April 3, 2006

"A SHORT HISTORY ON SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT - PART V"

PLEASE NOTE: This is the fifth part in my series of essays on the history of Systems Development. This week's issue will discuss events prior to and including the 1990's.

As the PC gained in stature, networking became very important to companies so that workers could collaborate and communicate on a common level. Local Area Networks (LAN) and Wide Area Networks (WAN) seemed to spring-up overnight. As the PC's power and capacity grew, it became obvious that companies no longer needed the burden of mainframes and minis. Instead, dedicated machines were developed to control and share computer files, hence the birth of "client/server computing" where client computers on a network interacted with file servers. This did not completely negate the need for mainframes and minis (which were also used as file servers), but it did have a noticeable impact on sales. Companies still needed mainframes to process voluminous transactions and extensive number-crunching, but the trend was to move away from big iron.

Thanks to the small size of the PC, companies no longer required a big room to maintain the computer. Instead, computers were kept in closets and under desks. This became so pervasive that companies no longer knew where their computer rooms were anymore. In a way, the spread of computers and networks closely resembled the nervous system of the human body.

One of the key elements that made this all possible was the introduction of Intel's 30386 (or "386") chip which allowed 32-bit processing. To effectively use this new technology, new operating systems had to be introduced, the first being IBM's OS/2 in the late 1980's. OS/2 provided such things as virtual memory, multitasking and multithreading, network connectivity, crash-protection, a new High Performance File System, and a slick object oriented desktop. Frankly, there was nothing else out there that could match it. Unfortunately, Microsoft bullied its way past OS/2 with Windows 95 & NT. By the end of the 1990's, OS/2 was all but forgotten by its vendor, IBM. Nevertheless, it was the advent of 32-bit computing that truly made client/server computing a reality.

Another major milestone during this decade was the adoption of the Internet by corporate America. The Internet actually began in the late 1960's under the Department of Defense and was later opened to other government and academic bodies. But it wasn't until the 1990's that companies started to appreciate the Internet as a communications and marketing medium.

The first web browser was developed by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990 which led to the World Wide Web protocol on the Internet. Early web browsers included Mosaic, Netscape Navigator, and Microsoft's Internet Explorer, among others. The beauty of the Internet was that all computers could now access the Internet regardless of the operating system, making it a truly universal approach to accessing data. To write a web page, a simple tag language was devised, Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), which was compiled at time of request to display the web page. HTML was nice for developing simple static web pages (not much interaction, just simply view the web page). Developers then invented new techniques to make a web page more dynamic thereby allowing people to input data and interact with files, which ultimately allowed for the merchandising of products over the Internet.

Wanting to do something more sophisticated through the web browser, Sun Microsystems developed the Java programming language in 1995. Java was a universal programming language that could run under any operating system. Their mantra was "Write once, run anywhere." This was a radical departure from programming in the past where it was necessary to recompile programs to suit the peculiarities of a particular operating system. Basically, Java made the operating system irrelevant, much to Microsoft's chagrin. Further, Java could be used in small pocket devices as well as in the new generation of computers powering automobiles. This did not sit well with Microsoft who ultimately fought the propagation of Java.

By the 1990's the Structured Programming movement had fizzled out. Instead, "Object Oriented Programming" (OOP) gained in popularity. The concept of OOP was to develop bundles of code to model real-world entities such as customers, products, and transactions. OOP had a profound effect on Java as well as the C++ programming language.

During this time, source code generators faded from view. True, companies were still using report writers and 4GL's, but the emphasis turned to "Visual Programming" which were programming workbenches with screen painting tools to layout inputs and outputs.

The Relational DBMS movement was still in high gear, but the use of Repositories and Data Dictionaries dropped off noticeably. Of interest though was the introduction of "Object Oriented Data Base Management System" (OODBMS) technology. Like OOP, data was organized in a DBMS according to real-world entities. Regardless, Relational DBMS dominated the field.

Also during this decade "Data Mining" became popular whereby companies were provided tools to harvest data from their DBMS. This effort was basically an admission that companies should learn to live with data redundancy and not be concerned with developing a managed data base environment.

Because of the radical changes in computer hardware and software, companies became concerned with their aging "legacy" systems as developed over the last thirty years. To migrate to this new technology, a movement was created called "Business Process Re-engineering" (BPR). This was encouraging in the sense that companies were starting to think again in terms of overall business systems as opposed to just programs. I'm not sure I agree with the use of the term "Re-engineering" though; this assumes that something was engineered in the first place (which was hardly the case in these older systems).

Nonetheless, CASE-like tools were introduced to define business processes. Suddenly, companies were talking about such things as "work flows," "ergonomics," and "flowcharts," topics that had not been discussed for twenty years during the frenzy of the Structured Programming movement. Ultimately, this all led to the rediscovery of systems analysis; that there was more to systems than just software. But by this time, all of the older corporate Systems Analysts had either retired or been put out to pasture, leaving a void in systems knowledge. Consequently, the industry started to relearn the systems theory, with a lot of missteps along the way.

Companies at this time were still struggling with devising a suitable development environment. Most were content with just maintaining their current systems in anticipation of the pending Y2K (Year 2000) problem (where date fields were to change from 19XX to 20XX which could potentially shutdown companies). However, a few companies began to consider how to apply more scientific principles to the production of systems. Since people were already talking about "Software Engineering," why not apply engineering/manufacturing principles to the development of total systems?

Back in the early 1980's, Japan's Ministry of International Trade & Industry (MITI) coordinated a handful of Japanese computer manufacturers in establishing a special environment for producing system software, such as operating systems and compilers. This effort came to be known as Japanese "Software Factories" which captured the imagination of the industry. Although the experiment ended with mixed results, they discovered organization and discipline could dramatically improve productivity.

Why the experiment? Primarily because the Japanese recognized there are fundamentally two approaches to manufacturing anything: "one at a time" or mass production. Both are consistent approaches that can produce a high quality product. The difference resides in the fact that mass production offers increased volume at lower costs. In addition, workers can be easily trained and put into production. On the other hand, the "one at a time" approach is slower and usually has higher costs. It requires workers to be intimate with all aspects of the product.

MBA took it a step further by introducing their concept of an "Information Factory" in the early 1990's. The Information Factory was a comprehensive development environment which implemented MBA's concept of Information Resource Management. Basically, they drew an analogy between developing systems to an engineering/manufacturing facility, complete with assembly lines, materials management and production control. These concepts were proven effective in companies throughout Japan, most notably Japan's BEST project, which was sponsored by the Ministry of Finance. As background, the ministry wanted to leapfrog the west in terms of banking systems. To do so, they assembled a team of over 200 analysts and programmers from four of the top trust banks in Japan; Yasuda Trust & Banking, Mitsubishi Trust & Banking, Nippon Trust & Banking, and Chuo Trust & Banking. By implementing MBA's concepts they were able to deliver over 70 major integrated systems in less than three years. Further, because they had control over their information resources using a materials management philosophy, the Y2K problem never surfaced.

