From what we have seen so far, I would expect global recession to continue. I believe in relevance of software engineering in software development business. Therefore, I expect software engineering to propose a solution for software development houses. I hope that it is time now to move from ritualistic compliance of software engineering processes to its use because of business value.
Pause for a moment and reflect on our daily work. How much of that is new? How much of that is repetitive? If it is repetitive, why are we doing it? How can we get the machine to do it? If you do not ask this question, someone else will. Look back and look around; it had happened in the past in other industries, and we have played a role there in helping them do that. We replaced people with machines; more productive and more consistent, barring the initial hiccups. I do not see a reason why we should be different, why business should perceive us as different.
I expect more engineering and more automation in software development. I would also expect software development to be more accountable to business than it currently is.
On technology front, I would be keeping a close watch on collaborative geographically distributed software development environment, open software development practices more accountable to business, and more effective software test automation.
I wish you all a very happy, successful and prosperous new year!
My favorite song for the year 2009 for software engineers (Title: Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger lyrics): http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=T6CUhK8AlXI
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
A retrospection!
Looking back, last two years have been personally very taxing. Specifically, 2007 was traumatic personally. Though some of the traumatic experience continued into 2008, it was more of recovery personally and a time for change and consolidation Professionally. And, it was a mixed bag from the world around me.
World around me:
Chandrayan and India's achievements in Beijing Olympics after a long while are on top of my mind on a positive note. Yet another unforgettable development is a Sister Alphonsa reaching sainthood. Happiness of these, however, marred to some extent by Mumbai bomb attack and global economic recession.
Personal:
My cousin Jayan Varma became world's fastest percussive bassist. On the negative, my father's health suffered serious jolt. By god's grace, timely intervention and good medical care, he has recovered to a great extent. May be unrealistic to expect at his old age but, as a son, I expected him to be ever active. Now, he along with my mother require constant attention. I am yet to figure out what best I can do for them.
2008 was also a year when I could connect back many of my old friends. Sunil, Ashok, Suresh, Romy, and Narayanan from my college days, and my friends Arun, Unnikrishnan, Madhavan, Zacharia, Varughese and Vaideeswaran from days of my first job. I could also connect to Amit and Shanmugham from CMC Ltd, Hyderabad.
This was also a year when Mr. Naresh Kumar Reddy passed away. I was shocked to hear that sad news. I was reporting to him during later part of my tenure at CMC Ltd. Time has to say how effective I was in their application. Pray to God that his soul may rest in peace.
Professional:
On professional front, in 2008, I have worked closely with Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, Trivandrum (Ministry of Defence, Government of India), and Weapons and Electronics Systems Engineering Establishment (Ministry of Defence, Government of India), Delhi helping them adopt software engineering best practices, methodologies and tools. As a departure from the past, I had started traveling outside India on business, with a visit to Qatar in October 2007. This was followed by visit to Saudi Arabia in March-April 2008 and a visit to Nigeria in June-July 2008. In the meantime, I was working for a customer in Germany remotely from India for test automation of SAP implementation. I visited Germany, by November 2008, to commence yet another project on test automation of SAP implementation.
Overall, I am happy looking back as indicated in old farewell note to Rational that I had written in 2002, having achieved what I had set out to.
My professional high in 2008 were:
1. Publishing case studies of success from India, a result of hard work in the past
2. Paper presentation at Rational Software Development Conference in Munich, Germany
3. Publishing case studies of success in test automation of SAP implementation in Germany
4. Release of Ready for IBM Rational Software plug-in Astra Model Creator and Astra Test Automat, with best practice compliance
I shall write on what I look forward to in 2009 and further in my note tomorrow
My favorite song for the year 2008 reflection (movie: Aap Ki Kasam):
[youtube=http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=5sIr0TD0GR8&rel=0]
World around me:
Chandrayan and India's achievements in Beijing Olympics after a long while are on top of my mind on a positive note. Yet another unforgettable development is a Sister Alphonsa reaching sainthood. Happiness of these, however, marred to some extent by Mumbai bomb attack and global economic recession.
