My preference is to use a simple, security-free, browser-based learning repository, such as Ward Cunningham's Wiki.1[2] I say security-free because I've seen tools that have too many security bells and whistles, and I've seen how no one enters content into these tools simply because they are too burdensome to use. [2] 1. See http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiWikiWeb. So your learning repository must be simple to use, but just installing it and asking folks to use it isn't enough, either. Teams need to establish usage conventions. For example, a team can decide that developers will quickly jot down learnings on index cards as they work, and when they integrate their code, they can integrate significant learnings as well. Doing this will rapidly produce a valuable learning repository. Here are just a few examples of what a team might record. Database Layer XML Refactoring (Jan. 27, 2001): While working on the new XML framework, Eric and I discovered that the database layer had been given new responsibilities that really didn't belong there the mixture of responsibilities complicated the original design. So we've refactored the XML code out of the database layer and placed it into the new XML framework code. Bob Tapping Your Finger: A Pair Programming Technique (Jan. 30, 2001): I discovered that instead of annoying my pair by telling her that she missed something, I can just tap with my finger on the offending spot in the code and give my pair the chance to figure out what was missing or incorrect. My pair, Mary, really liked this. It could be a good pair programming technique for everyone on the team. Sandra Getting Stuck and Unstuck Thanks to the Customer (Feb. 1, 2001): Today Karen and I discovered that the task we had signed up for was actually way more complicated than we'd thought. We asked Rob (the coach) for help, and that triggered a ten-minute meeting with the customers, which resulted in a great idea from Jim (a customer) about a far simpler, better implementation. It sure helped us to ask a question rather than continuing to program. Jerry |