One Model for Effective Software Development

Ken Pugh, ken@kenpugh.com

Based on a suggestion by Dave Snowden to find the essentials of software development, I examined practices, principles, and values from agile, pre-agile and lean. From that examination, I’ve developed a preliminary model for effective software development.   I’ve used the term effective based on Stephen R. Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People written in 1989-90.    

Effective software development is accomplished by:

· Effective individuals working as effective teams

· Using effective team and inter-team processes

· In an effective organization

· With effective leadership.  

 The result is effective value delivery.  

Effective individuals’ characteristics include:

· Trust

· Respect

· Transparency

· Collaborative

· Learning mindset / experimentation

· Active listening

Effective teams:

· Composed of effective individuals collaborating together

Effective team processes and inter-team processes:

· For scheduling (e.g., Iterations, flow)

· For implementation (e.g., BDD/ATDD, DevOps pipeline)

· Produce components that may directly deliver value or may be a part of a composite that delivers value

· Iterative / incremental / experimental as appropriate

Effective leadership:

· Provides the context in which teams and individuals can be effective

· Let authority flow to others

· Encourages experimentation and learning

Effective value delivery:

· To the customer

· To the business

Learning includes:

· What will deliver value

· How to deliver value (team and inter-team processes)

· Improving effectiveness               

Other facets of effectiveness:

Context is important:

· Value delivery context – external environment, market, infrastructure, etc.

· Value creation context – internal team and inter-team processes

Congruency:

· Individual, teams, organizations, leadership congruent in goals, values, culture