Having gathered initial feedback from the v0.99 release, v0.99b is now available, with the following minor improvements:
- Iterations can be deleted. In v0.99, this feature just linked to the Story Delete, and wasn't implemented
- Date fields now have pop-up calendars
- Installer now supports choice of whether to run/not run tests following installation
- Installer now supports not configuring the database
- Installer will now work without SQL Server being installed on the local machine
v0.99 is now no longer available for download. However, v0.99b is available from www.xpstorystudio.com, or directly by clicking here.
To perform an upgrade from v0.99, first uninstall the existing version (this will NOT remove your existing database), then run the v0.99b MSI installer and select the database upgrade version.
Attitudes towards risk are something that I've been meaning to write about for some time now. To me, there're basically two types of risk - active and passive (I'm no risk expert in the "risk analyst"/academic sense, so ignore all of this if it's obvious)...
- Active risk is that which is deliberately taken on - for instance the choice to develop a new product that may (in theory) fail in the market. Or the rewrite of a piece of software due to burgeoning support costs.
- Passive risk is that which is inherent in inaction - for instance, the choice not to update an existing product to compete with others in the marketplace. Or the decision not to rewrite a piece of software, despite burgeoning support costs.
Both these types of risk can be measured in the same way - the cost, and the potential return/loss. Yet people seem to have very different attitudes towards them. Passive risk is seen as a necessary evil that's often ignored. Whereas active risk is seen as something to be avoided, regardless of the potential payback (and likelihood thereof).
I think, in corporate life, the problem lies in what people are measured/judged on - the decisions that they DO make (active risk), rather than the ones they DON'T make (passive risk). It's easier to blame indecision on someone else than it is a choice you made yourself. Unfortunately, I've seen many cases where the passive risk is huge; easily enough to cause a company to go under sometimes (and actually causing it to, in at least one company I've worked with).
In theory, this all comes down to a corporate risk register, and ensuring that it's both complete, and has well-defined accountabilities for each item. Unfortunately, I've rarely seen this really working, with numerous passive risk items dropping out of sight due to an unwillingness to take on responsibility.
Whilst I've not had time to do all the documentation I was planning to over Christmas, I have got round to bundling up the installer and updating www.XPStoryStudio.com.
So, available for download now (from the aforementioned URL), is v0.99 of XP StoryStudio - the freely distributable XP planning tool created by myself and Dave Fellows, with the help and support of several other kind souls at Egg.
From the documentation enclosed within the installer:
This is a functionally complete, pre-release version of XP StoryStudio
intended for limited distribution to test installation and integration issues
prior to the public release. As such, should issues be found, please forward them to: support {at} xpstorystudio.com.