Would you fly in a plane designed by a craftsman or would you prefer your aircraft to be designed by engineers? We are learning that science and empiricism works in software development, maybe now is the time to redefine what “Software Engineering” really means. Software isn't bridge-building, it is not car or aircraft development either, but then neither is Chemical Engineering. Engineering is different in different disciplines. Maybe it is time for us to begin thinking about retrieving the term "Software Engineering" maybe it is time to define what our "Engineering" discipline should be.

1. Dave Farley
http://www.davefarley.net
@davefarley77
http://www.continuous-delivery.co.uk
Taking Back
‘Software Engineering’
Craftsmanship is insufficient

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Where is the Software Industry?
• Craft
• Mass Production
• Lean Production Techniques

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Where is the Software Industry?
• Craft
• Mass Production
• Lean Production Techniques

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Where is the Software Industry?
• Craft
• Mass Production
• Lean Production Techniques
We are here!

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Where is the Software Industry?
• Craft
• Mass Production
• Lean Production Techniques
We are here!
We should be here!

12. The Impact of “Engineering” in Software
Source: “ Lianping Chen Paddy Power (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0164121217300353)

13. The Impact of “Engineering” in Software
90% lower
defect rate
Source: “ Lianping Chen Paddy Power (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0164121217300353)

14. The Impact of “Engineering” in Software
Source: “2014 State of DevOps report”, Jez Humble, Gene Kim, Nicole Forsgren Velasquez, Puppet Labs (2014)

15. The Impact of “Engineering” in Software
Source: “2014 State of DevOps report”, Jez Humble, Gene Kim, Nicole Forsgren Velasquez, Puppet Labs (2014)
8000x faster
deployment
lead times

16. The Impact of “Engineering” in Software
Source: “2017 State of DevOps report”, Jez Humble, Gene Kim, Nicole Forsgren Velasquez, Puppet Labs (2014)

17. The Impact of “Engineering” in Software
Source: “2017 State of DevOps report”, Jez Humble, Gene Kim, Nicole Forsgren Velasquez, Puppet Labs (2014)
21% Less time
spent on
unplanned work
and rework

18. The Impact of “Engineering” in Software
Source: “2017 State of DevOps report”, Jez Humble, Gene Kim, Nicole Forsgren Velasquez, Puppet Labs (2014)

19. The Impact of “Engineering” in Software
Source: “2017 State of DevOps report”, Jez Humble, Gene Kim, Nicole Forsgren Velasquez, Puppet Labs (2014)
44% More time
on new work

20. The Impact of “Engineering” in Software
Source: “2017 State of DevOps report”, Jez Humble, Gene Kim, Nicole Forsgren Velasquez, Puppet Labs (2014)

21. The Impact of “Engineering” in Software
Source: “2017 State of DevOps report”, Jez Humble, Gene Kim, Nicole Forsgren Velasquez, Puppet Labs (2014)
50% lower
change-failure
rates

22. The Impact of “Engineering” in Software
Source: “2017 State of DevOps report”, Jez Humble, Gene Kim, Nicole Forsgren Velasquez, Puppet Labs (2014)

23. The Impact of “Engineering” in Software
Source: “2017 State of DevOps report”, Jez Humble, Gene Kim, Nicole Forsgren Velasquez, Puppet Labs (2014)
50% Less time
spent
fixing security
issues

24. The Impact of “Engineering” in Software
Source: “2014 State of DevOps report”, Jez Humble, Gene Kim, Nicole Forsgren Velasquez, Puppet Labs (2014)

25. The Impact of “Engineering” in Software
Source: “2014 State of DevOps report”, Jez Humble, Gene Kim, Nicole Forsgren Velasquez, Puppet Labs (2014)
50%
Higher Market cap
growth over 3
years

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All Engineering is not the same!

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All Engineering is not the same!

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All Engineering is not the same!

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All Engineering is not the same!

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All Engineering is not the same!

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All Engineering is not the same!

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What is ‘Engineering’?

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What is ‘Engineering’?

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What is ‘Engineering’?

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What is ‘Engineering’?
Engineering is the application of an empirical,
scientific approach to finding efficient solutions to
practical problems.
(Dave Farley - Just Now!)