Personal:
My cousin Jayan Varma became world's fastest percussive bassist. On the negative, my father's health suffered serious jolt. By god's grace, timely intervention and good medical care, he has recovered to a great extent. May be unrealistic to expect at his old age but, as a son, I expected him to be ever active. Now, he along with my mother require constant attention. I am yet to figure out what best I can do for them.
2008 was also a year when I could connect back many of my old friends. Sunil, Ashok, Suresh, Romy, and Narayanan from my college days, and my friends Arun, Unnikrishnan, Madhavan, Zacharia, Varughese and Vaideeswaran from days of my first job. I could also connect to Amit and Shanmugham from CMC Ltd, Hyderabad.
This was also a year when Mr. Naresh Kumar Reddy passed away. I was shocked to hear that sad news. I was reporting to him during later part of my tenure at CMC Ltd. Time has to say how effective I was in their application. Pray to God that his soul may rest in peace.
Professional:
On professional front, in 2008, I have worked closely with Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, Trivandrum (Ministry of Defence, Government of India), and Weapons and Electronics Systems Engineering Establishment (Ministry of Defence, Government of India), Delhi helping them adopt software engineering best practices, methodologies and tools. As a departure from the past, I had started traveling outside India on business, with a visit to Qatar in October 2007. This was followed by visit to Saudi Arabia in March-April 2008 and a visit to Nigeria in June-July 2008. In the meantime, I was working for a customer in Germany remotely from India for test automation of SAP implementation. I visited Germany, by November 2008, to commence yet another project on test automation of SAP implementation.
Overall, I am happy looking back as indicated in old farewell note to Rational that I had written in 2002, having achieved what I had set out to.
My professional high in 2008 were:
1. Publishing case studies of success from India, a result of hard work in the past
2. Paper presentation at Rational Software Development Conference in Munich, Germany
3. Publishing case studies of success in test automation of SAP implementation in Germany
4. Release of Ready for IBM Rational Software plug-in Astra Model Creator and Astra Test Automat, with best practice compliance
I shall write on what I look forward to in 2009 and further in my note tomorrow
My favorite song for the year 2008 reflection (movie: Aap Ki Kasam):
[youtube=http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=5sIr0TD0GR8&rel=0]
An old farewell note!
Rational Software Corporation was a company that I longed for, worked a couple of years there and still cherish my days there.
Going through my old records, I picked up my farewell note to Rational. It reads as below:
Farewell to 'Rational'
Firm stands ‘today’, the moment of truth
Basking in the glory of the yesterday
Lo ! beckons the future, excitements set forth
It is time for me to move on, I say !
Shall stay with me, for ever and ever
Some ‘Rational’ thoughts, so fresh as ever
The joy of sharing, and caring for another
The fun of learning, and working together
It hurts to say ‘bye’, dear ‘Rational’
Oh! my friends, it pains to bid ‘farewell’
We shall meet again in the world, so small
We shall hold together, with a heart no small
Let me be gone now, for a while
To join our hands again, in a little while
For some purpose, quite worthwhile
To help our customers, with a sweet smile
I set forth to achieve certain tasks back in 2002, and on retrospection, I am glad to have
Authored a few successes that I had set my eyes on:
1. Case studies of success in India
2. Case study of success in Germany
3. A good customer base
4. Customer testimonies
And been part of a few others that I dreamt of:
1. Astra Model Creator
2. Astra Test Automat
Going through my old records, I picked up my farewell note to Rational. It reads as below:
Farewell to 'Rational'
Firm stands ‘today’, the moment of truth
Basking in the glory of the yesterday
Lo ! beckons the future, excitements set forth
It is time for me to move on, I say !
