Jim Highsmith
Encyclopedia
James A. Highsmith III (born 1945) is an American software engineer
and author of books in the field of software development methodology
. He is the creator of Adaptive Software Development
, described in his 1999 book "Adaptive Software Development", and winner of the 2000 Jolt Award, and the Stevens Award
in 2005.
Working as a principal of Information Architects, Inc., based in Salt Lake City, Highsmith taught and consulted on software quality process improvement, project management, and accelerated development techniques. He has also served as director of the Agile Project Management
Advisory Service for the Cutter Consortium
. The Cutter Consortium is an IT
advisory firm, that has included a group of more than 125 internationally recognized experts who have come together to offer information, consulting and training. He is also one of the founders of the Agile Project Leadership Network.
In the book Adaptive Software Development (1999), Jim Highsmith uses the analogy of mountain climbing to illustrate his points about teamwork, planning, and adaptation to rapidly changing conditions. The book contains the following adage: Rules can be barriers to hide behind or guidelines for the wise to consider and break when the circumstances justify it. The book also covers the concepts of accidental software development, the adaptive conceptual model, and the adaptive development model.
Software engineer
A software engineer is an engineer who applies the principles of software engineering to the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the software and systems that make computers or anything containing software, such as computer chips, work.- Overview :...
and author of books in the field of software development methodology
Software development methodology
A software development methodology or system development methodology in software engineering is a framework that is used to structure, plan, and control the process of developing an information system.- History :...
. He is the creator of Adaptive Software Development
Adaptive Software Development
Adaptive Software Development is a software development process that grew out of rapid application development work by Jim Highsmith and Sam Bayer...
, described in his 1999 book "Adaptive Software Development", and winner of the 2000 Jolt Award, and the Stevens Award
Stevens Award
The Stevens Award is a software engineering award given in memory of Wayne Stevens. The international Stevens Award was created to recognize outstanding contributions to the literature or practice of methods for software and systems development...
in 2005.
Life and work
Jim Highsmith has more than 25 years experience as an IT manager, project manager, product manager, consultant, and software developer at Cutter Consortium. He has consulted with IT, software, and product-development companies in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Japan, India, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand to help them adapt to an accelerated pace of development in increasingly complex, unstable environments. Jim Highsmith's areas of consulting include agile software development, collaboration, and project management.Working as a principal of Information Architects, Inc., based in Salt Lake City, Highsmith taught and consulted on software quality process improvement, project management, and accelerated development techniques. He has also served as director of the Agile Project Management
Agile Project Management
Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products by Jim Highsmith discusses the management of projects using the agile software development methodology. The book has been recommended by different reviewers....
Advisory Service for the Cutter Consortium
Cutter Consortium
Cutter Consortium, founded by Karen Fine Coburn in 1986 as Cutter Information Corp., is an American information technology research company. In 1990, Cutter purchased the American Programmer journal , and partnered with its founder, Ed Yourdon, to form the Cutter Consortium...
. The Cutter Consortium is an IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
advisory firm, that has included a group of more than 125 internationally recognized experts who have come together to offer information, consulting and training. He is also one of the founders of the Agile Project Leadership Network.
In the book Adaptive Software Development (1999), Jim Highsmith uses the analogy of mountain climbing to illustrate his points about teamwork, planning, and adaptation to rapidly changing conditions. The book contains the following adage: Rules can be barriers to hide behind or guidelines for the wise to consider and break when the circumstances justify it. The book also covers the concepts of accidental software development, the adaptive conceptual model, and the adaptive development model.
Publications
Jim Highsmith published several articles and books. A selection:- 1999. Adaptive Software Development: A Collaborative Approach to Managing Complex Systems. Dorset House Publishing.
- 2002. Agile Software Development Ecosystems. Foreword by Tom DeMarcoTom DeMarcoTom DeMarco is an American software engineer, author, teacher and speaker on software engineering topics. He is known as one of the developers of Structured analysis in the 1980s.- Biography :...
. Addison-Wesley Pearson Education - 2004. Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products. Addison-Wesley Professional.
External links
- Cutter Consortium
- Highsmith: What Agile Needs to Do - Dr. Dobb's, March 2011