Crystal method - Jamarare/AgiilsedTarkvaraarenduseMetoodikad GitHub Wiki

Crystal Method

What is the Crystal Method?

The Crystal Method is an Agile software development approach created by Alistair Cockburn. It focuses on the people involved in the project and their interactions, rather than rigid processes and tools. Crystal recognizes that every project is unique and offers a family of methods (e.g., Crystal Clear, Crystal Yellow, Crystal Orange) tailored to different team sizes and project criticality.

Key ideas of Crystal:

  • Emphasizes communication, collaboration, and frequent delivery
  • Values people and interactions over processes
  • Adjusts practices based on project size, complexity, and criticality
  • Encourages reflective improvement and dynamic adaptation

Where is the Crystal Method Used?

  • Projects where team communication and cooperation are crucial
  • Teams seeking a lightweight, adaptable Agile approach
  • Projects of varying sizes:
    • Crystal Clear → small teams
    • Crystal Orange → larger teams
  • Environments that prioritize people skills over heavy documentation
  • Mainly in software development, but also adaptable to other agile and flexible projects

Pros:

  1. ✅ Highly adaptable – Tailors to team size, project criticality, and complexity
  2. ✅ People-focused – Encourages strong communication and teamwork

Cons:

  1. ⚠️ Less prescriptive – May confuse teams used to more structured methods
  2. ⚠️ Depends on team maturity – Requires skilled, communicative team members

Crystal

Assignment: Crystal Method & eEduka Project

1. Is Crystal suitable for this project?

Yes. Crystal fits well:

  • The team has 10 members, aligning with Crystal Orange (recommended for 10–40 people).
  • The project includes both mobile and web apps, which adds complexity – a good match for Crystal’s flexible, people-centric model.
  • Challenges: Full remote setup + client meets weekly → communication must be well-structured.
  • Crystal’s support for continuous learning helps integrate interns effectively.

➡️ Conclusion: Crystal is a good fit if communication is managed proactively.

2. Which Crystal “color” to use and why?

  • 🟠 Crystal Orange is the best fit:
    • Team size (10) fits its range.
    • Offers a balance of structure and flexibility.

Crystal Clear is better suited for very small teams, so it's not applicable here.

3. Adapting Crystal Elements

Element Adaptation Strategy
Osmotic communication Daily short video calls + active chat (to mimic natural flow remotely)
Personal safety Open discussion culture, mentorship, regular retrospectives
Iterative development 8 × 2-week sprints, demos, feedback cycles
Client involvement Weekly focused video calls + async feedback tools
Continuous learning Intern mentors, pair programming, knowledge-sharing sessions

4. Top 3 Risks and Solutions

Risk Solution
Communication gaps Daily standups, written documentation
Unclear roles Clearly define responsibilities, assign mentors
Slow intern onboarding Provide training, start with simpler tasks

5. Schedule & Iterations

  • ⏱ Total: 8 iterations × 2 weeks = 4 months
  • Early iterations: Core features
  • Later iterations: Polishing, bug fixes
  • Feedback cycles:
    • 🟢 Daily team calls
    • 🟢 Weekly client meetings

6. Roles and Tasks

Role Tasks Crystal Support Notes
Project Manager Planning, coordination, client comms Personal safety, client involvement Needs strong organization
Designer UI/UX design Osmotic communication Collaborates closely with devs
Developer Coding, testing Iterative delivery Open to feedback
Tester QA, bug tracking Frequent delivery Coordinates testing effort
Intern Documentation, basic testing Continuous learning Requires mentorship

7. Crystal Principles Overview

Principle How it’s applied
Frequent delivery MVP demos every 2 weeks
Personal safety Open discussions, retrospectives
Osmotic communication Daily video calls
Iterative development 2-week sprints + feedback
Continuous learning Mentorship and structured intern support