What Price Quality? "Quality must be built into the product during design, not inspected in afterwards." – Bryce's LawINTRODUCTIONWe now live in a fast paced society where we expect products and services to be delivered rapidly (some say "yesterday"), cheaply, and with a high degree of quality. This is particularly true in the systems and software industry. If we lived in a perfect world, systems and software...... Similar Editorial : by Dave Collins. | Source : C++ Programmer
Implementing A Methodology "The least expensive decision will be the price of the package."- Bryce's LawINTRODUCTIONThe use of organized methodologies for the development of systems and software have been around for 35 years ("PRIDE" was the first in 1971). Today, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of methodologies available for use. Many are simply a variation on the traditional theme of: feasibility study, external...... Source : C++ Programmer
Understanding The Specifications Puzzle "You like potato and I like potahtoYou like tomato and I like tomahtoPotato, potahto, Tomato, tomahto."Let's call the whole thing off."- Lyrics by Ira Gershwin; Music by George GershwinDefining specifications for the design and development of systems and software is a lot like this classic Gershwin song and what I personally regard as the biggest cause of confusion in the Information Technology...... Similar Editorial : by Mark Hirst. | Source : C Or C++
Stepwise Refinement "You eat elephants one spoonful at a time." - Bryce's LawIn a nutshell, the concept of "stepwise refinement" is to take an object and move it from a general perspective to a precise level of detail. Architects have used such an approach for years, as have engineers building products. But to do so, they realized they cannot simply go from the general to the specific in one felled swoop, but...... Source : C Or C++
System Design Backwards "If an information requirement is stated improperly to begin with, then everything else that follows will be incorrect." - Bryce's LawOne of the biggest challenges in any system design effort is to produce a viable design that is well thought-out with all of the pieces and parts working harmoniously together. If something is forgotten, regardless of its seeming insignificance, it will...... Similar Editorial : by Lise Richards. | Source : C Or C++
Creating An Information Factory "Q: How many interpretations of systems development are there? A: How many analysts and programmers have you got?"- Bryce's LawINTRODUCTIONBack in the early 1980's, Japan's MITI (Ministry of International Trade & Industry) coordinated a handful of Japanese computer manufacturers in establishing a special environment for producing system software, such as operating systems and compilers. ...... Similar Editorial : by R G Srinivasan. | Source : Advanced Shipping Technologies
Understanding Information "Companies run on information, not data."- Bryce's LawINTRODUCTIONI have been doing a lot of reading lately regarding the latest fads in the industry, particularly in the area of "Agile Methodologies," "Business Rules," "Information Architecture," and "Enterprise Architecture." There is a considerable amount of material to wade through. Of interest, I have noticed all stress the importance of ...... Similar Editorial : by Clare Lawrence. | Source : Advanced Shipping Technologies
Managing Design Complexity "100% of your design documentation is contained inthe specifications of your information resources."- Bryce's LawThere are many companies today, most overseas, still tackling major systems projects particularly in the areas of banking and manufacturing. These mammoth application development efforts contrast sharply with American companies who have failed in such undertakings and are now content...... Similar Editorial : by Lorraine Pirihi. | Source : Advanced Shipping Technologies
Understanding The Vicious Circle Of Complexity "The number of lines of communications grow exponentiallybased on the number of people involved in a project."- Bryce's LawINTRODUCTIONIn an earlier bulletin, I discussed the various types of information resources found in an information system, the average number of each resource, along with the number of design decisions associated with each; see:No. 10 - Managing Design Complexityhttp://www...... Similar Editorial : by Jennifer Houck. | Source : Advanced Shipping Technologies
The IT Directors New Tools An updated version of "The Emperor's New Clothes" by Hans Christian AndersenOnce upon a time there was an IT Director who was so fond of his computers that he spent all of his company's money on elegant hardware and software. He was not concerned with managing his information resources or solving the business problems of the company; he was computer-rich in equipment and boasted of his prowess...... Similar Editorial : by infocus. | Source : Advanced Shipping Technologies
The Ratio Of Analysts To Programmers "Good specifications will improve programmer productivity far better than any programming tool or technique."- Bryce's LawINTRODUCTIONIn terms of systems development, during the 1960's and early 1970's you were either a Systems Analyst or a Programmer. Period. At the time, there were substantially more analysts than programmers (at least a 2:1 ratio). This was due, in part, to the fact that...... Similar Editorial : by Mike Rosania. | Source : Advanced Solar Technologies
The Ten Common Myths Of I.T. "A company runs on information, not data."- Bryce's LawINTRODUCTIONYou've heard them all before. They particularly arise whenever quality work is required or when organization and management control is imposed. Of course, I'm talking about the ten common myths of I.T. Ten common rationalizations people in the Information Technology world turn to whenever their authority or professionalism is...... Similar Editorial : by Denise O'Berry. | Source : Advanced Solar Technologies
Creating Universal Systems "There is only one problem with common sense; it's not very common."- Bryce's LawGENERAL DISCUSSIONIn this day and age of "globalization" more and moreInformation Systems are crossing geographical boundaries. Because of this, serious consideration should be given to making systems universally applicable to any country. Some might consider this an impossible task, but it is actually easier than...... Similar Editorial : by Bear Cahill. | Source : Advanced Solar Technologies
Parkinsons Law In I.T. "As computer hardware capacity increases, software becomes more bloated."- Bryce's LawINTRODUCTIONEver wonder why our computers typically last no more than three years? Many contend it is because of the fast pace of technological advancements. Maybe. But I tend to believe there is a little more to it than just that, namely "Parkinson's Law." For those of you who may have forgotten, "Parkinson...... Similar Editorial : by jonty79. | Source : Advanced Solar Technologies
Managing Virtual Project Teams "Our electronic communications may be very slick, but if neither party knows what the other is talking about, you are going nowhere fast."- Bryce's LawThese are interesting times for managing systems development projects. In the old days (as late as the 1980's), whenever a development project was initiated, it was necessary to form a project team at a centralized geographical location in order to...... Similar Editorial : by Heather Bresser. | Source : Advanced Solar Technologies