In terms of infrastructure, development organizations essentially went unchanged with a CIO at the top of the pyramid and supported by Software Engineers and DBA's. But there was one slight difference, instead of being called an MIS or IS department, the organization was now referred to as "IT" (Information Technology). Here again, the name hints at the direction most organizations were taking.

Finally, the 1990's marked a change in the physical appearance of the work force. Formal suit and ties gave way to casual Polo shirts and Docker pants. At first, casual attire was only allowed on certain days (such as Fridays), but it eventually became the normal mode of dress. Unfortunately, many people abused the privilege and dressed slovenly for work. This had a subtle but noticeable effect on work habits, including how we build systems.

THUS ENDS OUR DISCUSSION ON THE 1990's. NEXT WEEK, WE'LL HAVE PART VI - WITH A LOOK AT THIS DECADE AND MY CONCLUDING COMMENTS.

OUR BRYCE'S LAW OF THE WEEK therefore is...
"The word 're-engineering' implies something was 'engineered' in the first place, which is rarely the case."

IN OUR "DOWN THE ROAD" SECTION

The Quality Assurance Institute will be holding its 26th Annual Quality Conference at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, FL on April 24th - 28th. For information, contact the Institute in Orlando at 407/363-1111.

The World Conference on Quality and Improvement will be held May 1st-3rd at the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee, WI. For information, contact the American Society for Quality at 800-248-1946 or 414/272-8575.

The 15th World Congress on Information Technology will be held May 1st - 5th in Austin, TX. For information, call 512/505-4077.

The 17th International Conference of the Information Resource Management Association will be held May 21st-24th at the Wyndham Hotel in Washington D.C. For information, call IRMA headquarters in PA at 717/533-8879

The National And State CIO Association will be holding their 2006 Midyear Conference at The Capital Hilton, in Washington, DC on May 31st-June 2nd. For information, contact NASCIO headquarters in Lexington, KY at: 859/514-9153

If you have got an upcoming IRM related event you want mentioned, please e-mail the date, time and location of the event to timb001@phmainstreet.com

MY "PET PEEVE OF THE WEEK" IS "QUICK AND DIRTY DEVELOPMENT"

Today you hear a lot about "Agile Methodologies" for software development. To their proponent's credit, they admit their products are only aimed at software, not major systems. They also use a lot of techniques derived from what was called Joint Application Development (JAD) and Rapid Application Development (RAD). There is nothing new here. They are simply saying, let's sit down with an end-user, interrogate him, and then quickly deliver some sort of software to solve his problem. Two things bother me about this approach: first, they are suggesting an iterative approach to development whereby an initial program is developed and delivered to the user in 30 days, followed by updates each month. This is scary to me. As a user, I don't want to be using some half-baked software to run my business. The second thing that bothers me is that it is doubtful the software being developed for one user will interface with software being developed for another user. In other words, I question their ability to share and reuse data. Agile might be fine for developing a single program, but it is not the way to go for a major systems solution. In other words, I refer to Agile as "QAD" - Quick and Dirty development. Is this progress? I hardly think so.

Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.

AND FINALLY...

I received an e-mail from a Jon Harris in New York who wrote me regarding last week's essay on "Part IV of the History on Systems Development."
Jon writes:

"Two things: first, you mention that relational DBMS' have replaced the hierarchical model and the network model. I still use such products to this day. I hardly consider them obsolete. You also mention that CASE is on the way out. I also see them being actively used."

Thanks Jon for your note,
First, I never said there was anything wrong with the hierarchical or network model for DBMS. I just noted the transition to the relational model. Products such as IMS and IDMS are still out there and being actively used. One of the main benefits in using these products is their ability to handle heavy transaction volume. This is where they excel. It is also the reason why IBM now refers to IMS as a "transaction processor."

As to CASE tools, Yes, they are still out there and I'm sure there has been a lot of progress made in their development. But make no mistake, their ability to build enterprise-wide systems is doubtful. Their forte is on software only. Frankly, I am finding more people using the programmer's workbenches as opposed to CASE tools.

Again, Thanks for your e-mail. Keep those cards and letters coming.

Folks, don't forget to check out our BRYCE'S CRASH COURSE IN MANAGEMENT which is a free on-line multimedia presentation offering pragmatic advice on how to discharge the duties of a manager, whether it be for a commercial or non-profit enterprise. Frankly, for someone aspiring to be a manager or for a new manager, it will be the best 45 minutes you can invest in yourself. Check it out on the cover of our corporate web page at: http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba

For a complete listing of my essays, see the "PRIDE" Special Subject Bulletins section of our corporate web site.

MBA is an international management consulting firm specializing in Information Resource Management. We offer training, consulting, and writing services in the areas of Enterprise Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Base Engineering, Project Management, Methodologies and Repositories. For information, call us at 727/786-4567.

Our corporate web page is at:

http://phmainstreet.com/mba/

Management Visions is a presentation of M. Bryce & Associates, a division of M&JB Investment Company of Palm Harbor, Florida, USA. The program is produced on a weekly basis and updated on Sundays. It is available in versions for RealPlayer, Microsoft Media Player, and MP3 suitable for Podcasting. See our web site for details. You'll find our broadcast listed in several Podcast and Internet Search engines, as well as Apples' iTunes.

If you have any questions or would like to be placed on our e-mailing list to receive notification of future broadcasts, please e-mail it to timb001@phmainstreet.com

For a copy of past broadcasts, please contact me directly.

We accept MP3 files with your voice for possible inclusion in the broadcast.

Management Visions accepts advertising. For rates, please contact yours truly directly.

Copyright © 2006 by M&JB Investment Company of Palm Harbor, Florida, USA. All rights reserved. "PRIDE" is the registered trademark of M&JB Investment Company.

This is Tim Bryce reporting.

Since 1971: "Software for the finest computer - the Mind."

END

March 27, 2006

"A SHORT HISTORY ON SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT - PART IV" PLEASE NOTE: This is the fourth part in my series of essays on the history of Systems Development. This week's issue will discuss events prior to and including the 1980's.

As big iron grew during the 1960's and 1970's, computer manufacturers identified the need for smaller computers to be used by small to medium-sized businesses. In the 1970's, people were skeptical of their usefulness but by the 1980's their power and sophistication caused the "mini" computer to gain in popularity as either a general purpose business machine or dedicated to a specific system. Among the most popular of the "mini" computers were:

• IBM's System 36/38 series (which led to the AS/400)
• DEC PDP Series (which gave way to the DEC VAX/VMS)
• Hewlett-Packard's HP-3000 series with MPE
• Data General Eclipse series with AOS
• PRIME

The competition was fierce in the "mini" market which resulted in considerable product improvements and better value to the customer. Instrumental to the success of the mini was the adoption of UNIX as developed by Bell Labs, a powerful multi-user, multitasking operating system that eventually was adopted by most, if not all, mini manufacturers.

