Software Development Ineffectiveness Costs Companies Millions
Posted on Wed, Jul 21, 2010
By Neil Fox, VP, Strategic Consulting
Why measure the software development process?
There are those who stand firm in their opinion that the process of software development cannot and should not be measured. Why not? Because, so the argument goes, the results are sufficient evidence of the productivity of the team and the efficiency of the process itself.
As you might expect, these views are generally held by technology professionals who just do not want to be scrutinized and would like the business to focus on the end result rather than how that result was achieved or if it was possible to deliver more, faster or better.
You must be able to demonstrate the effectiveness of the development process
The software development industry is fairly young (it started about 30 years ago) and for a much of that time was considered somewhat of a black art by those on the business side. As the industry has matured, however, this “please ignore the man behind the curtain” approach no longer works. Business managers investing in technology want to know what they’re getting for their money. In order then to demonstrate serious discipline and rigor to the business, we need to be able to discuss, both qualitatively AND quantitatively, our current effectiveness as well as describe our concrete plans to improve effectiveness into the future.
Increasing competition in the software industry drives business interest in ROI and software development effectiveness
The software development landscape has become radically more competitive than even during the dot-com bubble. Software development groups now compete with established and emerging companies as well as a growing community of global partners and providers. If development can be done elsewhere better and for less money, or a company can buy a solution rather than incur the risk and expense of building applications, it makes the most sense for them to do so. Therefore, in order to be relevant, and to be considered a viable option, we must be able to articulate our effectiveness.
The conversation starts with measurement
I am convinced that software development leaders who are able to measure, discuss and improve their teams’ effectiveness will have a distinct advantage, provide increasing value, and attract more investment as our industry continues to mature.
In our next post we will discuss the definition and components of software development effectiveness.
Stay tuned!
Neil Fox heads the strategic consulting unit at Ness. His team partners with clients to maximize return on technology investments. He was an early member of Macromedia’s team, a pioneer of Internet technology while at TRW in the 90’s (now part of Northrop Grumman), and has led large software development efforts for most of his 25+ year career. He can be contacted at Neil.Fox@ness.com.
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