Zaman On Software ----(ZoS)

The Art of Empowerment

2009-04-30T14:31:00.001+06:00

Attitudinal Change – The Art of Empowerment

(Discovering and living what is personally meaningful)

Transformation = Having new eyes; a shift in perspective; a breakthrough insight that generates new possibilities and actions; the manifesting of new reality

Two ways to change behavior: Which option is easier? Which option is more sustainable?

Change one’s belief for a change in behavior
Change one’s behavior and a change in belief follows

Attitudinal Change Principles and Enablers

In supporting ourselves and in facilitating others ….

Assume people have inherent wisdom and creative intelligence.
A certain degree of self-awareness capacity is necessary.
Self-responsibility is a pre-requisite to empowerment.
Choice needs to be available. Ensure this is a voluntary process – by invitation (vs force).
Expanding our consciousness is a commitment to growth.
Cultivating a neutral, observer self is helpful to explore who we are.
Mindfulness helps to create the space for curiosity.
Start from a place of compassion vs judgment. Emotional safety is a pre-requisite to opening up.
Risk-taking is about being radically honest with self. Courage is needed to let go of the known.
Check out our assumptions. What self-talk or messages do we give ourselves?
Know that our beliefs are NOT who we really are.
Develop a need or a sense of urgency. A personal vision of what you want is more compelling.
A problem-centered approach is not the most motivating place to start (what’s wrong with me?)
….. and more … to follow ..;-)…

EQ::Relationship-Building Skills

2009-04-26T01:29:00.006+06:00

Empathy in Understanding Others; Service Orientation; Communication; Team-Building; Conflict Management

Non-Violent Communication (NVC): A Language of Compassion

Developed by Dr. Marshall Rosenburg

NVC is a way of speaking and listening that facilitates the flow of communication needed to exchange information and resolve differences peacefully. It helps us identify our shared values and needs, encourages us to use language that increases goodwill and avoid language that contributes to low self-esteem and resentment.

NVC is based on the premise that:

Our motivation is honesty and compassion rather than fear, guilt, blame or shame.
The key is personal responsibility for our choices and relationship-building.
People are all simply trying to get our needs met. Know how to do so without aggression.
People naturally enjoy contributing to the well-being of others when they can do so willingly.

This powerful, simple, yet not so easy process is about:

Observing free of evaluating
Expressing feelings free of judgment
Sharing needs free of strategy
Making requests free of demands

Observing Free of Evaluating

“The highest form of human intelligence is to observe without evaluating”. --- J. Krishnamurti

When we observe with evaluating, we decrease the likelihood that others will hear our intended message. Instead, they are apt to hear criticism and thus resist.
That does not mean we refrain from evaluating, but rather that we maintain a separation between our observations and evaluations.
Develop a “third eye” (neutral observer) in being aware of what labels we place on behaviors. This allows us the space to separate from our conditioning to a new way of thinking.
Replace the limiting words “never”, “always”, “whenever” etc. since human beings evolve and contexts change. Language is a process, not about static generalizations.

Expressing Feelings Free of Judgment

“Sharing our vulnerability can help resolve conflict.”

People are transport. Expressing our feelings allows for authenticity.
There is a heavy cost to repressed feelings. Research shows that depression is often repressed anger.
Many people express feelings by saying; “good, bad, mad” – 2 out of 3 are not feelings!
Some feelings, when needs are being met: (affectionate, confident, engaged, inspired, excited, exhilarated, grateful, hopeful, joyful, peaceful, refreshed)
Some feelings, when needs are not being met: (afraid, annoyed, angry, aversion, confused, disconnected, disquiet, embarrassed, fatigue, pain, sad, tense, vulnerable, yearning)
Distinguish between what we feel and what we think.
What others do may be the stimulus of our feelings, but not the cause. We are responsible for our feelings. Because we have choice, no one can “make” us feel a certain way.
There are four options to receiving negative messages: (1) blaming ourselves, (2) blaming others, (3) sensing our own feelings and needs, (4) sensing others’ feelings and needs.
Mindfulness – being present in the moment – is an effective way of tuning into the body, identifying our emotions, gaining perspective and harnessing our wisdom.

