Expert Guidance to Ensure Business Agility & Top-notch Systems & Software
Make your software, systems, and software organization a source of sustainable competitive advantage in an era characterized by constant change. Cutter’s community of international experts provides a steady stream of alerts, updates, reports, and virtual events to keep your teams on the cutting edge of new developments in software engineering excellence, product management, and enterprise agility.
Software Development: Can Technology Help Us Automate the Work?
Many technologies exist today that have the potential to change the manner in which we get work done. Currently, the software developer job is heavily labor-intensive. Yes, we use software tools to perform many of the repetitive tasks; however, for the most part, the programming job is performed by highly talented individuals who specify, design, code, and test complex pieces of code and make them work. We have attempted to automate such tasks, but we can best characterize current efforts as assistance (helping workers by providing guidance and information) rather than automation (replacing humans with machines). In this Executive Update, we identify 20 technologies that have the potential to alter this picture in both the near and long term.
Is Merging Agile and DevOps Worth the Pain?
This Advisor considers the development of a continuous deployment process for software by combining Agile methods and DevOps. After first looking at the salient characteristics of both techniques, we discuss why bringing together Agile and DevOps — and the resultant continuous delivery and deployment chain — is truly worthwhile.
Cloud-Enabled Transformation: Implications for Company and Culture
For almost 20 years, cloud and related technologies have been transforming entire industries. Interestingly, most of the discussions around transformation tend to focus on the technical aspects, technical solutions, platforms, and various as-a-service offerings. Although the technology perspective is very important, it’s not the most critical. Truly transformational projects require a much broader perspective. A truly successful digitization project will change a company to its core. In this Advisor, we explore the impact of cloud-enabled transformation on company culture and identity.
Thoughts on a Project-Volatility Metric, Part II, Revised: Putting the Metric to Use
About a decade ago, Cutter Consortium published my Executive Update series on the project-volatility metric, which examined the notion of project volatility and set forth the assumptions that underlie my own project-planning approach. The framework has grown tremendously. Thus, we are returning to this Update series with a revised Part II and a plethora of Updates to come.
For Better Software, First Understand Complexity
By learning to simply recognize complexity when we see it — and learning that we cannot engage with it through reductionism — could save ourselves a lot of pain and allow our efforts to focus on quality, rather than on trying to do the impossible. By seeking to understand complexity instead of hiding it, we can build better-quality software with less stress.
An Agile Development Framework for Business Analysts: Part VIII — The ADF and User Research
Here in Part VIII, Robin Harwood has invited me to discuss the use of the ADF in a user experience/user journey context, relating some real-world business analysis experiences in its application.
Top Intriguing Business Agility & Software Engineering Excellence Articles for 2018
Here are the Business Agility & Software Engineering Excellence articles that garnered the most feedback from Cutter Members and clients in 2018. Look for these lists from each of our four practice areas, and rediscover Cutter's most intriguing articles of the year!
Merging Agile and DevOps
This Executive Update discusses the merits of developing a continuous deployment process for software by combining Agile methods and DevOps. After first looking at the salient characteristics of both techniques, we examine 12 areas of change within the use of Agile methods when developing a continuous delivery and deployment chain. Finally, we discuss why bringing together Agile and DevOps — and the resultant continuous delivery and deployment chain — is truly worthwhile. (Not a client? Download your complimentary copy.)