Edward Tufte
Envisioning Information
Beautiful Evidence
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
Seeing With Fresh Eyes
Visual Explanations
ImageQuilts
The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint
An Essay by Edward TufteIn corporate and government bureaucracies, the standard method for making a presentation is to talk about a list of points organized onto slides projected up on the wall. For many years, overhead projectors lit up transparencies, and slide projectors showed high-resolution 35mm slides. Now "slideware" computer programs for presentations are nearly everywhere. Early in the 21st century, several hundred million copies of Microsoft PowerPoint were turning out trillions of slides each year.
Alas, slideware often reduces the analytical quality of presentations. In particular, the popular PowerPoint templates (ready-made designs) usually weaken verbal and spatial reasoning, and almost always corrupt statistical analysis. What is the problem with PowerPoint? And how can we improve our presentations?
Manifesto for Agile Software Development
We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:
- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
- Working software over comprehensive documentation
- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
- Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.
Deliver early and continuously
Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
Welcome changing requirements
Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.
Self-organizing teams
The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
Technical excellence and good design
Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
Agility and sustainability
Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
The amount of work not done
Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential.
The primary measure of progress
Working software is the primary measure of progress.
Build projects around motivated individuals
Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
Deliver working software frequently
Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.
Business people and developers
Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
Face-to-face conversations
The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.
Reflect, tune, adjust
At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.