But the major development in computer hardware was not the mainframe, nor the mini; it was the "micro" computer which was first popularized by Apple in the late 1970's. IBM countered with the its Personal Computer (PC) in the early 1980's. At first, the micro was considered nothing more than a curiosity but it quickly gained in popularity due to its inexpensive cost, and a variety of "apps" for word processing, spreadsheets, graphics, and desktop publishing. This caught on like wildfire as micros spread through corporate desktops like the plague.

By the mid-1980's the "micro" (most notably the PC) had gained in power and sophistication. So much so, that a series of graphical based products were used for software development in support of the Structured Programming movement of the 1970's. Such tools were dubbed "CASE" (Computer Aided Software Engineering) which allowed developers to draw their favorite software diagramming technique without pencil and paper. Early CASE pioneers included Index Technology, Knowledgeware, Visible Systems, Texas Instruments, and Nastec, as well as many others. CASE tools took the industry by storm with just about every MIS organization purchasing a copy either for experimental use or for full application development. As popular as the tools were initially, there is little evidence they produced any major systems but, instead, helped in the design of a single program.

Recognizing the potential of the various CASE tools, IBM in the late 1980's devised an integrated development environment that included IBM's products as well as third parties, and entitled it "AD/Cycle." However, IBM quickly ran into problems with the third party vendors in terms of agreeing on technical standards that would enable an integrated environment. Consequently, the product ran aground not long after it was launched. In fact, the prosperity of the CASE market was short-lived as customers failed to realize the savings and productivity benefits as touted by the vendors. By the early 1990's, the CASE market was in sharp decline.

Instead, companies turned to Programmer Workbenches which included an all-in-one set of basic tools for programming, such as editing, testing, and debugging. Microsoft and Micro Focus did particularly well in offering such products.

Data Base Management Systems also took a noticeable turn in the 1980's with the advent of "relational" products involving tables and keys. The concept of the "relational" model was originally developed by IBM Fellow and mathematician Edgar (Ted) Codd in a paper from 1970. The concept of a relational DBMS was superior to the earlier network and hierarchical models in terms of ease of use. The problem resided in the amount of computer horsepower needed to make it work, a problem that was overcome by the 1980's. As a result, new DBMS products such as Oracle and Ingres were introduced which quickly overtook their older competitors. There was an initial effort to convert DBMS mainstays such as TOTAL, ADABAS, and IDMS into relational products, but it was too little, too late. As for IBM, they simply re-labeled their flagship product, IMS, as a "transaction processor" and introduced a totally new offering, DB2, which quickly dominated the DBMS mainframe market.

Program generators continued to do well during the 1980's but it was during this period that 4GL's (fourth generation languages) were introduced to expedite programming. The 4GL was a natural extension of the DBMS and provided a convenient means to develop programs to interpret data in the data base.

Another development worth noting is the evolution of the Data Dictionary into "Repositories" (also referred to as "Encyclopedias") which were used to store the descriptions of all of an organization's information resources. One of the motivating factors behind this was IBM (for AD/Cycle). IBM realized they needed some sort of cohesive bond for the various CASE tools to interface. This is another area pioneered by MBA who introduced their "PRIDE"-Enterprise Engineering Methodology (EEM) to study a business and formulate an Enterprise Information Strategy, and their "PRIDE"-Data Base Engineering Methodology (DBEM) to develop the corporate data base, both logically and physically. To implement these new methodologies, their "PRIDE"-LOGIK Dictionary was expanded to include business models, and data models. By doing so, MBA renamed "PRIDE"-LOGIK the "PRIDE"-IRM (Information Resource Manager) which complemented their overall concept of Information Resource Management.

In terms of the MIS infrastructure, two noteworthy changes occurred; first was the introduction of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) as first described in the popular book, "Information Systems Management In Practice" (by McNurlin and Sprague) in January 1986. Basically, the MIS Director is elevated to a higher management level where, theoretically, he/she is operating on the same level as the Chief Operating Officer (COO), and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for a company. In reality, this has never truly happened and, in many cases, the title "CIO" is nothing more than a change in name, not in stature. The second change is the change in job title of "Programmer" to "Software Engineer." Again, we are primarily talking about semantics. True, many of the programmers of the 1980's studied Structured Programming, but very few truly understood the nature of engineering as it applies to software, most were just glorified coders. Nonetheless, the "Software Engineer" title is still actively used today. In contrast, the last of the true "Systems Analysts" slowly disappeared. Here too is evidence of the change of focus from systems to software.

During the 1980's we also saw the emergence of MBA's graduating from the business schools and working their way into the corporate landscape. Although they didn't have an immediate impact on the systems world, they had a dramatic effect on the corporate psyche. Their work resulted in severe corporate cutbacks, downsizing, and outsourcing. This changed the corporate mindset to think short-term as opposed to long-term. Following this, companies shied away from major systems projects (such as the MIS projects of the 1960's) and were content tackling smaller programmer assignments, thus the term "app" was coined to describe a single program application.

Interestingly, a "quality" movement flourished in the 1980's based on the works of W. Edwards Deming and Joseph M. Juran who pioneered quality control principles in the early part of the 20th century. Unfortunately, their early work was unappreciated in America and, consequently, they applied their talents to help rebuild the industrial complex of postwar Japan. It was only late in their lives did they receive the recognition of their work in the United States (after Japan became an economic powerhouse). Another influential factor was the introduction of the ISO 9000 standard for quality management which was originally devised by the British and later adopted as an international standard. Little attention would probably have been paid to ISO 9000 if it weren't for the fact that European businesses started to demand compliance in order to conduct business with their companies.

Nevertheless, these factors resulted in a reorientation of American businesses to think in terms of developing quality products which, inevitably, affected how systems and software were produced. The real impact of the quality movement though wouldn't be felt in the systems world until the next decade.

To summarize the 1980's from a systems development perspective, the focus shifted away from major systems to smaller programming assignments which were implemented using newly devised CASE tools. This fostered a "tool-oriented approach" to development whereby companies spent considerably on the latest programming tools but little on management and upfront systems work. In other words, they bought into the vendor's claims of improved programmer productivity through the use of tools. Unfortunately, it resulted in patchwork systems that required more time in maintenance as opposed to modifying or improving systems. "Fire fighting" thereby became the normal mode of operation in development.

THUS ENDS OUR DISCUSSION ON THE 1980's. NEXT WEEK, WE'LL HAVE PART V - WITH A LOOK AT THE 1990'S AND REDISCOVERY

OUR BRYCE'S LAW OF THE WEEK therefore is...
"Beware of your firefighters, they are probably your chief arsonists."

IN OUR "DOWN THE ROAD" SECTION

The Quality Assurance Institute will be holding its 26th Annual Quality Conference at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, FL on April 24th - 28th. For information, contact the Institute in Orlando at 407/363-1111.

The World Conference on Quality and Improvement will be held May 1st-3rd at the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee, WI. For information, contact the American Society for Quality at 800-248-1946 or 414/272-8575.

The 15th World Congress on Information Technology will be held May 1st - 5th in Austin, TX. For information, call 512/505-4077.

The 17th International Conference of the Information Resource Management Association will be held May 21st-24th at the Wyndham Hotel in Washington D.C. For information, call IRMA headquarters in PA at 717/533-8879

The National And State CIO Association will be holding their 2006 Midyear Conference at The Capital Hilton, in Washington, DC on May 31st-June 2nd. For information, contact NASCIO headquarters in Lexington, KY at: 859/514-9153

If you have got an upcoming IRM related event you want mentioned, please e-mail the date, time and location of the event to timb001@phmainstreet.com

MY "PET PEEVE OF THE WEEK" IS "MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS"

Like many of you, I have subscribed to a number of magazines and newspapers over the years. One of the things that always bothered me was how my subscription rates steadily rose over the years. I would see ads for these same publications attracting new subscribers with lower prices and offering free radios, calendars, shirts, or whatever. For the existing customers; nothing. I always thought there should be some of incentive for loyal customers; you should get some sort of price break for longevity, such as 10, 20, or 30 years of loyal patronage. But unfortunately that is not the case. Instead, if you want any real price break, the publications want you to cancel your subscription, then order a new one at the new low rate with all of the freebies. But then again, what am I going to do with another radio or calendar?

I guess its all a numbers game and the publications are counting on us not grousing about the escalating prices.

Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.

AND FINALLY...

I received an e-mail from a Jeff Faber in Wyoming who wrote me regarding last week's essay on "Part III of the History on Systems Development."
Jeff writes:

"You make an interesting point on the relationship of methodology to Project Management. I always thought they were synonymous."

Thanks Jeff for your note,
No, a methodology and project management are most definitely not synonymous. The acid test of a methodology is if it can still be used without project management. Let's take one of the "PRIDE" methodologies as an example, I don't care which one, and let's also suppose we weren't interested in estimating, scheduling, or controlling project expenditures. Even without all of this, you could still execute the methodology and produce something of substance, such as an information system. This is why we regard a methodology as another form of an assembly line, and project management as a production control function. This is also why we see project management is dependent on a methodology, but a methodology is independent of project management. I hope this clears it up for you.

Again, Thanks for your e-mail. Keep those cards and letters coming.

Folks, don't forget to check out our BRYCE'S CRASH COURSE IN MANAGEMENT which is a free on-line multimedia presentation offering pragmatic advice on how to discharge the duties of a manager, whether it be for a commercial or non-profit enterprise. Frankly, for someone aspiring to be a manager or for a new manager, it will be the best 45 minutes you can invest in yourself. Check it out on the cover of our corporate web page at: http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba

For a complete listing of my essays, see the "PRIDE" Special Subject Bulletins section of our corporate web site.

MBA is an international management consulting firm specializing in Information Resource Management. We offer training, consulting, and writing services in the areas of Enterprise Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Base Engineering, Project Management, Methodologies and Repositories. For information, call us at 727/786-4567.

Our corporate web page is at:

http://phmainstreet.com/mba/

Management Visions is a presentation of M. Bryce & Associates, a division of M&JB Investment Company of Palm Harbor, Florida, USA. The program is produced on a weekly basis and updated on Sundays. It is available in versions for RealPlayer, Microsoft Media Player, and MP3 suitable for Podcasting. See our web site for details. You'll find our broadcast listed in several Podcast and Internet Search engines, as well as Apples' iTunes.

If you have any questions or would like to be placed on our e-mailing list to receive notification of future broadcasts, please e-mail it to timb001@phmainstreet.com

For a copy of past broadcasts, please contact me directly.

We accept MP3 files with your voice for possible inclusion in the broadcast.

Management Visions accepts advertising. For rates, please contact yours truly directly.

Copyright © 2006 by M&JB Investment Company of Palm Harbor, Florida, USA. All rights reserved. "PRIDE" is the registered trademark of M&JB Investment Company.

This is Tim Bryce reporting.

Since 1971: "Software for the finest computer - the Mind."

END

March 20, 2006

"A SHORT HISTORY ON SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT - PART III"

PLEASE NOTE: This is the third part in my series of essays on the history of Systems Development. This week's issue will discuss events prior to and including the 1970's.

Although the MIS movement of the 1960's was noble and ambitious in intent, it floundered due to the size and complexity of the task at hand. Many MIS projects suffered from false starts and botched implementations. This resulted in a period where a series of new methods, tools and techniques were introduced to reign in these huge development efforts.

The first was the introduction of the "methodology" which provided a road map or handbook on how to successfully implement systems development projects. This was pioneered by MBA with its "PRIDE" methodology in 1971. Although the forte of "PRIDE" was how to build systems, it was initially used for nothing more than documentation and as a means to manage projects. Following "PRIDE" was John Toellner's Spectrum I methodology and SDM/70 from Atlantic Software. Several CPA based methodologies followed thereafter.

Also during this time, mainframe based Project Management Systems were coming into vogue including Nichols N5500, PAC from International Systems, and PC/70 from Atlantic Software.

The early methodologies and Project Management Systems give evidence of the orientation of systems departments of that time: a heavy emphasis on Project Management. Unfortunately, it was a fallacy that Project Management was the problem; instead people simply didn't know how to design and build systems in a uniform manner. As companies eventually learned, Project Management is useless without a clear road map for how to build something.

In the mid-to-late 1970's several papers and books were published on how to productively design software thus marking the beginning of the "Structured Programming" movement. This was a large body of work that included such programming luminaries as Barry Boehm, Frederick P. Brooks, Larry Constantine, Tom DeMarco, Edsger Dijkstra, Chris Gane, Michael A. Jackson, Donald E. Knuth, Glenford J. Myers , Trish Sarson, Jean Dominique Warnier, Generald M. Weinberg, Ed Yourdon, as well as many others. Although their techniques were found useful for developing software, it led to confusion in the field differentiating between systems and software. To many, they were synonymous. In reality, they are not. Software is subordinate to systems, but the growing emphasis on programming was causing a change in perspective.

The only way systems communicate internally or externally to other systems is through shared data; it is the cohesive bond that holds systems (and software) together. This resulted in the introduction of Data Dictionary technology. Again, this was pioneered by MBA with its "PRIDE" methodology (which included a manually implemented Data Dictionary) and later with its "PRIDE"-LOGIK product in 1974. This was followed by Synergetics' Data Catalogue, Data Manager from Management Software Products (MSP), and Lexicon by Arthur Andersen & Company.

