I have come to a conclusion: I do not want to be on any more fixed price, fixed scope projects. From what I hear, that is all the projects the consulting business is getting today – if that is the case, I will have to find something else to do. The main reason I take this stance is simple: To me, seeing the value of my work in the real world is the only real measure of accomplishment.

Update: Cleaned up mess made by “WYSIWYG” tool) Rating: Must-buy The agile movement has started to gain speed and become more mainstream, and the Poppendiecks’s “Lean Software Development” added an important part of the puzzle for me. Like so many manifestos before it, Lean Software Development compares software development to other industries (lean thinking takes its roots in the Toyota manifacturing system). However, the authors reach a very different set of conclusions.

The video from my presentation at this year’s JavaZone are available. The conference has done a lot better job of follow-up this year than last. Thanks, JavaBin. This is actually the first time I get to see a full-length video recording of myself speaking. I was afraid I would be real disappointed, but I am actually fairly happy. Most of the problems with the presentation was things I already was aware of, like the fact that I had way too little time.

(Warning: Boring, personal entry) I am writing this entry on a bus. More specifically, on the bus from the airport to the conference Sanntid 2003 (Real-time 2003), where I am scheduled to speak tomorrow. The airport in question is Kjevik airport, which is a military/civilian airport in the south of Norway. Normally, when I ride busses, I like to read. I brought along Mary Poppendieck’s fascinating “Lean Software Development”. This time is different.

[…] Are those CMM-mandated procedures too difficult and onerous to complete? People will find a work-around, bypassing the intent of the CMM and filling in whatever documents are required to get by. Is that comprehensive (and manual) test plan overly lengthy and tedious? People will take short-cuts. The “extra-legal,” or alternative system will evolve in any social setting where the official mechanism doesn’t cut it. […] [via /\ndy’s Weblog] Andy excellently connects the dots between file-sharing, development of societies, and software engineering methods.

Beyond Software Architecture (Luke Hohmann) is an invaluable read for any aspiring project manager or program manager. There is so much more to getting successful programs out the door than just the classical analysis, design, development, test. The most important feature of this book is how it helps frame software development in a larger picture. The point of software development is to create value for someone. It is important not to lose sight of that fact.

I came to remember my thoughts on Open-Source software while talking to a friend after lunch today. The idea is that even though reuse of third-party software is something that a lot of companies want to encourage, we don’t really know the total cost of third party software. The problem as I see it is that under almost any circumstance, an organization delivering a composite product is always responsible for the totality of the product.

Just a little reminder list to myself. Check out this Java technology before next Java project: Pico Container eXo portlets Hibernate

Read: http://martinfowler.com/ieeeSoftware/whoNeedsArchitect.pdf. The following is an except: Ralph Johnson: So, a better definition would be “In most successful software projects, the expert developers working on that project have a shared understanding of the system design. This shared understanding is called ‘architecture.’ […] the architecture only includes the components and interfaces that are understood by all the developers.” _ “[..] Johnson’s secondary definition [is]: “Architecture is the decisions that you wish you could get right early in a project.

I have just recovered from JavaZone 2003. This year was quite good. A lot of good speakers this year. I had great fun holding my presentation. I didn’t get through my whole program, but I do think people were entertained, and that was all I hoped for. It is a real rush to present for such a crowd. eXtremeProgramming.no god off to a good start. Along with the other funders, I got to meet Kent Beck.