dear Cliff,
I'm sorry, but I think your managers are right. And Brooks law does not have to much to do with it, except: to give programming outside, you _must_ do an exact specification before: and normally internally you don't; we have been doing projects with more than 250 people within 6 weeks (after functional and interface specification, without specification for implementation, before integration test) and our experience was great with software developped outside (it was about 1/3 of it).
Nevertheless, just a good (for managers: contractual valid) specification takes about the same time as development - if it is done the first time. Afterwards ( we are in version 17 of the project in the same size) we have the following calculation/ result:
specification + development = development without previous specification.
Of course you can do it more efficiently internally than with external programming; but with CLEAR INTERFACES (which is the main part of specification in my opinion - of course I do start with use cases!!!!) programming is more efficient, more professional, less agame, but work!
And much more creative!!!!
But: it depends on: are the three parties different: users, spec-makers, developpers.
In my experience: the best is to be spec maker: but to do this, you need to be trained in : spec-making (e.g. UML) AND CONTINUOUSLY in: new technologies, with less and less own practice (after 3 years: no practice at all to specify according to learned techniques!!).
Don't hope to disappoint you,
thurn@emailfyi.com
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dear Cliff,
I'm sorry, but I think your managers are right. And Brooks law does not have to much to do with it, except: to give programming outside, you _must_ do an exact specification before: and normally internally you don't; we have been doing projects with more than 250 people within 6 weeks (after functional and interface specification, without specification for implementation, before integration test) and our experience was great with software developped outside (it was about 1/3 of it).
Nevertheless, just a good (for managers: contractual valid) specification takes about the same time as development - if it is done the first time. Afterwards ( we are in version 17 of the project in the same size) we have the following calculation/ result:
specification + development = development without previous specification.
Of course you can do it more efficiently internally than with external programming; but with CLEAR INTERFACES (which is the main part of specification in my opinion - of course I do start with use cases!!!!) programming is more efficient, more professional, less agame, but work!
And much more creative!!!!
But: it depends on: are the three parties different: users, spec-makers, developpers.
In my experience: the best is to be spec maker: but to do this, you need to be trained in : spec-making (e.g. UML) AND CONTINUOUSLY in: new technologies, with less and less own practice (after 3 years: no practice at all to specify according to learned techniques!!).
Don't hope to disappoint you,
thurn@emailfyi.com
piedro!