Sharing Needs Free of Strategy

“When we hear other people’s feelings and needs, we recognize our common humanity.”

Judgments of others are alienated expressions ofour own unmet needs.
If we don’t value our needs, others may not either.
Common Needs include:

Play (joy, humor)
Connection (acceptance, affection, appreciation, belonging, cooperation, closeness, community, empathy, love, respect, safety, security, to know and be known, to understand and be understood, support, trust, warmth, consideration, nurturing, inclusion, intimacy, companionship, to see and be seen)
Physical Well-Being (air, food, movement, rest, touch, water, sexual expression, shelter)
Honesty (authenticity, integrity, presence)
Peace (beauty, equality, ease, harmony, inspiration, order, communion)
Meaning (awareness, celebration, clarity, contribution, creativity, discovery, effectiveness, growth, purpose, mourning, stimulation, participation, hope, to matter, understanding, consciousness, challenge)
Autonomy (choice, freedom, independence, space, spontaneity)

Making Requests Free of Demands

“The clearer we are about what we want, the more likely it is that we’ll get it.”

Make requests in clear, positive, concrete action language. Vague languages contribue to confusion.
If requests are unaccompanied by our feelings and needs, it may come across like a demand.
People tend to be either rebel or submit to demands. Neither is effective relationship-building.
To make sure the message we sent is the message that’s received, ask the listener to reflect it back.

“Conflict is natural; neither positive or negative. It just is. It is a change in energy flow. The question is not if you have conflicts in your life but what you do with it makes a difference. Dealing with conflict effectively is rarely about who is right or looking good. It is about acknowledging and appreciating differences.

Perhaps all so-called bad behavior is in essence a cry for love.

In the end, all people want the same thing: to be seen, heard and loved.”

EQ::Adaptability (Very Important for SW Developers)

2009-04-24T22:47:00.021+06:00

"Many people believe that having a successful relationship (work or otherwise) mostly depends on finding the right person and doing the right things.

We often don't see how we relate to another inevitably follows from how we relate to ourselves.
Our outer relationships are but an extension of our inner life.
We can only be as open and present with another as we are with ourselves."
---- John Welwood

....From Elizabeth Soltis .. again ...

Emotions and Thoughts are interconnected ... Understanding this relationship supports our EQ development. Using a combination approach of consciously exploring our emotional and cognitive habits enables us to to "rewire" for enhanced performance .

How People Tend to Think
As people grow, we develop general rules about the world and ourselves. In our attempts to understand the world and our place within it, we tend to use the process of induction -- the building of general rules from an accumulation of specific examples. Yet, humans can be poor logicians. We do not have all the information we need. From our personal experiences, we have to piece together the general rules of how it operates.

We have also been conditioned to interpret and respond to the world in fairly predictable ways by our primary caregivers. Through their influences, we have developed certain filters and lenses through which we view the world. We tend to forget these lenses exist and sometimes cause us to have some distorted ways of thinking and understanding the world.

The other challenge lies in the fact sometimes we get too much information to deal with. Humans are not passive recipients of sensory data from the world around them. We actively process and interpret information. Yet our five senses are capable of taking in much more information than our brains are able to process at one time. Thus we need to simplify the information streaming in through our senses before we can use it. We therefore cut corners and take shortcuts in our thinking to better handle the sensory load.

The biggest challenge is that people do not realize that we are doing this and assume that we are responding to a direct readout of that world, one that is comprehensive and accurate. Many people do not realize that they are engaging in an "interpretation" process. Our perceptions may indeed be faulty.

