In 1935, Alan Turing came up with a theory for software which led to the study of its creation. Growth in the field moved the industry to evolve, with Margaret Hamilton coining the term ‘software engineering’, the systematic approach to the analysis, design, development, operation, and maintenance of software systems, acting to legitimise the profession.
Even in the 1990s, IT system quality was still an adventure. Who knew when or where the system was going to break?
Today we take much for granted. Amazon does get your order to you within the stated delivery timeframe. The blue screen of death is a thing of the past. Payment transactions are processed accurately. Your GPS guides you on the best route, social media keeps you in touch, and the supply chain has never been more reliable.
And yet we still talk about being ‘world-class’, as if it’s some kind of unique claim that puts us ahead of the curve.
Many people are good at what you do. Experts at it. Maybe as good as you are.
Kudos for the great work you’ve done and the competencies you’ve developed. But it’s no longer enough.
Quality, the quality of building requirements right, is required but no longer sufficient.
If you can’t deliver quality yet, this blog isn’t much help to you. If you can, awesome, well done. Now, let’s put that aside for a moment and realise that plenty of others can too.