Methodologies
by Volker Weber
I had a discussion this week about an organization that tries to solve every new problem with a process. (No, not IBM). It was about people hiding their incompetence behind new ways of filling out paper. This so reminded me of Katie's take on the Rational Unified Process (RUP):
Step 1: Write about running really fast.
Step 2: Go and draw a plan of the racetrack.
Step 3: Go and buy really tight lycra shorts.
Step 4: Run really, really, really fast.
Step 5: Cross line first.
Step 4 is the really hard part that is hidden in meaningless methodology. Lesson to learn: You cannot overcome incompetence with methodologies. You can only hide them really well.
Unfortunately, the outcome of RUP is that you end up with extremely well documented TERRIBLE designs. Unless you have a good OO designer to start with. In which case they'd have come up with a good design anyway, but on less paper.
Amen.
Comments
If you have no or little talent, a method will not help you. If you have talent, a good method can make you even better. if you have great talent, you will invent methods. it does not take many good people to write great solutions. i even think less people (even in large projects) is more.
RUP has some interesting aspects though i feel it is very bureaucratic in many ways. it has a lot of overhead.
To the point!
Organizations try to use methodologies to lessen the impact of missing competence, but this approach rarely works. Most often the results are terrible. What about developing those competences first, then solving the problems?
This approach makes the needed resources visible and may appear to be more expensive, which is why the "process" or "planning" approach is so popular. You don't need to understand the problem in question the make plans.
Post a comment
Recent comments
Daniel Haferkorn
on Interview goes bad. Or just honest. at 20:44
ursus schneider
on Interview goes bad. Or just honest. at 19:50
Thomas Cloer
on Tame your Time Machine at 18:51
Volker Weber
on Tame your Time Machine at 17:36
Frank Mueller
on Tame your Time Machine at 17:33
Pieterjan Lansbergen
on Tame your Time Machine at 17:02
Samuel Orsenne
on New hardware coming up at vowe's magic flying circus at 15:52
Johannes Matzke
on Interview goes bad. Or just honest. at 13:47
Volker Weber
on Sonos gear at 50% off at 13:44
Volker Weber
on Aqua Alta Surfing - quite a PR stunt for Red Bull at 13:35
Volker Weber
on BlackBerry Storm too nervous at 13:33
David Justen
on Aqua Alta Surfing - quite a PR stunt for Red Bull at 13:26
Volker Weber
on New hardware coming up at vowe's magic flying circus at 10:35
Samuel Orsenne
on New hardware coming up at vowe's magic flying circus at 10:18
Glen Salmon
on Sonos gear at 50% off at 04:34
Bill Buchan
on Aqua Alta Surfing - quite a PR stunt for Red Bull at 23:20
Torsten Otto
on Sonos gear at 50% off at 21:57
Peter de Haas
on Windows blues at 21:26
Hajo Schmitt
on New hardware coming up at vowe's magic flying circus at 20:14
Hajo Schmitt
on New hardware coming up at vowe's magic flying circus at 20:07
Volker Weber
on Windows blues at 19:54
Peter de Haas
on Windows blues at 19:47
Volker Weber
on Nokia advertises Lotus Notes Traveler at 19:43
Volker Weber
on New hardware coming up at vowe's magic flying circus at 19:35
Goetz Goerisch
on New hardware coming up at vowe's magic flying circus at 19:09
Click here to subscribe