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Fundamentals of an ‘Engineering’ Approach
• Iterative
• Employs Feedback
• Incremental
• Experimental
• Empirical

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Iterative
Iterative
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
Iteration is the act of repeating a process, either to generate an
unbounded sequence of outcomes, or with the aim of
approaching a desired goal, target or result.”

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Being Iterative Matters
Means we can learn, react and adapt

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Being Iterative Matters
Means we can learn, react and adapt

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Being Iterative Matters
Means we can learn, react and adapt

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Being Iterative Matters
Means we can learn, react and adapt

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Being Iterative Matters
Allows us to steer towards a goal

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Being Iterative Matters
Allows us to steer towards a goal

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Being Iterative Matters
Fundamental to a process of “Continual Improvement”

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Being Iterative Matters
Fundamental to a process of “Continual Improvement”

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Being Iterative Matters
Allowing us to refine our processes and get better at what we do through
practice and repetition

47. (C)opyright Dave Farley 2017
Being Iterative Matters
Allowing us to refine our processes and get better at what we do through
practice and repetition

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Feedback
Feedback
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
Feedback is information about actions, returned to the source of
the actions.

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Feedback Matters
Means we can observe the impact of our choices

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Feedback Matters
Means we can observe the impact of our choices

51. Unit Test CodeIdea
Executable
spec.
Build Release
Feedback!!!

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Incremental
Incremental
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
Evolutionary design, Continuous design, Evolutive design, or
"Incremental design" is directly related to any modular design
application, in which components can be freely substituted if
someone improved can ensure better performance.

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Incrementalism - Modular Systems

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Incrementalism - Modular Systems

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Incrementalism - Modular Systems
Earth to
Earth orbit

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Incrementalism - Modular Systems

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Incrementalism - Modular Systems
EarthOrbit
to
Earth

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Incrementalism - Modular Systems
Earthto
M
oon,
M
oontoEarth
EarthOrbit
to
Earth

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Incrementalism - Modular Systems

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Incrementalism - Modular Systems
Moon
toMoon Orbit

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Incrementalism - Modular Systems
Moon Orbit
to
Moon
Moon
toMoon Orbit

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Iterative vs Incremental
Source: Jeff Patton

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Iterative vs Incremental
Source: Jeff Patton
Iterative

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Iterative vs Incremental
Source: Jeff Patton
Iterative
Incremental

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Experimental
Experimental
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
An experiment is a procedure carried out to support, refute, or
validate a hypothesis. Experiments provide insight into cause-
and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a
particular factor is manipulated.

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Being Experimental - The Goal

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Being Experimental - The Goal
“I believe that this nation should commit itself
to achieving the goal, before this decade is
out, of landing a man on the moon and
returning him safely to the earth”
- John F. Kennedy (1961)

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Being Experimental - The Goal

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Being Experimental - The Challenge

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Being Experimental - The Challenge

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The First “Software Engineer”

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Being Experimental - Small Steps

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Being Experimental - Small Steps

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Being Experimental - Giant Leaps

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Being Experimental - Giant Leaps

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Being Experimental

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Being Experimental
The Ranger Programme

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Being Experimental
The Ranger Programme
‣ Ranger 1 - Launch Failure

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Being Experimental
The Ranger Programme
‣ Ranger 1 - Launch Failure
‣ Ranger 2 - Launch Failure

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Being Experimental
The Ranger Programme
‣ Ranger 1 - Launch Failure
‣ Ranger 2 - Launch Failure
‣ Ranger 3 - Missed!

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Being Experimental
The Ranger Programme
‣ Ranger 1 - Launch Failure
‣ Ranger 2 - Launch Failure
‣ Ranger 3 - Missed!
‣ Ranger 4 - Impact, systems failed

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Being Experimental
The Ranger Programme
‣ Ranger 1 - Launch Failure
‣ Ranger 2 - Launch Failure
‣ Ranger 3 - Missed!
‣ Ranger 4 - Impact, systems failed
‣ Ranger 5 - Missed!

