A few days in hospital where my father was undergoing treatment.
Though this is not the first time I have been in hospital but this time, it got me thinking...
I used to attribute much of complexity of software development to creative content & team factor in it. Now, I find that healthcare is no different.
In fact, there is many parallel in definining customer needs (which goes much beyond specified), evolving technologies, new hypotheses challenging earlier ones, interplay of many skills (Specialized physician & surgeons, Nurses, Technical experts, Office staff), ....
Yet much of it is well defined eg. Much of what Nurse needs to do is well defined and action plan in exigencies are also well defined.... and strictly adhered to
It does not lead to avoidable documentation in the name of following some standards either! Documentation is kept to the right level; the key is more of delivering to customer satisfaction than meeting specification
When will software industry learn & mature? How long can we hide behind the nascent nature of the industry and rapid pace of changes.
It is not Java or .Net or application servers or platforms or SOA or MDA ... what not, that matters .. it is uncompromised quality meeting the customer expectations and needs ... not just the wants and specifications
