RE: is SIP an Emergent Property

"Kent Beck" <[email protected]> Sun, 19 Jan 2003 08:27:29 -0800
Newsgroups gmane.comp.programming.software-in-process
Organization Three Rivers Institute
Message-ID <008b01c2bfd7$aa860960$640c010a@KentsT30>
"Rushed building construction invariably damages the artifact's long
term value. Customers who would rush software production are causing
even more damage. Software ought to be a long term expense: kin to brick
and mortar, or to machinery. No sane culture rushes into making their
long term considerations, and investments."
 
There are three causes of long development cycles:
  * Essential -- you just have a lot to do.
  * Accidental waste -- these are activities that add value, but the
value could have been added some other way using less time. The testing
phase after development is "finished" is an example. If you could
develop without creating all those defects, you could shorten the cycle
by eliminating the testing phase.
  * Pure waste -- these are activities that don't add value at all, like
waiting for the testing machine.
 
Lean development has discovered that in-process inventory is an
excellent canary in the coal mine to discover the presence of waste.
Crank inventory down until it hurts. Back off. Figure out why it hurt.
Eliminate the waste. Crank inventory down further.
 
If someone tried to rush development, it would hurt too much and they
would back off. That's not what we are talking about. Ohno says, "Every
worker must be a turtle." That is, if anyone is rushing, they are doing
the wrong thing. They should slow down, figure out why they were
rushing, solve that problem, and then they will be able to produce as
much as before or more, but without rushing.
 
Kent