The Nature of Software Development
Jul 7th, 2008 by phil
The Myth of the Interchangeable Programmer: Can’t We Just Offshore Him?:
The problem here is that the [Software Management Formulas] incorporate a number of flawed assumptions. The first of these assumptions is that programmers are fungible. The SMFs assume all programmers will contribute roughly the same amount to a project and that all programmers are interchangeable.
I think the root of problem is that upper management types don’t understand what goes into software development. They assume that programming is a rote task, like assembling cars on an assembly line or typists transcribing memos. I used to work for a guy who could not understand why we couldn’t just go faster.
The problem is that software development isn’t a rote task, it is a creative task. Writing software is nothing like putting the wheels on a car, but it is hard for people who aren’t in the trenches to see that.
(Via James Robertson.)
Thanks for the very helpful information.
Best Regards Arpit Kothari http://www.softwebsolutions.com