By Adriaan Prinsloo, Senior Systems Architect, Elzaris Technologies

During the last two Agile SA gatherings in Durban, I was struck again by the realisation of how diverse the agile space really is.  When we organised the company showcases I was worried that we would have four presentations that pretty much said the same thing, just with different presentation graphics.  Well I should have worried about more important things like the soaring price of whiskey and the lack of international bands on the Durban music scene.  Not that worrying about these things would help, I’m just saying that the initial worry was completely unfounded.  We were presented with views of the agile world from four completely unique perspectives.  Steve and Gary from SA Homeloans gave us a concise and honest account of their leap into agility, both from a developer and a project management perspective. Barry from Impro shared with us how they have transformed the entire culture of their company through adopting agile methodologies.  ‘Kim and the gang’ (not an international band either) from SQS gave us a humorous and informative look at the role of a tester in the agile development process, while master Tite from Agrista thrilled us with a fast paced and hard hitting account of the agrista trials and tribulations through Chris’s entire history with the company.  I walked away from these session with a wealth of shared knowledge and a sense that we are succeeding in creating a community that will benefit all who participate, whether they be the director of a corporation, or a 733t h@x0r in a damp basement.  I also walked away with a very nice beer due to my previously underutilized, but blindingly fast recollection of Star Trek characters, thanks Chris!