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Enterprise Software Delivery: Bringing Agility and Efficiency to the Global Software Supply Chain
Globalization, rapid technology churn, and massive economic shifts have made it more difficult than ever to deliver high-value enterprise software. In Enterprise Software Delivery, IBM Distinguished Engineer Alan W. Brown guides decision-makers in understanding these new challenges, choosing today’s best solutions, and successfully anticipating future trends. Alan presents detailed, actionable techniques for building software supply chains that improve agility and innovation while responding to growing cost pressure. Using real-world case studies, he introduces the modern global software factory, demonstrating how to integrate and leverage global outsourced teams, collaborative application lifecycle management, and cloud-based virtual infrastructures. Drawing on his extensive experience leading IBM Rational software strategy, and consulting with IBM enterprise customers, Alan illuminates everything from software R&D to metrics. Coverage includes If you’re an enterprise software leader, strategist, or practitioner, this book can help you improve every facet of performance you care about, including agility, quality, predictability, innovation, and value.
336 pages, Paperback
First published June 20, 2012
54 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 16, 2013
This is a book that sums up any large organisation with a software delivery function. It certainly matches the experiences in my last company but also matches the many case studies I have heard from my colleagues over the years.
It starts by defining enterprise software delivery, noting it uses the word delivery and not development. This is on purpose as software development is only useful when in the hands of the end-user.
The key focus areas are:
* software supply chain and factories – a large portion of the book points to understanding the entire delivery process and understanding how to deal with distributed teams (whether they be within the organisation or partnered or near or offshore)
* collaboration – the importance of collaboration and the use of collaborative delivery environments (CDE) and collaborative application lifecycle management (CALM)
* agile – the importance of agile and approaches to rolling out and scaling in the enterprise
* quality – the importance of building quality in as well as quality of the team and its relationships
* governance – measuring your delivery and managing your team and partnerships effectively
* future – trends that are starting to effect enterprise software delivery including cloud, multisourcing, crowdsourcing and mobile
The Agile portion of the book had me either in agreement or in a couple of cases opposition. I could understand the viewpoint of the author — for example the use of software testing factories which I think removes a lot of the collaboration that is possible with Agile testing techniques and tooling. The author is the CTO for IBM Rational in Europe and as a result a lot of IBM thinking comes through in the ideas. Whilst this is not a bad thing, it is useful to remember that the IBM approach is not the only approach.
The book has lots of case study material (mostly revolving around the financial industry and Danske Bank as well as IBM itself). There are a number of figures and illustrations throughout that demonstrate the points that the author is trying to make (like examples of metrics, processes and plans) and and these alone make the book a valuable asset for those times when you are looking for an example to get started.
This is a book that all technical leaders (including developers, architects and CIOs) should read if they are involved in software delivery in a large organisation. This was a book that I admit I struggled with a little as I read it, which I think was because I had spent so much time in a large organisation that had a continuous focus on governance, sourcing and agile. But on reflection, there were lots of ideas and trigger points throughout the book that are calls to action. Of course, for those just venturing into this domain, it is a recommended read.
Overall, this was a worthwhile read and a book that I would summarise as being very good for lots of ideas rather than a playbook that you follow from beginning to end.
It starts by defining enterprise software delivery, noting it uses the word delivery and not development. This is on purpose as software development is only useful when in the hands of the end-user.
The key focus areas are:
* software supply chain and factories – a large portion of the book points to understanding the entire delivery process and understanding how to deal with distributed teams (whether they be within the organisation or partnered or near or offshore)
* collaboration – the importance of collaboration and the use of collaborative delivery environments (CDE) and collaborative application lifecycle management (CALM)
* agile – the importance of agile and approaches to rolling out and scaling in the enterprise
* quality – the importance of building quality in as well as quality of the team and its relationships
* governance – measuring your delivery and managing your team and partnerships effectively
* future – trends that are starting to effect enterprise software delivery including cloud, multisourcing, crowdsourcing and mobile
The Agile portion of the book had me either in agreement or in a couple of cases opposition. I could understand the viewpoint of the author — for example the use of software testing factories which I think removes a lot of the collaboration that is possible with Agile testing techniques and tooling. The author is the CTO for IBM Rational in Europe and as a result a lot of IBM thinking comes through in the ideas. Whilst this is not a bad thing, it is useful to remember that the IBM approach is not the only approach.
The book has lots of case study material (mostly revolving around the financial industry and Danske Bank as well as IBM itself). There are a number of figures and illustrations throughout that demonstrate the points that the author is trying to make (like examples of metrics, processes and plans) and and these alone make the book a valuable asset for those times when you are looking for an example to get started.
This is a book that all technical leaders (including developers, architects and CIOs) should read if they are involved in software delivery in a large organisation. This was a book that I admit I struggled with a little as I read it, which I think was because I had spent so much time in a large organisation that had a continuous focus on governance, sourcing and agile. But on reflection, there were lots of ideas and trigger points throughout the book that are calls to action. Of course, for those just venturing into this domain, it is a recommended read.
Overall, this was a worthwhile read and a book that I would summarise as being very good for lots of ideas rather than a playbook that you follow from beginning to end.
November 21, 2012
Enterprise Software Delivery takes an end-to-end view on software delivery. It provides insight that help to manage and improve the software supply chain, to satisfy business needs. Whether you are using waterfall development, or are migrating to or using agile, this book is useful to get more business value from enterprise software delivery.
Many organizations are adopting agile practices. The focus is often on software development, this book takes a broader view of agility. It explores the scaling of agile, the role of executive, product and project managers in agile, enterprise and portfolio planning and how to interface agile teams and projects with the existing organization and to roll out agile in an organization.
Many organizations are adopting agile practices. The focus is often on software development, this book takes a broader view of agility. It explores the scaling of agile, the role of executive, product and project managers in agile, enterprise and portfolio planning and how to interface agile teams and projects with the existing organization and to roll out agile in an organization.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews