Development
The Wetware Crisis: the Thermocline of Truth
[Updated 09/12/13 — fixed some links and added a few.] [Copyright 2008 by Bruce F. Webster. All rights reserved. Adapted from Surviving Complexity (forthcoming).] A thermocline is a distinct temperature barrier between a surface layer of warmer water and the colder, deeper water underneath. It can exist in both lakes and oceans. A thermocline […]
The Longest Yard: Reorganizing IT for Success
[This is an article that Ruby Raley and I co-authored and that was printed in the September 2006 issue of the Cutter IT Journal. Space was limited, so we had to be rather terse throughout. Ruby and I may well expand this to significantly greater length later, but for now, here’s the original article as […]
The Art of ‘Ware (V 2.0, maxim 2:4): prolonged development
[From The Art of ‘Ware (Version 2.0) by Bruce F. Webster (forthcoming), Chapter 2, “Supporting Development”] When a company is drained by competition, it is because product development and marketing have taken too long. Prolonged development cripples the company. Developers can typically sustain a high level of energy for 18 to 36 months, depending on […]
The Art of ‘Ware (V 2.0, maxim 1:4): misdirection and stealth
[From The Art of ‘Ware (Version 2.0) by Bruce F. Webster (forthcoming), Chapter 1, “Starting Out”] Successful product development required stealth and misdirection. Hide your strengths at first and appear to be weak; when actively developing, show no signs. Any concept, once viewed, can be imitated, in appearance if not in fact. There is a […]
The Art of ‘Ware (V 2.0, maxim 1:3): preparing a company for success
[From The Art of ‘Ware (Version 2.0) by Bruce F. Webster (forthcoming), Chapter 1, “Starting Out”] By answering these seven questions, you can judge ahead of time how well the company will succeed: Does the board of directors have Tao?1 The common image is that the directors are only interested in the bottom line. But […]