Viking photos

SF Storyboard 8: The Product Line Factory

erikgun — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:40:37 GMT

SF Storyboard 8: The Product Line Factory

Inside the software factory, as in a car factory, is a product development line. Cars are built in a systematic and predictable way using components from other factories leveraging today’s leading design, development, testing, and deployment tools and guidance. While there is a large increase in the amount of automation from last century’s factories, there will always be a need for human beings to solve the unique problems automation cannot solve on its own.

SF Storyboard 7: The Architect

erikgun — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:38:58 GMT

SF Storyboard 7: The Architect

The key to delivering high quality customizable products that exceed customer satisfaction is in how proven & predictable tools, assets, guidance, and process come together to drive continuous product improvement – what the Japanese call Kaizen. The architecture captures this unified approach in a set of well documented, well understood blueprints for not only the car models, but for all the tools, process, guidance, and assets that build the various base models and guide how standard customer options for a particular model are implemented.

SF Storyboard x12: Delivering a Better Product!

erikgun — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:44:37 GMT

SF Storyboard x12: Delivering a Better Product!

Back at the dealership, the mother and her (still) 5 year old daughter takes happy possession of the new car - customized with the color of choice and other options. The vehicle is not only safe, but is suitable for her growing family and Food Service Company. The customer has the quality assurance backed by the factories years of experience building similar models for many others. This knowledge leads to predictability which leads to fixed price and fixed services. The customer and dealership are both very happy.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

SF Storyboard 9: The Factory Supply Chain

erikgun — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:41:37 GMT

SF Storyboard 9: The Factory Supply Chain

The software factory, like the car factory, relies on the supply of components from other factories. And these supporting factories may rely on subcomponents of yet others. An efficiently organized factory supply chain is the key to building quality, cost effective cars as it is to constructing enterprise software systems. Rather than one shop trying to be master of all, a number of specialized factories ensure the highest quality, lowest price, and quickest delivery of the factories components.

SF Storyboard 6: The New Dealership

erikgun — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:37:42 GMT

SF Storyboard 6: The New Dealership

Tomorrows software development experience can resemble today’s modern car purchase experience. Within the car dealerships we are all familiar with, proven base models are readily available and testable. Each model comes with (ideally) validated claims or assurances regarding the price, quality, delivery schedule. Each model also comes with a set of options available to the customer. A fixed price approach is possible because the cost and features of these basic models are well known as are the costs associated with common model variations.

SF Storyboard 5: The Alternative – Better, Faster, Cheaper

erikgun — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:36:34 GMT

SF Storyboard 5: The Alternative – Better, Faster, Cheaper

And inevitably, other considerations may not have been explored, such as reliability. Being stranded in a marketplace with products you cannot get to your consumers can be disheartening if not painfully costly. There has to be, and is, a better way. It is possible to deliver solutions that are custom built to the specifications and needs of the customer yet can be delivered better, faster, cheaper. This way is called mass customization, and companies such as Toyota have excelled at it for building cars. The software industry can do the same.

SF Storyboard x10: Changing Customer Requirements

erikgun — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:42:37 GMT

SF Storyboard x10: Changing Customer Requirements

Customers can and often do change their mind while their system is being developed. Factories embrace this well known fact by planning for these areas of changeability. For example, some core changes will not be possible for a particular model – such as increasing the towing capacity by four-fold. Yet others, such as color or trim options, will be possible. The successful factory incorporates these well-known points of variability into the architecture and relies on agile processes and capable tools to keep the factory and customer closely partnered during the development process.

SF Storyboard 1: The Dealership

erikgun — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:02:48 GMT

SF Storyboard 1: The Dealership

Today’s state-of-the-art enterprise software systems are largely custom built. There is little predictability to what the customer will receive, and little transparency to how it will be built. This is similar to car dealership that accepts basic customer requirements with little discussion, provides no working models, but yet requires substantial payment without guarantee of quality, price, or delivery time.

SF Storyboard x11: Mass Customization

erikgun — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:43:30 GMT

SF Storyboard x11: Mass Customization

Mass customization can result in quality custom systems to be produced more frequently than before. In a car factory, it is not surprising to see a car produced every 90 seconds, yet not see the same configured car for weeks. Just as the car factory relies on supplies from engine, brake and other factories, a factory may be a supplier to yet other factories or industries.

SF Storyboard 3: The Delivery

erikgun — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:06:09 GMT

SF Storyboard 3: The Delivery

Not surprising, the customer takes delivery of a product that, while seemingly meeting the basic quality requirements of the customer (build a safe car), falls down in many other areas that were left unexplored as we will soon discover. And while the car took 5 years to complete, the customers original functional requirements have changed (i.e., larger family.

SF Storyboard 2: The Job Shop

erikgun — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:04:37 GMT

SF Storyboard 2: The Job Shop

Today’s software development environment resembles early 20^th century factories. Work is custom developed behind closed shop doors using tools and processes that haven’t changed much from the 19^th century. Although these factories have highly skilled workers, there is little coordination between them and their work varies from one product to another.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Then as today, there are not enough experienced craftsmen to go around. Nor is there time for these busy craftsmen to teach their trade to others. More work will only magnify the problems of this one-off development environment.

SF Storyboard 4: Poor Customer Satisfaction

erikgun — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:10:41 GMT

SF Storyboard 4: Poor Customer Satisfaction

Since the customers true requirements were not evaluated, more surprises, not evident upon delivery, lay in store. Although some quality aspects of the car were met, e.g., a safe vehicle, other quality aspects were not considered, such as extensibility, shown here as a car that does not have enough room to put the groceries of the customers growing family, or provide space for her new food delivery service.