- Abstract away volitilaty
- No turgid, viscous architectures, therefore Archtects should code
- Progressive deepening - also known as slices, tracer bullets,
- Progressive widening - first make it work, then make it right, then make it fast
- and many others
Uncle Bob addresses the dilemma of speed vs. quality, and mess vs schedule. He provides a set of principles and simple Dos and Don'ts for teams who want to be counted as professional craftsmen.