One view on evolution of software projects and related development of management approaches. Presented at Ciklum Agile Saturday in Dnipropetrovsk on April 27, 2013.

1. Software Projects:
from NASA to your startup
Dima Malenko

4. Gathering
Hunting
Fishing

5. How does
the project of your dream
look like?

6. Project of his
dream

7. How does
the project of your dream
look like?

8. Project of everyone’s dream
• One of
– for iOS
– built on Node.js (or cool tech of your choice)
– uses MongoDB as backend
• “Cool” (or “hip” in some sources)
• Cashes out
• All happens quickly
…to move to the next dream project

9. - Let’s make a project to post photos!
- Cool, but let all photos be square. And don’t
forget filters

10. - Let’s make a project to post photos!
- Cool, but let all photos be square. And don’t
forget filters
...
- And let’s also use Agile!

11. Why Agile?

12. Who knows if…
• users will think they need yet another app to
take photos and post them on the Internet
• we can get enough users solely on iPhone so
that our service will make some sense
• there will be enough people willing to
“enhance” their masterpieces with our
filters
• we would be able to make any money off
this gig

13. Undefined

14. Undefined Unknown
• business model
• users
• requirements

15. Not always dream-projects were
like this…

16. Do you know what’s this?

17. Manchester Mark I.
World’s first commercially available computer.

18. What was
the first program
for
the first computer?

19. Calculating Mersenne Primes
Find prime numbers, which have the form
of 2n-1
June 1949

20. What can you say about
this project?

21. Hacker’s Dream Project:
Calculating Mersenne Primes
clear well defined requirements
highly educated staff from Math. Dept.
nothing to do with business
algorithmically challenging
all the time in the Universe to improve
technical implementation

22. First Business Application
LEO I at J. Lyons and Co.:
Nov 1951
calculate the overnight
production
requirements, assembly
instructions, delivery
schedules, invoices,
costings, and
management reports

23. In-house Operations Management
more or less defined requirements
computers dictated, what humans do
extensive user training
still huge in technical complexity

24. Rise of subcontracting:
DOD, NASA and others
• Humongous
improvements from
using computers
• Growing demand
for software
• Development is
often subcontracted

25. Development for Goverment
less defined requirements
external dependencies in both technology
and processes
strict contractual obligations
often technically complex

27. What’s Important for a Successful
Project?
Deliver all the planned features
on time and within budget

28. Do you know what’s this?

29. VisiCalc.
Often credited for turning PCs from hobby into business tool

30. Retail Consumer Software
users start playing more significant role
more or less defined requirements
users still adapt to what computers can do
less experienced and trained users
still significant technical complexity

32. In consumer computing
hardware was no longer a
significant limiting factor

34. What would happen if…
• Angry Birds was released with 36 levels
instead of 43?
–Nothing!
• Angry Birds was released 3 weeks later?
–Nothing!
• Angry Birds development overrun the
budget?
–Nothing… given that over 12 million $1
copies were sold in 2010

35. What’s Important for a Successful
Project Now?
Be a “Net Positive” at the end by
deliver useful features timely and
in a cost effective manner

36. Agile works great for
that!

37. World is not
like these
pants,
luckily…

38. World is
more like
these pants

39. There is always a room for choice
Do it wisely!

40. Questions?
www.dmalenko.org
dmalenko@rollapp.com
@dmalenko