Steve Neiderhauser

Future of IT Departments

What will IT be like in 2020?  That's the question InfoWorld tries to answer.

The article says that specialized tech people will become technology Teradactyls, and we'll see professionals with a blend of technology skills − virtualization, networking, architecture.

Software will continue its evolution from programming to modeling. What's more, cloud services, Web-based lego building blocks, will accelerate abstraction and the move to modeling.

Check out Google's App Engine and Brett Slatkin's tutorial. Notice how Brett simply models the cloud app.  No more nitty-gritty programming.

Computerworld columnist Thornton May declares a new college degree is in order:

Regarding educational degrees, May anticipates a new breed of sheepskin, one that reflects both business knowledge and statistical analysis expertise.

I agree with business skills, although I'd replace statistical analysis with computer science.

Why?  Because you'll discover the balanced professional... the ambidextrous pro can switch hands as fast as a Steve Nash killer crossover and score from anywhere.  Score by imagining new ideas, new products, and new markets.

Top 10 Reasons for Slow Product Velocity

Marty Cagan gives his top ten reasons for slow product development.

Although a painful one, number nine is my favorite:

Inflexible product architecture or technical debt.  Often the architecture does not facilitate or enable rapid evolution of the product.

I've seen a house-of-cards architecture that devastated the developers and product.  When that joker card pops up during a design discussion, the development team finds they are the punch line.

On the other hand, an architecture that would carry the Eiffel Tower creates competitive advantage and increases velocity.

Qualities of Scintillating Project Managers

Mary and Tom Poppendieck describe a great project manager:

Alan Mulally’s leadership of the Boeing 777 has often been called project management at its best.  He was chief architect of the aircraft, of the innovative design/build teams, and of the unrelenting emphasis on delighting customers.

 

I agree with this profile.  Because balanced professionals have the potential to create art and delight customers.