The intent of the Data Dictionaries was to uniquely identify and track where data was used in a company's systems. They included features for maintaining documentation, impact analysis (to allow the studying of a proposed change), and redundancy checks. "PRIDE"-LOGIK had the added nuance of cataloging all of the systems components, thereby making it an invaluable aid for design and documentation purposes.

The Data Dictionary was also a valuable tool for controlling DBMS products and, as such, several adjunct products were introduced, such as UCC-10, DB/DC Data Dictionary, and the Integrated Data Dictionary (IDD) from Cullinet. Unlike the other general purpose Data Dictionaries, these products were limited to the confines of the DBMS and didn't effectively track data outside of their scope.

DBMS packages proliferated during this period with many new products being introduced including ADABAS, Image, Model 204, and IDMS from Cullinet (which was originally produced at BF Goodrich). All were based on the network-model for file access which was finally adopted as an industry standard (CODASYL).

There were a few other notable innovations introduced, including IBM's Business Systems Planning (BSP) which attempted to devise a plan for the types of systems a company needed to operate. Several other comparable offerings were introduced shortly thereafter. Interestingly, many companies invested heavily in developing such systems plans, yet very few actually implemented them.

Program Generators were also introduced during this period. This included report writers that could interpret data and became a natural part of the repertoire of DBMS products. It also included products that could generate program source code (COBOL predominantly) from specifications. This included such products as System-80 (Phoenix Systems), GENASYS (Generation Sciences), and JASPOL (J-Sys of Japan), to mention but a few.

MBA also introduced a generator of its own in 1979 - a Systems generator initially named ADF (Automated Design Facility) which could automatically design whole systems, complete with an integrated data base. Based on information requirements submitted by a Systems Analyst, ADF interacted with the "PRIDE"-LOGIK Data Dictionary to design new systems and, where appropriate modify existing systems. Because of its link to LOGIK, ADF emphasized the need to share and reuse information resources. Not only was it useful as a design tool but it was a convenient tool for documenting existing systems. The only drawback to ADF was that the mindset of the industry was shifting from systems to software. Consequently, program generators captured the imagination of the industry as opposed to ADF.

The increase in computer horsepower, coupled with new programming tools and techniques, caused a shift in perspective in MIS organizations. Now, such departments became dominated by programmers, not systems people. It was here that the job titles "Systems Analyst" and "Programmer" were married to form a new title of "Programmer/Analyst" with the emphasis being on programming and not on front-end systems design. Many managers falsely believed that developers were not being productive unless they were programming. Instead of "Ready, Aim, Fire," the trend became "Fire, Aim, Ready."

Data Management organizations floundered during this period with the exception of Data Base Administrators (DBA's) who were considered the handmaidens of the DBMS.

The proliferation of software during this decade was so great that it gave rise to the packaged software industry. This went far beyond computer utilities and programming tools. It included whole systems for banking, insurance and manufacturing. As a result, companies were inclined to purchase and install these systems as opposed to reinventing the wheel. Among their drawbacks though was that they normally required tailoring to satisfy the customer's needs which represented modification to the program source code. Further, the customer's data requirements had to be considered to assure there were no conflicts in how the customer used and assigned data. After the package had been installed, the customer was faced with the ongoing problem of modifying and enhancing the system to suit their ever-changing needs.

THUS ENDS OUR DISCUSSION ON THE 1970's. NEXT WEEK, WE'LL HAVE PART IV - WITH A LOOK AT THE 1980'S AND THE BIRTH OF THE TOOL-ORIENTED APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENT

OUR BRYCE'S LAW OF THE WEEK therefore is...
"Having a Project Management system without a methodology is like attaching a speedometer to an orange crate; it measures nothing."

IN OUR "DOWN THE ROAD" SECTION

The Quality Assurance Institute will be holding its 26th Annual Quality Conference at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, FL on April 24th - 28th. For information, contact the Institute in Orlando at 407/363-1111.

The World Conference on Quality and Improvement will be held May 1st-3rd at the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee, WI. For information, contact the American Society for Quality at 800-248-1946 or 414/272-8575.

The 15th World Congress on Information Technology will be held May 1st - 5th in Austin, TX. For information, call 512/505-4077.

The 17th International Conference of the Information Resource Management Association will be held May 21st-24th at the Wyndham Hotel in Washington D.C. For information, call IRMA headquarters in PA at 717/533-8879

The National And State CIO Association will be holding their 2006 Midyear Conference at The Capital Hilton, in Washington, DC on May 31st-June 2nd. For information, contact NASCIO headquarters in Lexington, KY at: 859/514-9153

If you have got an upcoming IRM related event you want mentioned, please e-mail the date, time and location of the event to timb001@phmainstreet.com

MY "PET PEEVE OF THE WEEK" IS "TEACHING PROGRAMMING"

Years ago when I was in High School, I studied Spanish. Basically, I was taught how to simply translate the language. I had problems with this at first since we were not given any insight into the philosophy of the Spanish language; for example, the language's use of the feminine and masculine gender, the expression of singular and plural, etc. It wasn't until I figured out the language's sentence structure did I start to really catch on. I wish I had taken a class in Latin before taking Spanish which would probably have better prepared me.

Having said this, let's consider how we teach programming today which, frankly, is no different. Most programming classes simply concentrate on coding which I consider a translation function. Very few describe the philosophy of programming and how to properly engineer a program. To me, the language itself is irrelevant; it is the logic of the program that should be of paramount importance.

If you have been listening to my series on the History of Systems Development, you have probably heard me describe the development of the first four generations of programming languages. This is something that is typically not taught in a programming course, but should. I am not suggesting we teach students Machine Language, Assembly Language, or whatever, but, rather, why these languages were devised and the fundamental principles behind them.

What worries me is that the schools are producing more translators or coders and less software engineers.

But then again, what do I know?

Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.

AND FINALLY...

I received an e-mail from a Mike Jomes of New York who wrote me regarding last week's essay on "Part II of the History on Systems Development."
Mike writes:

"You implied that something was wrong with using a DBMS as an access method. Could you elaborate on this?"

Thanks Mike for your note,
There is nothing wrong with using a DBMS as an access method, but understand this is not what they were originally designed for. The real intent of these products is to share and reuse data, thereby integrating systems. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Programmers tend to redefine data requirements for each program thereby compounding the redundancy problem. Anybody who uses a DBMS as nothing but an elegant access method is missing the boat.

Again, Thanks for your e-mail. Keep those cards and letters coming.

Folks, don't forget to check out our BRYCE'S CRASH COURSE IN MANAGEMENT which is a free on-line multimedia presentation offering pragmatic advice on how to discharge the duties of a manager, whether it be for a commercial or non-profit enterprise. Frankly, for someone aspiring to be a manager or for a new manager, it will be the best 45 minutes you can invest in yourself. Check it out on the cover of our corporate web page at: http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba

For a complete listing of my essays, see the "PRIDE" Special Subject Bulletins section of our corporate web site.

