Bulldozer00's Blog

The UML state transition diagram below depicts the growth, maturity, and retirement of a large, software-intensive product. There are a bazillion known and unknown factors that influence the longevity and profitability of a system, but the greatest determinant is how effectively the work in the upfront “Develop” state is executed.

If the “Develop” state is executed poorly (underfunded, undermanned, mis-manned, rushed, “pens down“, etc), then you better hope you’ve got the customer by the balls.  If not, you’re gonna spend most of your time transitioning into, and dwelling within, the resource-sucking “Fix” state. If you do have cajones in hand, then you can make the customer(s) pay for the fixes. If you don’t, then you’re hosed. (I hate when that happens.)

If you’ve done a great job in the “Develop” state, then you’re gonna spend most of your time transitioning into and out of the “Enhance” state – keeping your customer delighted and enjoying a steady stream of legitimate revenue. (I love when that happens.)

The challenge is: While you’re in the “Develop” state, how the freak do you know you’re doing a great job of forging a joyous and profitable future? Does being “on schedule” and “under budget” tell you this? Do “checked off requirements/design/code/test reviews” tell you this? Does tracking “earned value” metrics tell you this? What does tell you this? Is it quantifiably measurable?