The Cyber Paradox: Why Technology Problems

Don’t Have Technical Solutions In this white paper, we discuss why technology so frequently

fails to meet expectations, how that problem developed, and a

strategy for doing better. Despite what many people think,

engineering excellence has little to do with technical factors.

Instead, it is the result of effective attitudes and understanding

truth. Real effectiveness begins not with using the latest

gadgets, but with adopting constructive ways of thinking.

What is the problem, exactly? Most companies that conduct or sponsor software development work experience constant frustration over

projects that are late, over-budget and defective upon delivery. The problem is so pervasive that it’s

understandable when people become jaded, believing that it’s in the very nature of these projects to be

unpredictable and flawed.

But as Dusty Springfield famously observed: wishing and hoping and thinking and praying is not a strategy for

success. A solution will come from:

1. A clear and correct understanding of the root causes of problems

2. A strategic approach to eliminating those root causes

3. The courage and determination to do what it takes to both “sell” and pursue the strategy

4. The discipline to persist in the approach despite inevitable distractions and opposition

What would it mean to you and your organization if your systems were consistently delivered on time, on

budget and on purpose (well suited to your business need)? It may sound incredible, but that’s actually

possible.

On time, on budget and on purpose Many organizations and their leaders see systems exclusively from the perspective of the

business purpose: the specific function that the system performs. But what good is any

system if it’s unavailable, unreliable, unstable, insecure, and inflexible?

To win in today’s business environment, you need technology that succeeds on all

fronts: technology delivered on time, on budget, and on purpose (suited to your

business needs). That doesn’t happen by accident. It comes about as the result of

discipline, strategic thinking and a clear and correct understanding of the root

causes of problems that have been around for a very long time.

Where we’ve been In our modern society and economy, we’ve been struggling with technical dysfunction for a long time.

Widespread recognition of the systems development “crisis” came in the 1970s, especially when the US Federal

Government discovered that a distressingly small portion of the systems they developed and funded ever

made it into actual use… perhaps as few as 25%. The response to the crisis was decades of experimentation

with new methodologies and technologies.

The most important of these ideas were iterative development approaches that avoided “high stakes”

commitments, and platform-independent technologies that delivered flexibility in the face of hardware

diversity. Unfortunately, none of these methods and technologies, either individually or in concert, have proven

to be fully effective in solving the crisis.

Why not? Well, the origins of systems dysfunction, as it turns out, are not especially technical, and haven’t been

for decades. They include company culture, management attitudes, budgetary priorities, and dysfunctional

processes.

So, technical “solutions” will not address our problems. Real success will only come from gaining a different

understanding of challenges and different approaches to solutions. It will require a change in thinking, and a

change in attitude.

The quality of your company is the quality of your technology. Before we discuss a path to success, it’s very important to understand something. In fact, if you take only one

idea away from this paper, it should be this: your business is a cyber-business. You probably think your business is

a bank, or a manufacturer, or a service company, or that it’s transportation or health care. You’re right, of

course. But the trouble with thinking that way all the time is that you may fail to appreciate two things:

1. In the 21st century, opportunities for gaining a competitive advantage come primarily through leveraging

technology. Conversely, bad technology can literally end up crashing the business: you can probably think

of companies who have suffered that fate.

2. Technology that truly supports your business must be managed with vision and discipline, two qualities that

must be developed and fostered in even the most technically competent organizations.

Consequently, it is helpful, at least sometimes, to think of any company as being in the technology business.

Like it or not, your company is (sort of) a technology company… even if you outsource. And your success,

regardless of your industry sector, is largely determined by how well you leverage your technology.

What is engineering excellence? You’ve heard the famous cliché that everyone wants solutions that

are good, cheap and fast, but you can only pick two. But engineering

excellence re-defines these three terms to be achievable and

relevant.

Think about it: from the perspective of what really matters to a

business, predictability and suitability are actually far more important

than getting a bargain or even the “best” technical solution. If you

can be confident that the promised cost, schedule and functionality

are assured, your decision to commit becomes a simple question of

value, not risk.

