Development Process – A Lesson From Microsoft
Posted by cbkadel on October 19, 2009
Often times in the media today, you read about the end-products of Microsoft such as Windows or Office, but not often do you get some insight in how those products were developed. In the Online WSJ – http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703816204574483533753673144.html – there is mention of how Microsoft re-organized its Windows development team. I think there a few lessons that as a consultant or even a developer in corporate IT, we can take to heart.
Firstly, rigid silos within teams or between teams. Microsoft worked on fostering communication among its teams to ensure that information was shared more effectively. I think we all believe innately that silos in IT are “bad” but it is surprising how often they manifest themselves. One cause, in general, is the environment that we work within. We like to send email to people, we like to IM, and we like to have face-to-face conversations. I think that those things, informally are absolutely critical in every project, but I do think there are some things that we should be using a structured way of communicating so that it gets captured for others. It is one reason that I’ve been a big believer in Visual Studio Team System since v1.0. By using task management and SharePoint collaboration, communication can be structured and viewable by all – that need to do it.
Just using the tool alone will not solve those issues, but I believe it can be a great enabler. So – I think we should all be introspective, and look for those silos.
