status of deity over its short
fifty or so years of life; to
such an extent that we
pray to the altar of the
software industry and pay
homage to the
organisations that invoke
incantations to conjure up
new commodities. In much
the same way that the
Egyptians constructed
temples and revered them
in the name of their gods,
so we wait for the next sign
that is passed down from
on high.
Software is all embracing in
that invades everyone's life
in some way or another,
and as a consequence it is
too huge a subject for any
single organisation to
completely encompass.
There are notables who
dominate a certain niche,
but the industry is
symbiotic; needing software
users, Original Equipment
Manufacturers and
Software organisations
feeding off each other to
keep the snowball rolling
and growing.
From the outside it would
appear that these
esteemed organisations
have a great deal to think
about. It would seem that
they employ the most
erudite of people, who
ponder endlessly on the
software that the
organisation specialises on.
In my fantasy moments I
visualise a library-like
environment with software
developers sitting with a
chewed pencil between
their teeth and a furrowed
brow that is deep in
contemplation. I visualise
the silence broken by
footsteps and a whispered
voice, deliberately muted
to avoid any disturbance.
And then I awake, and
realise that reality is
somewhat different. Most
software projects start in
mushroom mode, with no
one knowing what has
really been sold, or
alternatively what shifting
market is being addressed.
It is rare to include the
customer in early
deliberations (if at all)
because inevitably the
salesman has sold the
organisation as being
'market leader' or 'best of
breed'. It would be difficult
to turn around and say to
the customer 'excuse me
but how do you do this
particular activity', or 'I
don't know how this
works'.
Thus the Thames barrier is
raised between the
customer (including the
end user) and the software
supplier, and a game is
played out with the
developers screaming for
detail, and the legal
beagles parrying each
other. Perhaps without this
facade no one would ever
win a contract, but I would
personally prefer to work
with someone who is
honest about their
limitations, and who will
work with you to arrive at
the best possible solution
to the problem.
All products evolve, no one
ever gets it right first time,
but we pretend we do.
Whilst I agree that it takes
a fair amount of trust
between software
developer and customer it
is surely better to work
together to get through
the cycle of evolution than
to build a glass wall which
we fight over.
The customer does need to
have some veto over what
is happening, since (heaven
forbid) there are those
who will milk such
situations for what they are
worth, but if the product is
going in the right direction,
you will surely get a better
outcome.
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