MBA is an international management consulting firm specializing in Information Resource Management. We offer training, consulting, and writing services in the areas of Enterprise Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Base Engineering, Project Management, Methodologies and Repositories. For information, call us at 727/786-4567.

Our corporate web page is at:

http://phmainstreet.com/mba/

Management Visions is a presentation of M. Bryce & Associates, a division of M&JB Investment Company of Palm Harbor, Florida, USA. The program is produced on a weekly basis and updated on Sundays. It is available in versions for RealPlayer, Microsoft Media Player, and MP3 suitable for Podcasting. See our web site for details. You'll find our broadcast listed in several Podcast and Internet Search engines, as well as Apples' iTunes.

If you have any questions or would like to be placed on our e-mailing list to receive notification of future broadcasts, please e-mail it to timb001@phmainstreet.com

For a copy of past broadcasts, please contact me directly.

We accept MP3 files with your voice for possible inclusion in the broadcast.

Management Visions accepts advertising. For rates, please contact yours truly directly.

Copyright © 2006 by M&JB Investment Company of Palm Harbor, Florida, USA. All rights reserved. "PRIDE" is the registered trademark of M&JB Investment Company.

This is Tim Bryce reporting.

Since 1971: "Software for the finest computer - the Mind."

END

March 13, 2006

"A SHORT HISTORY ON SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT - PART II"

PLEASE NOTE: This is the second part in my series of essays on the history of Systems Development. This week's issue will discuss events prior to and including the 1960's.

Competition between computer manufacturers heated up during this decade, resulting in improvements in speed, capacity, and capabilities. Of importance here was the introduction of the much touted IBM 360 (the number was selected to denote it was a comprehensive solution - 360 degrees). Other computer vendors offered products with comparable performance, if not more so, but the IBM 360 was widely adopted by corporate America.

The programming of computers was still a difficult task and, consequentially, Procedural Languages were introduced (the third generation languages). In actuality, these languages got their start in the late 1950's, but the proliferation of computers in the 1960's triggered the adoption of procedural languages such as COBOL, FORTRAN, and PL/1. Interestingly, these languages were patterned after Les Matthies' "Playscript" technique which made active use of verbs, nouns, and "if" statements.

The intent of the Procedural Languages was twofold: to simplify programming by using more English-like languages, and; to create universal languages that would cross hardware boundaries. The first goal was achieved, the second was not. If the languages were truly universal, it would mean that software would be portable across all hardware configurations. Manufacturers saw this as a threat; making software truly portable made the selection of hardware irrelevant and, conceivably, customers could migrate away from computer vendors. In order to avoid this, small nuances were introduced to the compilers for the Procedural Languages thereby negating the concept of portability. This issue would be ignored for many years until the advent of the Java programming language.

The 1960's also saw the introduction of the Data Base Management System (DBMS). Such products were originally designed as file access methods for Bill of Materials Processing (BOMP) as used in manufacturing. The "DBMS" designation actually came afterwards. Early pioneers in this area included Charlie Bachman of G.E. with his Integrated Data Store (IDS) which primarily operated under Honeywell GCOS configurations; Tom Richley of Cincom Systems developed TOTAL for Champion Paper, and; IBM's BOMP and DBOMP products. In 1969, IBM introduced IMS which became their flagship DBMS product for several years.

With the exception of IMS, the early DBMS offerings were based on a network model which performed chain-processing. IMS, on the other hand, was a hierarchical model involving tree-processing.

Realizing that programming and data access was becoming easier and computer performance being enhanced, companies now wanted to capitalize on this technology. As a result, corporate America embarked on the era of "Management Information Systems" (MIS) which were large systems aimed at automating business processes across the enterprise. These were major system development efforts that challenged both management and technical expertise.

It was the MIS that married "Systems and Procedures" departments with computing/EDP departments and transformed the combined organization into the "MIS" department. This was a major milestone in the history of systems. The systems people had to learn about computer technology and the programmers had to learn about business systems.

Recognizing that common data elements were used to produce the various reports produced from an MIS, it started to become obvious that data should be shared and reused in order to eliminate redundancy, and to promote system integration and consistent data results. Consequently, Data Management (DM) organizations were started, the first being the Quaker Oats Company in Chicago, Illinois in 1965. The original DM organizations were patterned after Inventory Control Departments where the various components were uniquely identified, shared and cross-referenced. To assist in this regard, such organizations made use of the emerging DBMS technology. Unfortunately, many DM organizations lost sight of their original charter and, instead, became obsessed with the DBMS. Data as used and maintained outside of the computer was erroneously considered irrelevant. Even worse, the DBMS was used as nothing more than an elegant access method by programmers. Consequently, data redundancy plagued systems almost immediately and the opportunity to share and reuse data was lost. This is a serious problem that persists in companies to this day.

OUR BRYCE'S LAW OF THE WEEK therefore is...
"The only way that information systems communicate, both internally and externally to other systems, is through shared data."

NEXT WEEK, WE'LL HAVE PART III - WITH A LOOK AT THE 1970'S AND THE AGE OF AWAKENING

IN OUR "DOWN THE ROAD" SECTION

The Quality Assurance Institute will be holding its 26th Annual Quality Conference at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, FL on April 24th - 28th. For information, contact the Institute in Orlando at 407/363-1111.

The World Conference on Quality and Improvement will be held May 1st-3rd at the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee, WI. For information, contact the American Society for Quality at 800-248-1946 or 414/272-8575.

The 15th World Congress on Information Technology will be held May 1st - 5th in Austin, TX. For information, call 512/505-4077.

The 17th International Conference of the Information Resource Management Association will be held May 21st-24th at the Wyndham Hotel in Washington D.C. For information, call IRMA headquarters in PA at 717/533-8879

The National And State CIO Association will be holding their 2006 Midyear Conference at The Capital Hilton, in Washington, DC on May 31st-June 2nd. For information, contact NASCIO headquarters in Lexington, KY at: 859/514-9153

If you have got an upcoming IRM related event you want mentioned, please e-mail the date, time and location of the event to timb001@phmainstreet.com

MY "PET PEEVE OF THE WEEK" IS "REQUIREMENTS DEFINITION"

I attended a trade show not long ago and sat in on a session that described a quick and dirty approach to software development as led by someone from academia. Basically, he described a process where the end-user was interviewed, information requirements specified and then, using power programming tools, software was created to satisfy the requirements. Specifying information requirements is a hot topic with me and I pressed the instructor on precisely what he meant by an information requirement. Frankly, all I got was a lot of vague generalities and no substance. Basically, all he was concerned with was a screen or report layout. There was no consideration for the business rationale for why the screen or report was needed, just its layout. This is very disheartening as people are still not asking the right questions to gain the insight the user needs to fulfill his/her business purpose. I guess this is one reason why we are content doing small things in systems development; we simply cannot expand our minds and think of total systems, just individual programs. I know the instructor meant well, but he is perpetuating the problem of poorly defined information requirements. I don't care how good of a programming tool he has got, an elegant solution to the wrong problem solves nothing.

Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.

AND FINALLY...

I received an e-mail from a Bill Wallace of Florida who wrote me regarding last week's essay on "Part I of the History on Systems Development."
Bill writes:

"I found your history of Systems Development interesting, particularly the part concerning early Systems and Procedures Departments. What kind of equipment did they use back then to process data?"

Thanks Bill for your note,
Systems were initially implemented by paper and pencil using ledgers, journals (logs), indexes, and spreadsheets. We have had some rather interesting and imaginative filing systems, everything from cards and folders, to storage cabinets.

Perhaps the earliest mechanical device was the ancient abacus used for simple math (which is still used even to this day). The late 1800's saw the advent of cash registers and adding machines as popularized by such companies as NCR in Dayton, Ohio under John Patterson who also introduced sweeping changes in terms of dress and business conduct. This was adopted by Thomas Watson, Sr. who worked for many years at NCR and carried forward these practices to IBM and the rest of the corporate world. In the early 1900's, tabulating equipment was introduced to support such things as census counting. This was then widely adopted by corporate America. Occasionally you will run into old-timers who can describe how they could program such machines using plug boards. Punch card sorters were added as an adjunct to tabulating equipment. And then, finally, we saw the introduction of the commercial computer in the early 1950's.

As a footnote, most of what IBM's Watson learned about business was from his early days at NCR. However, he had a falling out with Patterson who fired him. As a small bit of trivia, after Watson died, he was buried in Dayton on a hilltop overlooking NCR headquarters, the company he couldn't conquer.

Again, Thanks for your e-mail. Keep those cards and letters coming.

Folks, don't forget to check out our BRYCE'S CRASH COURSE IN MANAGEMENT which is a free on-line multimedia presentation offering pragmatic advice on how to discharge the duties of a manager, whether it be for a commercial or non-profit enterprise. Frankly, for someone aspiring to be a manager or for a new manager, it will be the best 45 minutes you can invest in yourself. Check it out on the cover of our corporate web page at: http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba

For a complete listing of my essays, see the "PRIDE" Special Subject Bulletins section of our corporate web site.

MBA is an international management consulting firm specializing in Information Resource Management. We offer training, consulting, and writing services in the areas of Enterprise Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Base Engineering, Project Management, Methodologies and Repositories. For information, call us at 727/786-4567.

Our corporate web page is at:

http://phmainstreet.com/mba/

Management Visions is a presentation of M. Bryce & Associates, a division of M&JB Investment Company of Palm Harbor, Florida, USA. The program is produced on a weekly basis and updated on Sundays. It is available in versions for RealPlayer, Microsoft Media Player, and MP3 suitable for Podcasting. See our web site for details. You'll find our broadcast listed in several Podcast and Internet Search engines, as well as Apples' iTunes.

If you have any questions or would like to be placed on our e-mailing list to receive notification of future broadcasts, please e-mail it to timb001@phmainstreet.com

For a copy of past broadcasts, please contact me directly.

We accept MP3 files with your voice for possible inclusion in the broadcast.

Management Visions accepts advertising. For rates, please contact yours truly directly.

Copyright © 2006 by M&JB Investment Company of Palm Harbor, Florida, USA. All rights reserved. "PRIDE" is the registered trademark of M&JB Investment Company.

This is Tim Bryce reporting.

Since 1971: "Software for the finest computer - the Mind."

END

March 6, 2006

"A SHORT HISTORY ON SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT - PART I"

PLEASE NOTE: This is the first in my series of essays on the history of Systems Development. This week's issue will discuss events prior to and including the 1950's.

I always find it amusing when I tell a young person in this industry that I worked with punch cards and plastic templates years ago. Its kind of the same dumbfounded look I get from my kids when I tell them we used to watch black and white television with three channels, no remote control, and station signoffs at midnight. It has been my observation that our younger workers do not have a sense of history; this is particularly apparent in the systems world. If they do not have an appreciation of whence we came, I doubt they will have an appreciation of where we should be going. Consequently, I have assembled the following chronology of events in the hopes this will provide some insight as to how the systems industry has evolved to its current state.

I'm sure I could turn this into a lengthy dissertation but, instead, I will try to be brief and to the point. Further, the following will have little concern for academic developments but rather how systems have been implemented in practice in the corporate world.

PRE-1950'S - "SYSTEMS AND PROCEDURES"

Perhaps the biggest revelation to our younger readers regarding this period will be that there was any form of systems prior to the advent of the computer. In fact, "Systems and Procedures" Departments predated the computer by several years. Such departments would be concerned with the design of major business processes using "work measurement" and "work simplification" techniques as derived from Industrial Engineering. Such processes were carefully designed using grid diagrams and flowcharts. There was great precision in the design of forms to record data, filing systems to manage paperwork, and the use of summary reports to act as control points in systems. For example, spreadsheets have been extensively used for many years prior to the introduction of Lotus 1-2-3 or MS Excel. There was also considerable attention given to human behavior during the business process (the precursor to "ergonomics").

During World War II, both the U.S. military and industrial complex relied heavily on manually implemented systems. We did it so well that many people, including the Japanese, contend it gave the Allies a competitive edge during the war.

The lesson here, therefore, is that manually implemented systems have been with us long before the computer and are still with us today. To give you a sense of history in this regard, consider one of our more popular Bryce's Laws:

"The first on-line, real-time, interactive, data base system was double-entry bookkeeping which was developed by the merchants of Venice in 1200 A.D."

One major development in this area was the work of Leslie "Les" Matthies, the legendary Dean of Systems. Les graduated from the University of California at Berkeley during the Depression with a degree in Journalism. Being a writer, he tried his hand at writing Broadway plays. But work was hard to come by during this period and when World War II broke out, Les was recruited by an aircraft manufacturer in the midwest to systematize the production of aircraft. Relying on his experience as a writer, he devised the "Playscript" technique for writing procedures. Basically, Les wrote a procedure like a script to a play; there was a section to identify the procedure along with its purpose; a "Setup" section to identify the forms and files to be used during it; and an "Operations/Instructions" section which described the "actors" to perform the tasks using verbs and nouns to properly state each operation. He even went so far as to devise rules for writing "If" statements.

"Playscript" became a powerful procedure writing language and was used extensively throughout the world. It is still an excellent way to write procedures today. Ironically, Les did not know what a profound effect his technique would have later on in the development of computer programs.