Understanding How We Can Think in Unbalanced Ways
As humans, we make fairly predictable mistakes in our thinking processes. There are basically two ways that we seek to interpret the world: causal inferences, answering the "why" questions; and implication inferences, answering the "what next" questions. We need to learn how to answer these questions internally in a balanced way. Unfortunately, many of us tend to limit ourselves by thinking in terms of:

"Everything" versus "Nothing"
"Always" versus "Never"
"Me" versus "Not Me"

Some people have a dominant style of this extreme thinking; while others shift back and forth between extremes. It is possible, however, to develop a balanced way of thinking and behaving by being self-aware.

Recognizing and Avoiding Thinking Traps
Humans experience common "thinking traps" as they try to make sense of the world. These limiting ways of thinking make it challenging for us to act in adaptive ways.

Jumping to Conclusions - making assumptions without relevant data...

Practice slowing down.
Ask yourself: What evidence do I have to support my conclusion on. Am I certain or am I guessing?
Use the Factual “White Hat” thinking from Dr. Edward Debono’s “Six Thinking Hat” framework to look for “concrete data”!

Tunnel Vision – sampling and registering only select scenes and details from the environment...

Practice refocusing yourself and broadening your perspective.
Ask yourself: What is a fair assessment of the entire situation? What is the big picture? How important is this one aspect to the big picture?
Use the Factual “White Hat” thinking from Dr. Edward Debono’s “Six Thinking Hat” framework to look for “all relevant facts”; and also use the “Green Hat” brainstorming technique to explore innovative options for the big picture!
Use the “Systems Thinking” for a balanced view with big picture perspective.

Magnifying and Minimizing – overvaluing and undervaluing events in your life...

Practice striving for balance.
Ask yourself: Were there any good things that happened? Did I do anything well?
Alternatively, if you tend to dismiss the negative, ask yourself: Am I overlooking any problems? Were there any negative elements that I am dismissing the importance of?
Use the Factual “White Hat” thinking from Dr. Edward Debono’s “Six Thinking Hat” framework to look for “all relevant facts”; and also use both the “Yellow Hat” and “Black Hat” thinking for positive values and negative concerns respectively!

Personalizing – the tendency to attribute problems to one’s own doing; only seeing the internal causes of a problem and systematically ignoring the external causes...

Practice looking outward.
Ask yourself: Did anyone or anything else contribute to this situation? How much of the problem is really due to me and how much is due to others?
Use the Factual “White Hat” thinking from Dr. Edward Debono’s “Six Thinking Hat” framework to look for external causes with “concrete facts”; and also use both the “Red Hat” and “Green Hat” thinking for emotions without logic and creative ideas respectively!

Externalizing – the tendency to blame all problems on external causes...

Practice holding yourself accountable. (This introspection habit to internalize causes is useful for continuous self-development.)
Ask yourself: What did I do to contribute to this problem? How much of the problem is due to others and how much is due to me?
Use the Factual “White Hat” thinking from Dr. Edward Debono’s “Six Thinking Hat” framework to look for internal causes with “concrete facts”; and also use both the “Red Hat” and “Green Hat” thinking for emotions without logic and creative ideas respectively!

Over-Generalizing – when you make “always” and “everything” explanations about things...

Practice looking more closely at the behavior involved.
Ask yourself: Is there a narrower explanation than the one I’ve assumed to be true? Is there a specific behavior that explains the situation? Is it logical to indict my or anyone’s character (worth as human) based on this specific event?
Use the Factual “White Hat” thinking from Dr. Edward Debono’s “Six Thinking Hat” framework to look for specific facts with “concrete focus”; and also use the “Green Hat” thinking for creative ideas!

Mind Reading – when you believe you know what others are thinking and act accordingly. Or you expect others to know what you are thinking...

