Johanna Rothman wrote
>I agree the manufacturing model does not work well for software product or
>service businesses. In either software or service, the final real product
>is the first real product. (There's no notion of getting the first one
>done right, and then following it up with making it for
>manufacturability.)
I agree that the manufacturing model does not apply to software systems
although I may argue that on the code module level many manufacturing
principals are applicable.
I do think that the statement that the final real product is the first
real product is conventional wisdom that is being disproved in practice.
Look at the evolution of Netscape and of Microsoft's products. These are
given to customers in successive beta copies and reissued as the companys
learn what's wrong.
Even in house development of major software systems go through successive
releases correcting errors and adding functionality. I opine that much
learning is occurring in this iterative development process. The Summer
1996 issue of the Sloan management Review headlines an article
'Software-Based Innovation' I recommend to this list. As I read the
article I understand that some double loop learning occurs in the business
and technical communities to produce the innovation.
--bhobler@worldnet.att.net Bill Hobler
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>