By bfwebster on Nov 10, 2012 in Architecture, Art of 'Ware, Complex systems, Development, Product development, Project Failure, Quality assurance, Risk management, Software engineering, Surviving Complexity | 2 Comments
[Cross posted from And Still I Persist] [Note: I am currently in transit from Colorado to Florida and am composing this post as I have time and 'net access.] “All the most important mistakes are made on the first day.” – The Art of Systems Architecting (Maier & Rechtin) Project Orca was the Romney campaign’s [...]
By bfwebster on Oct 3, 2012 in Architecture, Competition, Education, Main, Marketing, Product development | 0 Comments
With the growing swell of articles about the still-hypothetical iPad Mini — see, for example, this thoughtful analysis over at Vodkapundit – I find it interesting that I see very little written about one of the hottest consumer niches for the iPad: kids. Which is surprising, since kids desperately want to get their hands on [...]
By bfwebster on Sep 8, 2009 in Architecture, Complex systems, Main, Risk management, Software engineering | 2 Comments
In the first part of this three-part series, I briefly outlined the parallels between developing software and crafting legislation, while pointing out the great risks and issues in the latter. I also indicated what I felt were some of the general structural flaws in HR 3200, the House bill on health care reform — not [...]
By bfwebster on Sep 7, 2009 in Architecture, Complex systems, Main, Risk management, Software engineering | 7 Comments
[Welcome Slashdotters -- feel free to leave comments here or there. But no debates on health care reform or what HR 3200 does or does not do, please -- just on the concept itself.] [Part II is now up.] On the occasions where I have reviewed the actual text of major legislation, I have been [...]
By bfwebster on Feb 22, 2009 in Architecture, Main, Product development | 0 Comments
Many large-scale software projects, whether commercial, two-party, or internal, end up poorly matched to their intended use and fail to achieve their intended use. But the same factors that lead to such disappointments occur in all industries and settings. Though I never drove one (and probably only saw them rarely while growing up), as a [...]