The Old Joel on Software Forum: Part 3 (of 5) - need help to support a methodology, any but oral

need help to support a methodology, any but oral

Here is the problem: whenever someone wants to know how our system works they just start looking for a developer and we are supposed to know things which are hidden in thousands of lines of code and often not even written by us (written by the other guy:)

One of our analysts wants there to be a KNOWN methodology. I once lent her a book on ICONIX which I only skimmed a year ago. She likes that. I'm happy with any methodology other than oral history.

So, we need some arguments to present to the powers that be and fellow cohorts that we should adopt and follow a methodology.

Me
Monday, October 27, 2003

Methodology for...?

From the context, I suspect you mean "Methodology for maintaining corporate knowledge"?

Well, the time-tested approach is called "documentation"

Failing that, go with a portal or a wiki.

Philo

Philo
Monday, October 27, 2003

Check out the stuff on Microsoft.com about the Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) and Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF). Lots of discussion about Methodology gets dogmatic and rigid. MS does a good job of getting the issues on the table and presenting a way to pick-and-choose what suits your organization best.

In my experience, I find the Agile Manfesto and Principles of Agile Development (http://www.agilemanifesto.org/principles.html) most accurately reflect the way highly-productive software teams work.

Jim S.
Monday, October 27, 2003

Just out of curiosity, when did Methodology replace the word Method? Methodology is the study of Methods, or at least a collection of methods relating to a certain subject.

Sorry, it's a pet peeve.

NC
Monday, October 27, 2003

"Collection of methods relating to a certain subject"

Sounds like a good description of the methodology of software development. XP isn't a method - it's a collection of methods.

Does that work for you?

Philo

Philo
Monday, October 27, 2003

NC, I am with you on this one. Here is an excerpt from dictionary.com

"Usage Note: Methodology can properly refer to the theoretical analysis of the methods appropriate to a field of study or to the body of methods and principles particular to a branch of knowledge. In this sense, one may speak of objections to the methodology of a geographic survey (that is, objections dealing with the appropriateness of the methods used) or of the methodology of modern cognitive psychology (that is, the principles and practices that underlie research in the field).

In recent years, however, methodology has been increasingly used as a pretentious substitute for method in scientific and technical contexts, as in The oil company has not yet decided on a methodology for restoring the beaches. People may have taken to this practice by influence of the adjective methodological to mean “pertaining to methods.”

Methodological may have acquired this meaning because people had already been using the more ordinary adjective methodical to mean “orderly, systematic.” But the misuse of methodology obscures an important conceptual distinction between the tools of scientific investigation (properly methods) and the principles that determine how such tools are deployed and interpreted."

I like their choice of words.... pretentious substitute.

Its right up there with people who talk about Linux boxen!!!

Tapiwa
Tuesday, October 28, 2003

As I indicated, "methodology" can also mean a collection of methods, and IMHO software developement is too complex to be referred to as a simple method.

"What's your software development method" sounds like it should be finished by "on this project?" - it's too focused for a broad thing like a corporate development environment.

And "linux boxen" is a *joke* - a play on words.

Lighten up, Francis. ;-)

Philo

Philo
Tuesday, October 28, 2003

mythology

Joe AA
Tuesday, October 28, 2003

Does that mean that the posters to this forum can be described as a proctology?

Stephen Martin
Tuesday, October 28, 2003

Appreciate the improvement to my usage, this is what I was talking about but with more emphais on the method than the tools to a solution that imho would need to be defined first and not assumed etc

http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/10/14/0015223&mode=thread&tid=185&tid=187

Me
Tuesday, October 28, 2003

>> Lighten up, Francis. ;-)

Who is Francis?

Hang So
Tuesday, October 28, 2003

"My real name is Francis. But if any one of you homos calls me Francis...I'll kill you."
"Lighten up, Francis."
- from the movie Stripes.

RocketJeff
Thursday, October 30, 2003