I presented at a conference last year where I talked about large feedback loops and how agile attempts to shorten these loops. Ideas such as Acceptance Test Driven Development, Test Driven Development and agile sprint durations are *some* reasons why agile achieves shorter feedback loops. (not exclusive to agile though).
I also suggested that long feedback loops make it acceptable to build an “us versus them” environment and to use static tools like Defect Tracking systems as a form of communication.
In environments where we see lots of “Us Versus Them” mentality between Programmers and Testers (and there are plenty of these environments), do we also see large feedback loops and/or system in use that encourage slower feedback?
Or, in environments with large feedback loops, do we see more “Us Versus Them” mentality.
I suspect both are true and I wonder which comes first.
No matter which way the cause and effect is, it’s clear to me that we need to work hard to break down these walls by incressing the speed at which we provide feedback.
For some, this is easier said than done, but I firmly believe that short feedback loops can do wonders for your whole Development team. Thoughts?