Crystal Clear (software development)

Crystal Clear is a member of the Crystal family of methodologies as described by Alistair Cockburn and is considered an example of an agile or lightweight methodology.

Crystal Clear can be applied to teams of up to 6 or 8 co-located developers working on systems that are not life-critical. The Crystal family of methodologies focus on efficiency and habitability as components of project safety.^[1] Crystal Clear focuses on people, not processes or artifacts.

Crystal Clear requires the following properties:

• Frequent delivery of usable code to users
• Reflective improvement
• Osmotic communication preferably by being co-located

Crystal Clear additionally includes these optional properties:

• Personal safety
• Focus
• Easy access to expert users
• Automated tests, configuration management, and frequent integration

References

1. ^ http://www.mariosalexandrou.com/methodologies/crystal-methods.asp

Further reading

• Crystal Clear, A Human-Powered Methodology for Small Teams, Alistair Cockburn, October 2004, pages 336, paperback, Addison-Wesley Professional, ISBN 0-201-69947-8.
• Alistair Cockburn's introduction to the Crystal family of methodologies
• A quick overview with links to sample chapters from the book