Application in Small Software Firms and e-Cottages

Most of what has been discussed in the case studies and examples in this book relate to large corporations. This is primarily because management research has focused on such organizations. We are reminded that software development groups tend to be small, particularly in new models that are emerging in China and India, which are dubbed cottage industry models. Here the software is grown or created by small groups (e-cottages)an open-source system take-offat the stated specifications of a larger proprietary organization. Even in large software organizations, development teams tend to be small. How can you mend and blend DFTS technology to help these small groups? Are DFTS tools, techniques, and methodologies applicable to such environments? We believe they are. In fact, quality initiatives thrive in small groups. Many quality tools, such as quality circles and brainstorming, work only in small groups. It is not so much a question of DFTS's applicability in small software organizations. It's more a question of whether small enterprises led by software techies have awareness of and timely access to knowledge and learning that larger organizations may have. That is as true of DFTS as it is for any idea and innovation.

For larger organizations, DFTS fits perfectly in their small development team environment. This has been emphasized elsewhere in this book, including this chapter. DFTS master black belts and black belts would have the required technical and leadership skills and would work in their small "autonomous" teams. When outsourcing to other software firms, including e-cottages, organizations need to ensure that their development partners meet and understand their quality needs. They owe it to themselves to provide necessary support and training. These small (or not so small) "independent" cells need to be fully integrated in their development and delivery process without losing or compromising any quality gains attained upstream. Many manufacturing firms in Japan and elsewhere provide such support to their suppliers. This needs to be better managed in software outsourcing.

We have discussed leadership challenges elsewhere in this book (see, for example, the section "Leadership Challenges for Transformational Initiatives" in Chapter 20). Great leaders are not the monopoly of large organizations. Sony's Morita and Ibuka, and even Toyota's Eiji Toyoda, began their remarkable industrial careers in rather humble circumstances. So have many corporate leaders in technology and software, such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Narayan Murthy, among many others.