Practice speaking up and asking questions of others.
First ask yourself: Did I make my beliefs or feelings known directly and clearly? Did I convey all of the pertinent information? Am I expecting the other person to work hard at figuring out my needs or goals?
Use the Factual “White Hat” thinking from Dr. Edward Debono’s “Six Thinking Hat” framework to share the facts with your TEAM; and also use the “Red Hat” thinking for expressing TEAM members’ emotions!

Emotional Reasoning – when you draw conclusions about the world based on your emotional state...

Practice separating your feelings from the facts.
Ask yourself: Have there been times when my feelings didn’t accurately reflect the facts of a situation? What questions must I ask to know the facts?
Use the Factual “White Hat” thinking from Dr. Edward Debono’s “Six Thinking Hat” framework to learn the “neutral facts” with “journalistic objectivity”; and also use the “Red Hat” thinking for articulating your emotions! Then separate the facts from emotions.

Soft Skills for successful SW Engineering

2009-04-08T12:40:00.002+06:00

Software engineering is a multi-disciplinary profession which requires a wide range of technical and non-technical skills. Most software engineers – programmers, systems analysts, computer scientists – have mastered the former, but often not the latter. Learn the development of “soft skills,” non-technical skills such as project management; interpersonal communication – oral and written; organizational development and leadership; understanding business, marketing, and sales requirements/expectations; building effective, productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders; developing effective negotiation skills; and promoting and maintaining a “healthy,” productive work environment.

Just took the above from the following URL: :-)
http://extension.ucsd.edu/studyarea/index.cfm?vAction=singleCourse&vCourse=CSE-40980

Emotional Intelligence in SW Dev ---- 1

2008-11-04T16:35:00.017+06:00

Yes, I must write on this topic now ... I have been planning to write on it for the last few days ... Since today I gave this blog url to Elli of JOBS-ICT, who also trains Soft Skills for IT Professionals .. now I have to write more on Soft Skills ... ;-) ...

Quotes from the notes of Ms. Elizabeth Soltis, Learning Resource Center, UNDP, New York
Emotional Intelligence is the intelligent use of emotions. It is about how people handle themselves and their relationships. It involves a set of competencies (skills, knowledge, behaviour) that enables someone to be aware of and able to manage self and others in a life-affirming way. Personal responsibility is the key in knowing that people have ownership of their emotions in making powerful choices.

The focus of "Emotional Literacy" is on regaining the natural ability to feel and use emotions wisely. This is the practice of "Human Development" from inside out !!

Personal Competencies

Self-Awareness

Emotional Awareness: recognizing and validating our emotions and their effects
Accurate Self-Assessment: knowing our strengths and limits
Self-Confidence: having a strong sense of self-worth and capabilities

Self-Management

Self-Control: managing emotions and expressing feelings appropriately
Trustworthiness: maintaining standards of honesty and integrity
Conscientiousness: taking responsibility for personal performance
Adapatability: thinking in constructive, balanced ways to deal with life's changes
Innovation: being comfortable with new ideas, approaches and information

Motivation

Achievement Drive: striving to improve or meet a standard of excellence
Commitment: aligning with the goals of the group or organization
Initiative: readiness to act on opportunities
Optimism: persistence in pursuing goals despite obstacles and set-backs

Relationship Competencies

Empathy

Understanding Others: sensing other's feelings and perspectives
Developing Others: supporting other's developmental needs and their abilities
Service Orientation: anticipating, recognizing and meeting client needs
Leveraging Diversity: creating opportunities by using different people talents and perspectives
Political Awareness: reading a group's emotional currents and power relationships

Social Skills

Influence: using effective strategies for persuasion
Communication: listening openly and sending clear messages
Conflict Management: negotiating needs and resolving disagreements
Leadership: inspiring and guiding individuals and groups
Change Catalyst: initiating and managing change
Building Bonds: nurturing relationships effectively
Collaboration: cooperatively working with others toward shared goals
Team Capabilities: creating group synergy while working on projects

Enhancing Our EQ Capacity

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
Research shows that EQ skills are more important than IQ in determining personal effectiveness and success -- at work and beyond. This dimension of one's performance is critical to achieving any organizational goals. Daniel Goleman, the pioneer of EQ theory, states that EQ competencies are NOT innate talents, but rather learned capabilities that can be developed over time to achieve outstanding performance.

