Welcome

Thank you for visiting this new community portal for thought leaders and early adopters. I hope you find it interesting and informative.

Software factories are an emerging technology that has the potential to revolutionize software development. Although software development tools, platforms and programming languages have gotten very sophisticated over the years, our basic approach to building software applications has remained unchanged in a very important and fundamental way. Sure we have exciting new agile development methodologies that have greatly improved our ability to deliver high-value solutions early and often, but when it comes right down to it, most of us are still building those solutions as though we were crafting unique, one-of-a-kind creations out of source code. We like to refer to ourselves as software engineers, but in fact we behave much more like artisans. In that respect we are still developing software the same way its been done for decades.

However, we can no longer afford to continue building software in this manner. For one thing, economic forces are constantly driving us to build software faster, better and cheaper. In other words, we need to increase productivity, improve quality and reduce cost on an ongoing basis. What's more, although we use agile techniques to develop the software, that's not enough. The software itself must be agile, must be able to respond to changing requirements quickly. We need the tools to make the software adapt and change as quickly as the development teams.

For another thing, software is becoming ever more complex. As mere mortals our ability to manage complexity is limited. If you've ever had to maintain or update a program written by someone else, you know that it can be very difficult to understand the intent of program by looking at the source code. There's too much detail, too much complexity. There must be a better way to express the intent of the program's structure and design, a better way to express the concepts behind the code, without all the overwhelming detail.

Do software factories hold the answer? Only time will tell. I've had the good fortune to work with some of the key players in this emerging field, and I can tell you that I am encouraged by the work being done. However, I also know that adoption of this technology will be difficult becuase it represents a fundamental shift in the software development paradigm. This means changing people's perceptions and assumptions, which is one of the hardest things to do.

So, to that end, I believe a key to the success of software factories is the open discussion of ideas. It is for this very reason that I created this community portal.

Perhaps you have an opinion on the subject. Or maybe you have a question about this fascinating and sometimes confusing new technology. I encourage you to join this group and participate in the discussion.

Martin Danner
Arrowrock Corporation
Boise, Idaho, USA