Sofftware development is an invisible task. Julia Vowler
reports.
David Bell, director of the Management Forum for Excellence in
Software Development, recently returned from an international
conference regarding management and its development.
There Bell sought out the views of a wide variety of manager
delegates present on what they thought about software development
when it is experienced by their own organisations.
"Opinions on software development were not hard to find. Most
were only too ready to share their views."
Depressingly, the conclusion Bell reached was that there is a
deep lack of understanding between those inside and those outside
the software development sphere and this applied to general
management most of all.
Developing software is often critical and organisations rely on
software developers being successful, but dealing with software
firms was seen as frustrating. So why is this?
Perhaps it stems from the fact that software development is such
an "invisible" task that outsiders find it difficult to appreciate
the consequences of what they ask software developers to do.
Many people don't recognise that what they are asking may be
impossible or even onerous. "People aren't aware of the issues we
face," explains Bell.
He acknowledges that software developers must look at themselves
and analyse what they themselves must do if a greater understanding
is to be achieved.
Bell says one problem is that many software development teams
have not formalised any kind of performance metrics.
If they themselves do not fully understand how they are
performing or how they should be performing, how can they deal with
everyone elses' expectations ?
In which case, "developing a clear understanding of the way in
which the development department should operate would seem to be
high on the list", he says. "Add to this the availability of data
on the actual operation - including what happens when, for example,
we take on late requirements. This should all be combined with the
ability to explain these aspects in simple terms. If all this is
achieved, then the basis for removing the lack of understanding
should be in place."
"Of course," he warns, "it does assume that we know what we are
doing and that we have the necessary data."