Personal Competencies: Emotional Awareness; Self-Assessment, Self-Confidence, Adaptability

Common Myths about Emotions

Emotions are stronger than me.
Others control my emotions.
I can't help my emotions. My emotions control me.
I have no control how I express my emotions.
All emotions must be expressed.
It is better to get out of my anger by venting. This relieves me of my upset.
Emotions are right/wrong/good/bad.
I'm supposed to feel in a certain way in certain situations.
Difficult feelings are bad and should be avoided. Emotions are my enemy.
It is inappropriate to express my emotions at work.

Consider....

Emotions are our internal compass that points us towards actions which address our needs.
They serve as our barometer in letting us know how we are doing.
With this vital information, we are able to set healthy boundaries for ourselves.
Emotions help us to relate to others. They can also be alarms, motivating us to take action.
Emotions are fundamentally adaptive, acting as shepherds guiding us to safety and well-being.

Five Step Process in Managing Emotions Effectively : (Do NOT Skip Any Step !)

Tune-In and Acknowledge
Breathe and Allow
Recognize and Identify
Validate and Empathize
Discern and Express

Common EQ Challenges / Opportunities

Self-Responsibility
Self-Esteem
Trust
Positive Attitude
Dealing with Change
Gentleness with self and others
Patience
Balance in Life
Power / Control Issues
Personal Commitment
Discipline
Letting go and forgiveness

Resume Writing Skill

2008-10-27T19:09:00.002+06:00

Fresh Software / CSE Graduates in Bangladesh are usually "pretty weak" in Good & Focused resume Writing ... Here is a Great Resource on the Web for ALL...

Quote from the Linked Site :

""" The good news is that, with a little extra effort, you can create a resume that makes you stand out as a superior candidate for a job you are seeking. Not one resume in a hundred follows the principles that stir the interest of prospective employers. So, even if you face fierce competition, with a well written resume you should be invited to interview more often than many people more qualified than you.

The bad news is that your present resume is probably much more inadequate than you now realize. You will have to learn how to think and write in a style that will be completely new to you. ..."""

Learn More in the following URL ....

http://www.rockportinstitute.com/resumes.html

My generic (& informal) Mentoring Strategies

2008-10-27T19:05:00.001+06:00

4 Generic Key Strategies that I usually try to implement while mentoring Fresh CSE Graduates....

A. Train to "Communicate" ("Write, Write, Write ! First Learn to communicate with your own self!")

B. Train to "Think Quality" ("Plan, Do, Check, Act ! Do Self-Planning besides the Project or Organizational Plans!")

C. Train to "Work under Pressure" ("Learn to work under "chaos" and "pressure" with "partial exposure" to real life Projects!")

D. Train to "Learn TDD in a selected Language / Technology" ("Learn to excel in design and development in a selected Language Technology with a Scientific Mindset using Test Driven Development Approach!")

Typical "Weak Spots" of SW Developers

2008-10-27T16:26:00.000+06:00

I started my programming career with the "notion" that GUI is an "auxiliary" and "secondary" thing in any great software product. My mentor and boss was pretty "bad" in GUI and in the Look & Feel aspects :-(... And I also could successfully copy this weakness from him (I wish it implied that I copied all his great strengths ;-)..

With the legacy of a "Great Mentoring Tradition" most of my "disciples" also "inherited" that "Great Weakness" :-(... I am also surprised to see that most of our Computer Science and Engineering students also painfully lack this "User Interaction" Focus ! I often hear this statement: "I am now doing boring Forms or Reports Design!" Yes, s/he has a point: "since I am NOT a GUI designer, so I should not be doing this".

