Discovering System Dynamics in Software Engineering: Foundations for the Software Learning Organization

by James D. Hart

The software community is undergoing unprecedented rates of change today. The most successful software companies must learn to adapt quickly to changing environments. Our current "mechanistic" worldview, the basis for most of our software development processes, is no longer adequate. In Discovering System Dynamics in Software Engineering, Jim Hart articulates a different worldview, where software leaders and managers see their companies as dynamic, interconnected living systems. With nearly 100 figures, dozens of real-world software engineering situations, and two chapters dedicated to illustrating a detailed method, the author explains step-by-step how to apply causal loop diagramming to solve complex, persistent problems in today's software companies that seem unsolvable using traditional techniques. The many exercises and "Further Reading" sections encourage individuals and groups to further cultivate their collaborative systems thinking skills.

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 17, 2008