Becoming a Software Company: Accelerating Business Success through Software 1484291689, 9781484291689

Table of contents :
Table of Contents
About the Author
Introduction
Part 1: Understanding Software as a Medium of Producing Value
Chapter 1: Don’t Pursue Transformations; Make the Software Shift
How Software Ate the Enterprise (IT Stack)
The Twin Problem of Complexity and Differentiation
What Leveraging Software as an Innovation Paradigm Looks Like
Why Software Represents a Paradigm Shift
The Missing Socio-institutional Shift
“Best Practice Common Sense” to Become a Software Company
References
Chapter 2: Create Value Through Customer Progress, Not by  Meeting Requirements
The Only Test of Value That Matters
Bureaucratic Visions, Mediocre Products
The Distraction of Fast Galloping Horses
A Short Case Against Gathering Requirements
Focus on Progress, Not on Meeting Requirements
Always Be Looking to Close the Value Deficit
References
Chapter 3: To Multiply Value, Mitigate System Complexity
Complexity Ensures That There Is No Silver Bullet
Building Systems Is Like Navigating Tar Pits
The Holy Trinity Problem
Stop Wasting Time on “Build vs. Buy”
Optimize Your Software Stack for Agility
Think Big, Iterate Small
Allow Your People to Create
Mitigating Complexity Multiplies Value
References
Part 2: Creating Business Agility from Software Agility
Chapter 4: Don’t Procure Software; Create a Dynamic Stack Instead
Recognizing and Avoiding the Ritualistic Tribal Bloodletting
The Urgent Need for Better “Sense-Making”
The Problem Domains of Enterprise Software: What Makes Sense?
How to Think About a Dynamic Software Stack
Creating and Continuously Improving Your Software Stack
Get Technical And Ask Your Developers
A Dynamic Stack Avoids Rituals and Prioritizes Value
Agility Doesn’t Come in a Vacuum
References
Chapter 5: Implement a Strategy of Business Agility, Before the Agile Methods
A Random Walk Down Agile Street
Maneuver Warfare and the Philosophy of Business Agility
The (Un-Agile) Vignettes of Enterprise Software
How to Implement a Strategy of Agility (Powered by Software)
Agile Culture Begets (Rapid) Flow of Value
References
Chapter 6: Manage Development Flow, Not Project or Product
Software Development Lifecycle and Business Value
Know Thy Queues First
(Long) Queues Hinder the Flow of Value
The Levers for Optimizing Flow
Managing Flow to Avoid Queues
References
Part 3: Transitioning from Good to Great
Chapter 7: Teams Build Good Software, Not Resources
“Team = Software”: Team as a Management Deliverable
What Do You Want to Ship? Is That in Your Org Chart?
Aligning With, Within, and Across Teams: The Need for a Writing Culture as a Good Software Practice
The Challenge of Communicating “Higher Purpose”
The Real Value of a Team (That Is Gelling)
Embracing the Ideal of Team Building in Enterprise Software
References
Chapter 8: Practice the Art of Creative Management
A Brief Exploration into the Origins of Management Control
Mechanistic to Organic: The Evolving Nature of Management Control
Paradoxes, Contexts, and Attractors
The Case of Attractor Confusion
Trust Your Teams to Deliver on Their Mission
Self-Organization Is Mandatory for Agile Decision Making
Continuous Learning and Embracing Emergent Outcomes
The Art of Creative Management
References
Conclusion
Index