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Re: Background: Creation of Agile Manifesto

MSBassSinger18-Mar-19 6:59

MSBassSinger

18-Mar-19 6:59

Thanks. I agree. I am a bit dumbfounded as to how thinking professionals see software development as essentially assembly line workers (developers and testers) on a predictable assembly line, instead of professional engineers (not PE, but generically) creating value from thin air.

Re: Background: Creation of Agile Manifesto

Dean Roddey18-Mar-19 11:01

Dean Roddey

18-Mar-19 11:01

Yeh, I mean, I've said it time and time again... how many of us, when starting a new project, are doing something that we have done just like that before, with the same tools, the same techniques, and the same constraints, and of course with the same team (known quantities)? It's probably never happened to any of us even once.

Every significant undertaking is new. You can't predict results without repeatable conditions, and no one even WANTS repeatable conditions for the most part because that would mean not taking advantage of lots of new things that will have become available within the lifespan of the previous project (if it was of any size.)

It's like most space projects. NASA and ESO have some of the best engineers in the world, but they almost never bring in anything under budget and on time, and all too often make massive blunders, because they are never doing the same thing twice. No matter how much process analysis experience you have, if you haven't done it almost exactly like that before, then you are to one extent or another throwing darts at a board.

Explorans limites defectum

Re: Background: Creation of Agile Manifesto

James Lonero20-Mar-19 5:20

James Lonero

20-Mar-19 5:20

I agree with you MSBassSinger. I worked for an company back in the late 80s that hired its software manager from a well-known accounting firm. He believed that software production is the same as an assembly line. People like him are extremely lacking information.

For example, workers on an assembly line have blueprints (or exact instructions) on how to build the product, which part goes where, how to put the part into the product, and how to inspect and test the product. Those plans even include an inventory of parts needed and the company stocks the needed parts.

Where are those instructions for the software developers? Although, the parts are endless, what parts will I need and how many? Should I use an array or linked list for an operation? A simple sort or a quick sort? Which would be best if the software changes at a later date? Is the performance of my new algorithm fast enough or do I need to add something more to it?

Even the hardware engineers create a breadboard to test their ideas when creating a new product. Do I use a 40 ohm or 80-ohm resister? There are no instructions of how to build it before it is conceived.

Does someone think that a customer’s or marketing’s request and requirements (even if detailed) is enough instructions to build a product? Can the customer or marketing give us the detailed specifications about the internal processes. If we refer back to the old days of software engineering (looking back to IBM in the 60s and 70s), there were processes in place to conceive of the breakdown, product boundaries, design, testing, implementation, deployment, and maintenance.

Any manager who doesn’t have software experience should be handled with care. Time needs to be taken to educate that manager, so he knows what he is working with.

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