Kathy Harris

I recently talked with an IT leader hoping to reinstate experimentation into their application development organization. The company had outsourced most development and undertaken a quality improvement program to ensure their processes were consistent, reliable and predictable. They succeeded in achieving the desired level of process maturity, but in doing so, gave up their ability to prototype, use iterative build/test methods, and exploit rapid development techniques. In fact, they treated every development project as a manufacturing exercise and lost the opportunity for creativity and innovation. 

Not all development efforts are the same and in my opinion, the manufacturing view of software development is inappropriate.  Quality does not equate to locked-in processes and consistency does not equal a common approach to every project. Some projects need rapid time-to-market and agility; a few products and services need ultimate rigor and air-tight quality; almost all need innovation and creative thinking. Therefore, a key indicator of process maturity is an ability to reliably determine the risk/reward profile of each opportunity and adapt your processes to achieve the right objectives.

The manufacturing view of software development also diminishes the contribution of your best people – your own team members and those of your service providers. Presumably, you are hiring and investing not just in skills, but in talent. And talented people bring more than skills to the table — they also bring a combination of insight, ideas, collaborative attitudes, creativity, good judgment, sense of urgency and adaptability. 

Achieving quality and maturity should not and cannot displace creativity and innovation. Your talent is the source of innovation. Build a risk assessment process to evaluate each development project’s risk profile — include objectives for quality, time to market, agility and innovation. Adapt your development methodologies to include multiple paths and techniques for differing risk profiles. Follow the path that achieves the right objectives and above all, follow the path that optimizes the contributions of your most talented people.