Introduction - A Sense of Balance

One of the things that has always intrigued me about software development, initially as a developer and then as a software manager, is the balance required to be successful. Between engineering and art; between chaos and order. With all of the changes in hardware, software and process, the need to be able to find that balance point has been a constant.

Which brings me to why I'm writing this blog. I'm interested in exploring how we, as software managers, find that balance. How we provide leadership, management and organization to the typically chaotic work of software development, all without stifling the creativity that is so crucial in that environment.

This is a particularly important consideration now, with the increasing adoption of agile methods. In working with teams over the last dozen+ years I've found that an alarming number of them assume that "agile" means abandoning all semblance of process and documentation. In truth, agile methods are very disciplined, with specific practices that need to be followed. The difference with agile practices is that they emphasize activities (see the Agile Manifesto http://agilemanifesto.org/) that dance closer to the chaos side than "traditional" methods. This makes it too easy to "fall in", if you're not careful.

The only way to avoid that is to find that sense of balance, and that is what I want to explore in this blog. By examining different aspects of software development, and discussing how we meet the challenges that seem ever present, I hope that we can advance the art and the science of software management.

- Posted from my iPad

Location:Melcher St,Boston,United States