the software business: where to from here maurice castro

The Software Business:Where to from here

Maurice Castro

14 Oct 2004 CSE3323: The Computer Industry: Historical, Social & Professional Issues 2

Themes

• Where is the user?

• Business & Business education

• Multidisciplinary teams


Software - a horror storyHow successful are we?

28%

23%

49%

SucceededFailedLate, Incomplete, Over Budget

• 2001 Survey of American Software Projects

• This is an improvement over previous years!

Standish, Extreme Chaos, 2001


Software - a horror storyHow bad can it get?

• RMIT’s Peoplesoft deployment– 3.7 x budget ≈ $47M– Blame:

• Schedule• Under estimated task• Burnt bridges - no parallel run / old system

• HP Ordering Software cut earnings “in a big way” in August. Executives got fired.

• Tacoma, Wash.'s budget held hostage by glitch, delayed financial aid to Uni students in Indiana

In depth: RMIT's PeopleSoft disaster Patrick Gray, ZDNet Australia September 30, 2003; Bad software not bad after all, Matthew Fordahl Associated Press


Software - a horror storyWhy?

• The usual suspects– Poor project management

– Bad / Changing requirements

– Poor communication, implementation & training

• Only symptoms. The REAL problems are– Not knowing what really matters to a business

– Not knowing or understanding users and customers


Where is the user?

• The real world is a complex place– People who set the requirements– Person who buys the software– People who use the software

• Many different types

• Designers / Authors make tradeoffs between these groups’ needs


Where is the user? Who the user is not!

• Not the programmer• Not someone like

me but a bit different• Not an expert in

Computer Science• Not a beginner


Where is the user? Programmers vs Users

Cooper A, The Inmates are Running the Asylum

Wants control

Accepts complexity

Wants simplicity

Accepts less control

Wants to understand

Accepts failure

Wants success

Accepts less understanding

Concerned with possible cases

Accepts adv preparation

Concerned with probable cases

Accepts some setbacks


Where is the user?How to find users

• Personas– Interview users and distil a sketch of each key

user type.– Must be detailed but not eccentric.

Description must be good enough that the user doesn’t wiggle to meet programmer’s view.

– Construct typical scenarios of use


Where is the user?An example Persona

Joan Smith

• 39, Single, Aspiring middle level mgr

• 12 hr days not unusual

• Heavy user of telephones, e-mail and faxes

• Would like to leave work at work

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressorare needed to see this picture.

“It’s what I do not who I am”


Where is the user?SW Designers often forget

• Basics must work!– Take money, deliver goods / services, accept orders

• Frequently performed– Prominent, customisable & quick

• Do the most for most customers– Being something/everything to everybody is a recipe

for being at best mediocre

• Features are the enemy– More features = More complexity– More code = More maintenance costs


Business & Business Education

• We live in a capitalist society

• Economics– The efficient allocation of scarce resources

• Management– No man is an island

• Entrepreneurship– Creating value


Business & Business EducationWhy especially for CS

• Software is different– Cost of duplication negligible– Cost of development high– cf. Manufacturing

• Fixed cost: Setup• Variable cost: per unit materials and labour

– For software savings in development costs at expense of maintenance and support don’t make much sense


Business & Business EducationCapitalism - How things work

• Capital + Labour = Wages + Profits

• Free Markets– Many decision makers– Buy on what customers think the merits are


Business & Business EducationCapitalism - How things work

• The Value Chain

• Competitors, suppliers, customers & complementors

• Complementor - together our products are worth more than if either did not exist or were offered separately

EndCustomer

Customers You Suppliers


Business & Business EducationEconomics

• Some things are at least partly predictable– Variables: Interest rates, foreign exchange and

supply and demand– How are your customers or suppliers affected?

• Situational awareness


Business & Business EducationManagement

• A one man operation can only do so much– 1 person can create a product– But, can they maintain, market & run the helpdesk?

• How do you interact with others– Above– Below– At the same level

• Dealing with conflict• Negotiating


Business & Business EducationEntrepreneurship

• So you have a great idea• How to convince others its great• How to convince others your trustworthy to

invest in• How to get out at the end• Details

– Running a business: Legals, Accounting, Employment etc


Business & Business EducationThe MBA

• Sampler course typically + optional units– Economics– Finance– Accounting– Organisational Behaviour– Business Strategy

• Experience in workforce / business makes it more meaningful


Business & Business EducationThe MBA

• Does it help get you a job– More often becoming a pre-requisite for

management jobs– Deeper understanding of how things work– No magic bullet!

• Downsides– Personally challenging experience– Still a bias towards management consultants


Multidisciplinary Teams

• CS and SE should be good at these– Rarely produce things for ourselves only

Eg. Compilers & text editors

• However, SW is complex– Mastery requires unusual personality traits– Fail to develop other necessary skills– Our mythology is built around successful

individuals (Nerds, Geeks & Hackers)


Multidisciplinary TeamsRequirements: Form & Keep

• Communication– Must create a shared language

• Trust– Things go wrong, 1st failure must not be fatal– Different viewpoints = conflict

• Contribution– Each specialty brings value– No point if one of them can go it alone


Multidisciplinary TeamsProblems

• Don’t seem to last– Stressful: participants are outside comfort zone– Values conflict

• Different concepts of rigour, proof & sufficiency

– Replacing members means rebuilding trust– “What am I?” doubts among participants– Maintaining skills more difficult

the software business: where to from here maurice castro

Documents

computer industry

social professional

social professional

social professional

social professional

social professional

social professional

bad software