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Being Experimental
The Ranger Programme
‣ Ranger 1 - Launch Failure
‣ Ranger 2 - Launch Failure
‣ Ranger 3 - Missed!
‣ Ranger 4 - Impact, systems failed
‣ Ranger 5 - Missed!
‣ Ranger 6 - Impact, cameras failed

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Being Experimental
The Ranger Programme
‣ Ranger 1 - Launch Failure
‣ Ranger 2 - Launch Failure
‣ Ranger 3 - Missed!
‣ Ranger 4 - Impact, systems failed
‣ Ranger 5 - Missed!
‣ Ranger 6 - Impact, cameras failed
‣ Ranger 7 - Success!

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Being Experimental
The Ranger Programme
‣ Ranger 1 - Launch Failure
‣ Ranger 2 - Launch Failure
‣ Ranger 3 - Missed!
‣ Ranger 4 - Impact, systems failed
‣ Ranger 5 - Missed!
‣ Ranger 6 - Impact, cameras failed
‣ Ranger 7 - Success!
‣ Ranger 8 - Success!

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Being Experimental
The Ranger Programme
‣ Ranger 1 - Launch Failure
‣ Ranger 2 - Launch Failure
‣ Ranger 3 - Missed!
‣ Ranger 4 - Impact, systems failed
‣ Ranger 5 - Missed!
‣ Ranger 6 - Impact, cameras failed
‣ Ranger 7 - Success!
‣ Ranger 8 - Success!
‣ Ranger 9 - Success!

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Being Experimental

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Being Experimental

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Being Experimental

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Being Experimental

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Empirical
Empirical
From Oxford Dictionaries
Based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or
experience rather than theory or pure logic.

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Empirical
Empirical
From Oxford Dictionaries
Based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or
experience rather than theory or pure logic.

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Empirical
Empirical
From Oxford Dictionaries
Based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or
experience rather than theory or pure logic.

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Being Empirical Matters
Means we can be evidence based and data driven

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Being Empirical Matters
Means we can be evidence based and data driven
Stand Back!
We are going to try
SCIENCE!!!

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Being Empirical Matters
Stand Back!
We are going to try
SCIENCE!!!

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Being Empirical Matters
• We can never be certain of success
Stand Back!
We are going to try
SCIENCE!!!

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Being Empirical Matters
• We can never be certain of success
• Progress only comes when we risk failure
Stand Back!
We are going to try
SCIENCE!!!

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Being Empirical Matters
• We can never be certain of success
• Progress only comes when we risk failure
• We learn most when reality does NOT match our
predictions
Stand Back!
We are going to try
SCIENCE!!!

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Being Empirical Matters
• We can never be certain of success
• Progress only comes when we risk failure
• We learn most when reality does NOT match our
predictions
• Production will ALWAYS surprise us
Stand Back!
We are going to try
SCIENCE!!!

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Being Empirical Matters
• We can never be certain of success
• Progress only comes when we risk failure
• We learn most when reality does NOT match our
predictions
• Production will ALWAYS surprise us
• …and it should!
Stand Back!
We are going to try
SCIENCE!!!

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Being Empirical Matters
• We can never be certain of success
• Progress only comes when we risk failure
• We learn most when reality does NOT match our
predictions
• Production will ALWAYS surprise us
• …and it should!
• All of our design choices, all of our coding
efforts all of our tests are only…
Stand Back!
We are going to try
SCIENCE!!!

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Being Empirical Matters
• We can never be certain of success
• Progress only comes when we risk failure
• We learn most when reality does NOT match our
predictions
• Production will ALWAYS surprise us
• …and it should!
• All of our design choices, all of our coding
efforts all of our tests are only…
Stand Back!
We are going to try
SCIENCE!!!
“Our best theory to
explain things so far”

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• Short Feedback Cycles
• Test Driven Development
• Automation
• Hypothesis Driven
• Tests as a Falsification Mechanism
Continuous Delivery as an Engineering Discipline

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• Short Feedback Cycles
• Test Driven Development
• Automation
• Hypothesis Driven
• Tests as a Falsification Mechanism
Continuous Delivery as an Engineering Discipline
Unit Test CodeIdea
Executable
spec.
Build Release

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Theory
Observation
Experiment
Prediction

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Don’t be “like” Engineers

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Be Engineers!

110. Q&A
http://www.continuous-delivery.co.uk
Dave Farley
http://www.davefarley.net
@davefarley77