Shall stay with me, for ever and ever
Some ‘Rational’ thoughts, so fresh as ever
The joy of sharing, and caring for another
The fun of learning, and working together
It hurts to say ‘bye’, dear ‘Rational’
Oh! my friends, it pains to bid ‘farewell’
We shall meet again in the world, so small
We shall hold together, with a heart no small
Let me be gone now, for a while
To join our hands again, in a little while
For some purpose, quite worthwhile
To help our customers, with a sweet smile
I set forth to achieve certain tasks back in 2002, and on retrospection, I am glad to have
Authored a few successes that I had set my eyes on:
1. Case studies of success in India
2. Case study of success in Germany
3. A good customer base
4. Customer testimonies
And been part of a few others that I dreamt of:
1. Astra Model Creator
2. Astra Test Automat
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Wake up, or perish.....
Those who had been interacting with me over last few years would remember me as a doomsayer who had forewarned of the current recession.
Writing on the wall was clear. Cosmic dance between creation and destruction goes on. Those who watched great boom with awe are now watching the doom with despair.
Can it be any different? Answer is an emphatic Yes!
For an industry, nascent like software development, it is time for stocktaking, time for a pause and making right choices. Whether nation, business houses or individuals, those who make right decision would stay on in the race; and others vanish into oblivion.... an inescapable fact of life.
It is time we realize software development is yet another industry, yet another business, yet another profession with all the responsibilities that comes along.
It is a job, a means of living, a business. It goes into creation of intangible social structure that someone is depending on, for their life, for their job. What we do affect the very social fabric we depend on.
It is time for keeping purse string tight; it is time to correct excesses but making right decisions, right investments
A quick glance into the past shows us that other industries have gone through a similar cycle. For instance, great depression of 1930s forced a correction with practices like lean production/manufacturing; brought in the balance, controlling the excesses of those times. World has come around a full cycle!
What does that mean for us now? More on that later... but as a software engineer consider, how many hours of your work is truly creative, that require 'YOU'? If yes, how does the human intensive work, where everyone needs to be creative and apply the intellect, is engineering? If not why you are not doing it? can you be replaced by a machine? a software? another person? Every business house needs to start thinking the same... every software engineer needs to start thinking the same
Remeber, if you are asking these questions, answering these questions, and acting on them, there is someone else who is doing it, and that would decide your fate!
Writing on the wall was clear. Cosmic dance between creation and destruction goes on. Those who watched great boom with awe are now watching the doom with despair.
Can it be any different? Answer is an emphatic Yes!
For an industry, nascent like software development, it is time for stocktaking, time for a pause and making right choices. Whether nation, business houses or individuals, those who make right decision would stay on in the race; and others vanish into oblivion.... an inescapable fact of life.
It is time we realize software development is yet another industry, yet another business, yet another profession with all the responsibilities that comes along.
It is a job, a means of living, a business. It goes into creation of intangible social structure that someone is depending on, for their life, for their job. What we do affect the very social fabric we depend on.
It is time for keeping purse string tight; it is time to correct excesses but making right decisions, right investments
A quick glance into the past shows us that other industries have gone through a similar cycle. For instance, great depression of 1930s forced a correction with practices like lean production/manufacturing; brought in the balance, controlling the excesses of those times. World has come around a full cycle!
What does that mean for us now? More on that later... but as a software engineer consider, how many hours of your work is truly creative, that require 'YOU'? If yes, how does the human intensive work, where everyone needs to be creative and apply the intellect, is engineering? If not why you are not doing it? can you be replaced by a machine? a software? another person? Every business house needs to start thinking the same... every software engineer needs to start thinking the same
Remeber, if you are asking these questions, answering these questions, and acting on them, there is someone else who is doing it, and that would decide your fate!
Monday, November 03, 2008
Back again
I had tumultuous time for last couple of years, personally. It was also time for hectic work on professional front and consolidation. Refer case studies published in IBM web site:
Much of this was achieved with the teamwork, including customer, IBM in India and my own team; a team which was absolute novices transformed into thorough professionals with continuous mentoring
Much of this was achieved with the teamwork, including customer, IBM in India and my own team; a team which was absolute novices transformed into thorough professionals with continuous mentoring
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