[Discuss] Software Development (OT?)

[tmetro+blu at gmail.com (Tom Metro)]

markw at mohawksoft.com wrote:
> Software Development (OT?)

I'd say it is on topic for BLU.


> I have been developing software for a long time now. I'm finding it is
> getting very difficult. Not for the coding and designing, but for the
> "process." I find that software development has become so "process
> focused" that actual architecture and code barely gets evaluated.

I don't find that to be the case, but then again I have the luxury of
following a process of my choice most of the time.

To offer helpful suggestions, you'd need to expand on what aspects of
process you feel are overshadowing the fundamentals of software engineering.

Although last time we covered this topic on the list, my recollection
was that you objected to agile methodologies, and didn't see value in
them. To quote a past message, you wrote:

  I think "agile" development is probably the most abusive management
  technique ever devised. Sure, aspects of it are good software
  development processes, but the implementation is pretty exploitive, in
  my opinion. Every "agile" environment I have seen works the engineers
  to death. The "scrum" meetings are another form of micromanagement
  with the added benefit of peer coercion.

If this were true, a consulting company led by engineers wouldn't
voluntarily choose to use Agile. There's substance and value to it.

I think it is possible that a organization can implement Agile badly
enough to fit the above description (so I don't deny your observation),
but the problem is with the implementation, not the methodology.

Agile is pretty wide spread these days. Possibly even bad
implementations of it. My recommendation would be to try and do a deep
dive into the topic and learn about it from some authoritative sources.
Then you can spot where your managers or team lead are going astray, and
gently nudge them in the right direction, or use that knowledge when
selecting your next employer.

Were you looking for constructive suggestions, or just seeking others
that agreed with this general idea to commiserate with? (The latter is
perfectly fine, but if that's the case, I'll know not to post follow-ups.)

 -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/