Where we need to go The need for technical leadership has never been greater. But should “leadership” mean?

Doing better… building sound foundations… is conceptually simple, but difficult in execution. It takes courage

to act on the belief that building quality processes now will bring long-term success tomorrow. Sometimes

influential people will fail to grasp the vision and resist changes. Sometimes urgent business imperatives will take

priority over strategic initiatives. But here is an approach that has proven to be successful:

Start with gaining a correct understanding of what the current development

organization is actually capable of achieving. Accepting reality, unpleasant as

that may be, is always the first step toward a solution. If a development

organization is not currently delivering on time, on budget and on purpose, it’s

because the underlying processes simply don’t support the needed results.

Naïvely demanding more is just trying to squeeze blood from a stone.

Reorganizing is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Firing staff

doesn’t change the context in which their replacements will have to work.

Next, it’s critical to use that understanding to create defensible forecasts for

projects and other activities. This often involves overcoming culture that has previously tolerated wild guesses.

Only after establishing realistic deadlines and budgets can rational and integrated project management be

used to ensure that those deadlines are met and costs are contained.

Focus on Process

Accurate Forecasting

Realistic Capacity

Quality New Meaning

Good Suited to the business

need: sufficiently

functional, reliable,

secure and flexible

Cheap Delivered without

unjustified cost

overruns

Fast Delivered when

expected

Finally, as technical activities proceed, it must be

understood that results are always consequent to the

processes that produce them. Results simply cannot be

dictated or demanded if the processes don’t support

those results. If the results aren’t meeting the needs, it is

the process that needs to be improved.

Tomorrow’s winners Businesses that succeed in this brave new world of

technological dependence will share several key

characteristics:

They will be astute enough to understand that

managers without a strong technical background

cannot hope to perform well at managing technical

staff

They will help technologists to contextualize their work

within the broader business needs

They will demand realistic forecasts of costs and

schedules, based on facts and defensible analysis

They will demonstrate an almost visceral

understanding that future success depends on

uncompromising quality today

They will execute both strategically and tactically,

with a profound understanding of how principles drive

processes and procedures, and how activities can be

traced back to ideas

Courage is the key The success factors described here, despite being

applied in a technology context, are not technical.

Instead, they’re about new ways of thinking about why

targets are being missed.

Change can be challenging, but development teams are

comprised of capable and resourceful people who want

to do what’s right for the team, the company and the customer. With the right support, they can perform

better and accomplish more.

Making a great movie: an analogy

As recently as 20 years ago, creating a cinema-

quality film was impossible for a person of modest

means: the cost of the necessary equipment was

simply out of reach. But with recent

advancements in camera, lighting and audio

technology, aspiring film makers can now

produce movies whose quality rivals that of

Hollywood studio productions. Unfortunately, a

quick visit to YouTube will easily reveal that while

many more people can make movies today,

only a small percentage are actually worth

watching. That’s because a good film, like a

good business system, is about so much more

than the technologies in use.

A good film is dependent on the simultaneous

quality of six factors: the script, performances,

cinematography, sound, music and editing. Only

a few of those factors rely on technology. Many

great films have been made on a shoestring

budget, and many expensive films have failed

spectacularly because the most important factor

is the first: the foundation of a great film is a great

script.

Likewise, getting results from technology involves

not just selecting and using the right gadgets, but

a whole lot more. In a cyber-business like yours,

the “script” required for success is comprised of

the attitudes, beliefs and capabilities of upper

management, which affect the whole company.

Get that right, and it’s much more likely that the

“cast and crew” will fulfill the director’s vision.

Copyright ©2015 Predictable Solutions, LLC

Predictable Solutions offers coaching and support to development and engineering

managers on how to deliver technology projects on time, on budget and on purpose.

http://www.predictable.solutions info@predictable.solutions 617-233-0815