But another stronger point is, You simply can NOT ignore the importance of GUI (Graphical User Interface) and its implications. You HAVE to train yourself to have the "eye" and "skills" for consistent GUI Design and Development. So even a "one pixel error" should not miss the eye of a skilled Software Developer. And I am very convinced (from my own early-career-mistakes) that it can be learned, and it is mostly a matter of attitude and giving importance and priority like other programming and software design skills.

I have also observed that fresh developers are NOT well-oriented with practical SQL building skills for RDBMS (Relational Database Management Systems) and Database Table Designs. May be in the Universities / Colleges, the algorithm-focused Computer-Scientist Professors do not take a lot of interests in the "not-so-exciting-proven-relational-algebra thing". But it is very important for almost all practical business applications.

Performance Issues also take a back seat for most fresh software developers. Surprisingly, many business applications developing software companies in Bangladesh also do not demand it from all its beginner developers. The usual notion is: "Build something first real quick, and then we will see what we can do to improve performance later". Not a bad thing to start with ! But in this process, often the needed "measurement mind-set" gets lost :-(... We can not manage something, if we can not measure that.

Have you "really tested" your code ?
"SURE. I ran it 10 times !" ---- This is the typical answer from most Software Developers !

Can you "scientifically prove" that your code works ?
"WHAT ??. What do you mean?" ---- We might be up for a fight now :-(... The ego gets hurt here !

Quite often the Software Testability Issues are NOT addressed properly by most Software Developers, Managers, and even Users ! In most other engineering and scientific professions, there is always the concern for "proving something scientifically with data and validations" ! Software development as a nascent profession is still largely free from this obligation ! But those days are quickly passing by !

A World Class Software Development Professional MUST be able to "scientifically prove his thoughts with real data and validations". This may start with the UATCs (User Acceptance Test Cases / Criteria) and followed up by the STCs (Software / System Test Cases / Criteria), ITCs (Integration Test Cases), UTCs (Unit Test Cases). A Software Developer / Designer / Programmer must write thorough and useful Unit Test Cases to build the blocks for a thorough scientific scrutiny of the full software product.

In this constantly changing user and technology environments, a well-built Software Testing Scrutiny System (where everything can be programatically verified and validated) can act as great health checking, measuring and metering devices as found in other sound engineering disciplines. Test Driven Development (TDD) and Agile Methods are not just some fads or fashions of modern time. They are the needs of the current time, and should be used with the true spirit.

Soft Skills for Software Engineers -- 1

2008-10-27T13:14:00.000+06:00

Soft Skills for Software Engineers are VERY CRITICAL skills to produce quality software and grow up the career ladder !! In fact, these are always essential in ANY profession, per se. But since Software is more of "Thought Product" with all "soft-ness" so Soft Skills are more important in this profession than others.

Why learn soft skills ?
Google Search Engine found 189,000 matches (on 2nd Sep, 2008) for “Soft Skills for a Software Engineer”
Employers often get biased towards “Attitude” rather than “Aptitude”
SW Engg is essentially “SOFT” :-)

Soft Topics

1. TEAM Collaboration Skills

2. Thinking Skills

3. Creative Skills (6 THT)

4. Time Management Skills
4.1. Meeting Management Skills
4.2. Write Everything !

5. Communication Skills
5.1. Interpersonal Skills
5.2. Self-Reflection / Introspection

6 soft skills for every hard-nosed professional

1. Interpersonal skills

2. Team Spirit

3. Social Grace

4. Business Etiquette

5. Negotiation Skills

6. Behavioral Traits, such as:
6.1. Attitude,
6.2. Motivation, and
6.3. Time management

Soft skills “hard-wired” ?

