As we saw in the last essay, the 80:20 rule seemingly appears in many circumstances. When I was attending college and working as a programmer during the 80’s, there were some commonly accepted tenets that guided our software development processes and behaviors.

I’m curious to know what software process methodology the readers of my material practice. If you would, please take the poll and share your experiences with a comment. In the comment if you can answer the following questions, it would be greatly appreciated.

Work smarter, not harder is common wisdom for solving difficult problems. Analysis is the process of applying our knowledge intelligently to solve difficult problems. Upfront analysis saves time. It’s about working smarter, not harder.

It’s suggested that the web has changed everything. Whatever requirements there were for delivering desktop applications, the requirements for delivering web applications has changed. For the web, the thinking goes; delivery of new features to customers is paramount to remain competitive. Maybe it’s true, but what’s the evidence? My own experience with popular web sites does not support this conclusion.

David Starr argues that Agile doesn’t work because business operations aren’t Agile, and his remedy is to have Agile business practices that embrace change: “Embrace continuous integration of the enterprise.” Customers don’t want continuous change; they want a great product the first time they purchase it, so they can spend more time serving their customers and invest more money on other important needs. While your product delivery is most important to you and your company, it’s likely not the most important need for your customer. Agile simply solves the wrong problem.

 
I’m reminded of an interview I had with a young company for a Software Director role.  They were at point where they were ready to begin rapidly acquiring new customers.  When a new customer signed, …

 
One of the difficulties I have with the Agile software methodologies and its proponents is that they go to far.  They are often susceptible to hyperbole while hawking their methodology like used car salesmen.   Their …

When I was a high school student I was an avid competitor in the sport of wrestling. It’s an extremely demanding and punishing sport: requiring extreme stamina, strength, skill, agility, and mental toughness. You have to have a strong mind to compete successfully in wrestling. When you’re in the 3rd period of a match, you’re exhausted, and your opponent continues aggressively to push the action, only the tough-minded continue to fight and pull out a win.

The Agile software development practices are in their infancy stage as evidenced by the number of variants that are being promoted in popular print and usage today:  Scrum and XP being two popular variants.  Clearly …

Have you ever wondered why software process has yet to flourish in the software industry?  Why, after many decades of industry growth, there is no consensus on a process methodology or even best practices?  Why …