A petition to demand UK Govt. review IT processes->
The petition has only been going a few days but has already been signed by many of the most influential software developers, managers, coaches and authors in the UK. It also includes employees of the BBC, many of the investment banks (where most of the best software developers work) and some of the up and coming tech organisations such as SongKick and 7digital.com.
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/ITProcessReview/
Many reasons have been given for these blunders, but what most people outside of the software development community fail to understand is it is the way in which these projects are managed from the outset which dictates their failure — that of commiting to huge and unrealistic goals in a manner which fails to appreciate the organic nature and constantly changing understanding of requirements that simply does not fit within rigid "Waterfall" style IT processes**.
The software community is increasingly and rapidly moving away from this failed model for software development to more incremental "Agile" or "Lean" approaches. These have been widely adopted at most of the leading technology organisations such as the BBC, Guardian.co.uk, Google and numerous others and are proving a far more effective way to deliver IT projects and software. It is unacceptable that the UK government continues to advocate and use these failed practices and many believe this is the overriding reason so much money is being wasted.
The petition can be found on the Number 10 E-Petitions website here:
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/ITProcessReview/
My name is Rob Bowley. I am an experienced software developer working at 7digital.com. I've been involved in the software development community at large for many years, talking regularly at conferences and often attend many smaller community events..
Regards,
Rob
* http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labours-computer-blunders-cost-16326bn-1871967.html
** The National Audit Office advocates the use of the "Waterfall" method in the "Review of System Development" document which can be found here: http://www.intosaiitaudit.org/auditguides.htm#United%20Kingdom"
Link to Original Source
Apple and AT&T 'struck VoIP deal'->
Link to Original Source
Comment: Re:You could split the difference... (Score 1) 730
Hold them accountable. Track everything they do, and audit that it was in fact necessary and honest.
I'm an IT Manager, and it scares me to think anyone would set up an arrangement like this and not have auditing in place, with reporting going to the customer (i.e. this guy.) I would assume as part of the initial contract, there were requirements in place that specified audits and reporting and transparency. You don't want to know everything they are doing in detail but you need to have enough information about what work is getting done, and the status, so that you can report to the CEO. That means auditing, that means project tracking. And you need to review those audit reports. Or at least, I would do that.
Or you could just talk to folk.
But perhaps you work in an environment with a blame culture.
Comment: Re:IT is a trade, not a profession (Score 1) 730
Comment: Re:You should trust them (Score 1) 730
Except that my accountant has her CPA - a real life honest to god certification. (Not the take-a-class-and-take-a-test mickey mouse 'certifications' of the IT industry.)
She also has a code of ethics, belongs to a serious professional organization, and has a body of law that restricts what she may or may not do and an oversight organization over the top of all of that.
Pretty much none of which IT 'professionals' have.
Some of us do.
Here in the UK the professional organization is called the British Computer Society. Full membership requires that you pass exams, have the required amount of validated experience, and attend a panel interview to be evaluated. All the usual requirements of a professional organization.
Gain entry and you acquire the moniker, MBCS. If you meet the additional requirements of their associated engineering body, then you may also become a CEng, a Chartered Engineer.
And, of course, you sign up to their charter and code of ethics.
For me, membership not only opens a lot of doors, but it makes the trust element void. I step into a business and folk open up straight away. That's what being a professional, in the literal sense, brings with it.
It also means that when folk say, "Ah, but you're not a 'real' engineer". You can smile and say, "Well yes, yes I am".
Comment: Re:Blue collar??? (Score 1) 157
Comment: Re:Yeah, Sorry Guys. (Score 1) 280
It's not democratic. It's another way for people who want something for nothing to remove ads. I was onboard for trying to make information free. Well, now a large part of the information is and I'm not about to hurt the companies who embraced the "alternative business models" I supported. I like their services, and would like them to be able to pay for the server. Keep in mind if people can't pay via their advertising, they'll likely start charging again. Major step backwards.
Big, big assumption.
What is actually means is that a new model will emerge. If we're going to stretch the meaning of democracy in this thread, then I'm going to stretch evolution,
But that's what we have here: variation; struggle for existence; natural selection; origin of species.
Of course, the dogmatic, conservative business droids remain wedded to their belief in "intelligent design".
Comment: Re:Already available (Score 1) 280
What I find really annoying is the summaries assertion that this is somehow 'web democracy'. Removing adverts and altering how other peoples work is used without their permission is about as similar to democracy as the concept of being able to punch someone in the face for saying something you don't like.
The hand-wringing over blocking adds, on the basis that you are altering folks' work, in hypocrisy.
Advertisers routinely licence snippets of audio from songs. They licence from the publishers, who have the "rights", but the complete track was the artist's intention. Thus, the work is being altered.
To say nothing of an entire album. Hands up who has never played an album track without listening to the whole album?
Of course, advertisers do the same with other artwork. Just because it's "out of copyright" doesn't mean using sections of it isn't altering the artist's work.
And you can go on.
We're still at Web 0.1 (beta) and its associated business practices are far behind that.
Marketing droids need to innovate as much, if not more, than the techs. But do the marketing droids know how?