Toward Professional Software Development

Industry researchers have long observed 10 to 1 differences in productivity between different organizations competing in the same industries.^[17] More recently, researchers have observed differences as high as 600 to 1.^[18] The most effective organizations are doing very well indeed.

The benefits of creating a true profession of software engineering are compelling. Traditional thinking would have it that change presents the greatest risk. In software's case, the greatest risk lies with not changing staying mired in unhealthy, extravagant development practices instead of switching to practices that were proven to be more effective many years ago.

How to change? That is the central topic of the rest of this book.

Bellevue, Washington
Memorial Day, 2003