This post is from jimhighsmith.com by Jim Highsmith.
Jeff Patton recently reminded me of two simple strategies for software development that I’ve talked about from time to time—Build Less Software and Start Sooner. I thought I’d follow up on Jeff’s blog and revisit these simple, but powerful strategies.
First, managers and executives complain a lot about not delivering software (or any other product really) in a timely manner. In Preston Smith and Don Reinertsen’s ground-breaking book Developing Products in Half the Time they discussed manufactured products, not software products, but many of their ideas are relevant none-the-less. Their research pointed out that, on average, in the timeframe from initial identification of a need to product ship, over ½ the project’s time was taken up before the development project actually got underway! “The front end is so fuzzy that people tend to forget that it even occurs,” say the authors, and they go on; “we have seen situations where as much as 90 percent of the development cycle elapsed before the team started work.” How many projects, projects with extremely aggressive schedules, have you been on, where everyone knows the project has been under “consideration” for months and months, if not years? Once the development team is appointed, the mantra becomes “hurry, hurry.” Where was all the hurry when management was “considering” the project?
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