a. Like you learned brushing your teeth at childhood :-(…:-).
… yes, … how many of you Brushed your teeth today ? ALL ?? … right !!
I hate dirty-teeth-ugly guys / gals :-(

b. 40-days continuous practice makes it a habit :-).
…. Yes, remember … the Islamic ritual of 40-days … if you want to make something a habit .. PRACTICE IT RELIGIOUSLY for 40 days without any break ….

c. Write ! Write !! Write !!!
.. Yes … Our STRONGEST Memory is WEAKER than the WEAKEST INK … !!! Use Hard-bound fat “ruler” Notebooks

d. Use Hard-bound fat “ruler” Physical Notebooks :-).
Yes … I have researched it for about 10 years … and yes, it WORKS !!!!

e. Hear WIIFM Radio … :-).
... Yes, we ALL get TURNED ON when we CLEARLY see “What’s In It For Me” WIIFM .. We ALL love this ….FM Radio … so much

Download the PPT slides for more ....

6 RM TEAM Skills

2008-10-13T19:33:00.000+06:00

The Six Requirements Management TEAM Skills are following:

1. AP: Analyzing the Problem
2. UUN: Understanding User Needs
3. DS: Defining the System
4. MS: Managing Scope
5. RSD: Refining the System Definition
6. BRS: Building the Right System

The Five (5) Steps in Problem Analysis are following:
1. Gain Agreement on the Problem Definition
2. Understand the root causes - the problem behind the problem
3. Identify the Stakeholders & Users
4. Define the Solution System Boundary
5. Identify the constraints to be imposed on the solution

Software is a TEAM Sport

2008-10-13T18:56:00.000+06:00

Yes, Software is a TEAM Sport !

Well, what is NOT a "Team effort" now-a-days ? Thinking, Dreaming, Writing, Blogging are not TEAM-works ;-)...But TEAM can play a great role in these "lone-player games" !

So possibly anything useful in these crazy constantly changing days needs to be a TEAM-work ! And what is the essence of a TEAM ?

T: Together
E: Everyone
A: Achieves
M: More

Yes, In a TEAM, Togther Every Single Person Achieves more than what s/he could do alone. That is the bottom-line of any TEAM-spirit ! If any person feels his value or ROI (Return On Investment) gets hurt or lowered after joining a TEAM, s/he immediately withdraws himself (or herself) mentally from the TEAM ! Bcz, all our popular FM Radio Channel is WIIFM (What's In It For Me) :-). And without the hot WIIFM music, we soon turn cold :-(.. Any TEAM hardly enjoys a "cold-body" without a "warm-heart" ;-)...

The old heroic-Herculean days in Software are gone ! Yes, SUN's Chief Scientist Bill Joy wrote the first VI editor in one night ! And that was a great heroic effort ! But surely it was Great TEAM-work which made the later VI editor versions ! And also the evolution of Open Source TEAMs / Communities contributing to Great Software Products like Linux, TomCat, JBoss, and so on ...

In almost all useful software products, the combined Thought-Works of all the Developers, Marketers, Testers, Users, Customers, and all related Stakeholders play the pivotal role. And they MUST work as a TEAM ! And only those software products really excel, in which all these TEAMs took those as Great TEAM Sports !!

So, I call a Software (a really good one) a Great TEAM Sport !

Software is a Thought Product

2008-10-13T17:00:00.000+06:00

Yes, Software is a Thought Product !

Then what is NOT a Thought Product ? Can you name one ?

NO .

Everything that we can create, MUST exist in our Thinking Space first, then ONLY we create that, even centuries later ;-) ... Look at Leonardo Da Vinci's Great Thoughts and Imaginations !!

Yet, I call Software a Thought Product emphatically and want to characterise IT as more of a Thought Product than any other human artifacts ! Essentially what happens so frequently in most software development projects and its associated digital space that any software is greatly shaped and reshaped, (... re-shaped, again .. and again..) by the Mutual Thoughts (and lack-of-thoughts ;-) of the Developers, Users, Customers, and Stakeholders ...

So I call it a Thought Product !