1950'S - INTRODUCTION OF THE COMPUTER

Yes, I am aware that the ENIAC was developed for the military at the end of World War II. More importantly, the UNIVAC I (UNIVversal Automatic Computer) was introduced in 1951 by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly. The UNIVAC I was a mammoth machine that was originally developed for the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Corporate America took notice of the computer and companies such as DuPont in Wilmington, Delaware began to lineup to experiment with it for commercial purposes. The Remington Rand Corporation sponsored the project, but the company's focus and name eventually changed to "UNIVAC" (today it is referred to as "UNISYS," representing a merger of UNIVAC with Burroughs).

The UNIVAC I offered a sophistication unmatched by other manufacturers, most notably IBM's Mach I tabulating equipment. This caused IBM to invent the 701 and its 700 series. Other manufacturers quickly joined the fray and computing began to proliferate. Although UNIVAC was the pioneer in this regard, they quickly lost market share due to the marketing muscle of IBM. For quite some time the industry was referred to as "IBM & the BUNCH" (Burroughs, UNIVAC, NCR, CDC, and Honeywell).

Programming the early machines was difficult as it was performed in a seemingly cryptic Machine Language (the first generation language). This eventually gave way to the Assembly Language (the second generation language) which was easier to read and understand. Regardless, many of the utilities we take for granted today (e.g., sorts and merges) simply were not available and had to be developed. In other words, programming was a laborious task during this period.

Recognizing both the limitations and potential of the computer, the 1950's represented the age of experimentation for corporate America. Here, the emphasis was not on implementing major systems through the computer, but rather to develop an assortment of programs to test the machine as a viable product. As such, programmers were considered odd characters who maintained "the black box," and were not yet considered a part of the mainstream of systems development. The "Systems and Procedures Departments" still represented the lion's share of systems work in corporate America, with an occasional foray to investigate the use of the computer. The computer people were segregated into "computer departments" (later to be known as "EDP" or "Data Processing" departments).

OUR BRYCE'S LAW OF THE WEEK therefore is...
"If they do not have an appreciation of whence we came, I doubt they will have an appreciation of where we should be going."

NEXT WEEK, WE'LL HAVE PART II - WITH A LOOK AT THE 1960'S AND "MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS"

IN OUR "DOWN THE ROAD" SECTION

The Quality Assurance Institute will be holding its 26th Annual Quality Conference at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, FL on April 24th - 28th. For information, contact the Institute in Orlando at 407/363-1111.

The World Conference on Quality and Improvement will be held May 1st-3rd at the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee, WI. For information, contact the American Society for Quality at 800-248-1946 or 414/272-8575.

The 15th World Congress on Information Technology will be held May 1st - 5th in Austin, TX. For information, call 512/505-4077.

The 17th International Conference of the Information Resource Management Association will be held May 21st-24th at the Wyndham Hotel in Washington D.C. For information, call IRMA headquarters in PA at 717/533-8879

The National And State CIO Association will be holding their 2006 Midyear Conference at The Capital Hilton, in Washington, DC on May 31st-June 2nd. For information, contact NASCIO headquarters in Lexington, KY at: 859/514-9153

If you have got an upcoming IRM related event you want mentioned, please e-mail the date, time and location of the event to timb001@phmainstreet.com

MY "PET PEEVE OF THE WEEK" IS "MY CANCELLATION OF AOL"

No, I'm not really mad at America Online, but last week I finally cancelled my subscription with them after twelve long years. I began using AOL v2.0 in 1994, well before it became the powerhouse it is today and when CompuServe and Prodigy were the big guns of the business. I tried these other forums also but felt uncomfortable with their "look and feel." Although AOL wasn't yet as robust as the others, it offered an ease of use that I felt comfortable with. Back then I was still actively using v3.0 of IBM's OS/2 operating system and it ran just fine. But when Windows 95 & NT came out, AOL was forced to use a Win32 API which put a damper on my use of the product. For years, I maintained AOL v3.5 which was the last version supported by OS/2. AOL of course went up to v9.0 but my v3.5 worked just fine.

I also let my family use AOL at home where I had a small Windows based machine and it was a great way for them to learn how to use e-mail and the Internet. My family grew up with AOL and eventually migrated away from it in favor of web browsers and e-mail tools. Frankly, we were no longer using any of the AOL features except for surfing the Net. Small wonder that AOL's board of directors is worried about the future of the company. If customers do not believe they are getting value for the service, they're going to drop their subscriptions like a hot potatoe. Even worse, they might face the same fate as CompuServe and Prodigy, namely extinction!

But then again, what do I know?

Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.

AND FINALLY...

I received an e-mail from a Martin Dimond in Ohio who wrote me regarding last week's essay on "Why Does Project Management Fail?"
Martin writes:

"My company has invested heavily in PC based Project Management systems over the last few years, yet we cannot seem to conquer our development problems. Any ideas?"

Thanks Martin for your note,
First, I would have to ask you if you are using a uniform development methodology. A Project Management system is totally dependent on a methodology, but the reverse is not true; a methodology does not require a Project Management system. A true methodology represents an assembly line process where products are built. Now, if you want to control the methodology or assembly line, you apply Project Management. The problem is not Project Management, it is how we design and build systems. If you don't have your act together with a methodology, no amount of Project Management is going to solve your problems.

Again, Thanks for your e-mail. Keep those cards and letters coming.

Folks, don't forget to check out our BRYCE'S CRASH COURSE IN MANAGEMENT which is a free on-line multimedia presentation offering pragmatic advice on how to discharge the duties of a manager, whether it be for a commercial or non-profit enterprise. Frankly, for someone aspiring to be a manager or for a new manager, it will be the best 45 minutes you can invest in yourself. Check it out on the cover of our corporate web page at: http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba

For a complete listing of my essays, see the "PRIDE" Special Subject Bulletins section of our corporate web site.

MBA is an international management consulting firm specializing in Information Resource Management. We offer training, consulting, and writing services in the areas of Enterprise Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Base Engineering, Project Management, Methodologies and Repositories. For information, call us at 727/786-4567.

Our corporate web page is at:

http://phmainstreet.com/mba/

Management Visions is a presentation of M. Bryce & Associates, a division of M&JB Investment Company of Palm Harbor, Florida, USA. The program is produced on a weekly basis and updated on Sundays. It is available in versions for RealPlayer, Microsoft Media Player, and MP3 suitable for Podcasting. See our web site for details. You'll find our broadcast listed in several Podcast and Internet Search engines, as well as Apples' iTunes.

If you have any questions or would like to be placed on our e-mailing list to receive notification of future broadcasts, please e-mail it to timb001@phmainstreet.com

For a copy of past broadcasts, please contact me directly.

We accept MP3 files with your voice for possible inclusion in the broadcast.

Management Visions accepts advertising. For rates, please contact yours truly directly.

Copyright © 2006 by M&JB Investment Company of Palm Harbor, Florida, USA. All rights reserved. "PRIDE" is the registered trademark of M&JB Investment Company.

This is Tim Bryce reporting.

Since 1971: "Software for the finest computer - the Mind."

END