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 Nov 8, 2012 in Art of 'Ware, Articles, Development, Main, Management, Professionalism, Software engineering | 0 Comments
Thanks to Cat Mikkelsen [yes, ex-NeXT people, that Cat], I read this article. It’s written by Linds Redding, an art director and animator down in New Zealand who just passed away a few days ago. But it is very, very relevant to software engineering, particularly the ‘heroic’ model of software development. In it, he talks [...]
By bfwebster on May 21, 2012 in Books, Main, Project Failure, Software engineering | 0 Comments
Over at bfwa.com, I’ve started a new series of posts that will present brief reviews of and excerpts from my library of software engineering and IT project management texts. Here’s the introduction to the series; and here’s the first post, covering Jerry Weinberg’s The Psychology of Computer Programming. ..bruce..
By bfwebster on Jan 26, 2010 in Art of 'Ware, Development, Main, Management, Software engineering | 1 Comment
My co-author and good friend Ruby Raley pointed me to this posting by Chris Curran over a possible new IT role, that of the “IT Czar”. Chris specifically uses a rebuilding-the-football-team analogy: What is interesting about Holmgren’s hire is that it is modeled after Bill Parcells role at Miami – The Football Czar. He’s not [...]
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 [...]