I’ve been preoccupied with helping my client assess and visualize a SharePoint 2003 to MOSS migration for the past few weeks, and as a result my blogging suffers.  Always something!

Today, a couple of agile resources I wanted to post for posterity and share.  First, a white paper by Kent Beck published by Microsoft on the use of tools in agile software development entitled Tools for Agility:

This is an excellent, quick essay by the creator of eXtreme Programming on the value of tooling for enabling agile software development.  A consistent theme for Beck is how the evolution of utilities like continuous integration and xUnit frameworks foster faster transitions between tasks that an agile/iterative/lean team encounters over the lifespan of the project.  Beck also offer his prognostications on future agile tools and practices.

Next up, the Alt.NET Podcast.  Yes, I’m a Johnny-come-lately to discovering this feed, but I’m a huge fan of developer podcasts like Hanselminutes and the Agile Toolkit as a means of obtaining insightful information during my down-time driving to the cottage or enduring a ride on the TTC subway (uggh!).

This morning, I listened to the Adopting Agile episode with Owen Rogers – really good stuff that made me think hard about the philosophies and positions I’ve held about non-agile teams and how to persuade them to make the transition gradually with just a single commitment to deliver a working increment of software once a month.  From here, in Rogers’ experience, it’s easier to begin rationlizing the adoption of agile/lean/iterative practices to enable the once-a-month rhythm.  Very much in the “stone soup” tradition.

That’s it for today – I’m off to the cottage this evening for the “holiday long weekend” here in Canada.  Time to catch up on some Inversion of Control podcasts…

Fresh off the presses – still in CTP with beta not slated till ‘09 – that will give you the tools to enhance your Web 2.0 chic in the enterprise with podcasting content that can be easily and readily consumed on desktops and mobile devices like Zunes and SmartPhones.  From the CodePlex site:

• Share content by producing your own audio/video podcasts and publish them on PKS on your own.
• Connect and engage with podcasters via your integrated instant messaging program
• Find the most relevant content using the five star rating system, tag cloud, search engine and provide your feedback via comments.
• Get automatic podcast updates by subscribing to RSS feeds fully compatible with Zune and other podcasting devices
  • Simple RSS feed based on a defined podcast series
  • Simple RSS feed based on a person
  • Dynamic RSS feed based on search results
• Play podcasts in real-time using Microsoft® Silverlight™ and progressive playback
• Retrieve instant ROI and metrics with the ability to track the number of podcasts downloaded and/or viewed, instant feedback via rating system and comments, and subscribers via the RSS feed
• Access the richness of SharePoint to extend the solution: workflows, community sub-sites, access rights, editorial and more
• Customize your own PKS User Experience

What more could you want?  This is a really full palette!  And the preview certainly looks decent – everything you’d expect:

This is a really exciting development for SharePoint as it adds an additional layer of usability depth to the MOSS platform that really makes it a compelling communications and collaboration platform.

Imagine, for example, having a podcast series on brainstorming sessions for different workgroups and teams, or thought-leader commentaries that can be disseminated prior to a meeting to help “prime” participants, or even basic “how-to” tutorials for performing a variety of routine tasks – the potential for empowering knowledge workers within an organization is almost limitless, and one that’s become an increasing topic of discussion with my peers and colleagues in MCS.

I’ll blog more on my experiences with the CTP when I get a moment – just wanted to get this out while the iron was hot!

Microsoft has launched a new site targeted at existing .NET developers to smooth out the MOSS 2007 ramp-up at http://www.mssharepointdeveloper.com.  The site brings together a wide range of great content, including how-tos, labs, white papers, certifications and VPC images. 

What really makes this site stand out from the archetypical MSDN offerings is its dynamic views on development topics.  For example, watch the Did You Know? rotator in the middle of the page for topics that pique your interest – click it and an expansive menu page will open providing exploration options from Quick Starts and Virtual Labs to Screencasts, Demos and downloadable Hands on Labs.

This site answers some of the top-questions I hear as an MCS Consultant from in-house teams at my client sites – this is where I’ll be pointing them!

Via the Microsoft SharePoint Team Blog, SharePoint MVPs Andrew McConnell and Robert Bogue are presenting a 10–part series covering development fundamentals and best practices.  These began a couple of weeks ago (the recorded webcasts should be available soon) and the balance will be delivered via LiveMeeting over the month:

See the post for details and links – there’s also some upcoming P&P sessions for architects and if you happen to be in Redmond for June 11, a “SharePoint Fire Starter” 1–day whirlwind intro event.