I just read the best article I have come across in a while. Craig Larman and Victor Basili take us to school with a historical perspective on iterative development practices. Thanks, Martin, for the pointer.
This article provides a little perspective on the iterative practices discussion with roots going as far back as the 1930s. My favorite quote from this great paper is,
All of us, as far as I can remember, thought waterfalling of a huge project was rather stupid, or at least ignorant of the realities…
— Gerald M. Weinberg about a software development project at IBM in 1958.
The article further asserts Winston Royce’s seminal 1970 article, Managing the Development of Large Software Systems, was misinterpreted as a recommendation for waterfall development practices. That’s a true example of the butterfly effect, no?
Links
It’s nice to be quoted about what you thought half a century ago:
All of us, as far as I can remember, thought waterfalling of a huge project was rather stupid, or at least ignorant of the realities…
– Gerald M. Weinberg about a software development project at IBM in 1958
For the record, that was Project Mercury.
Further for the record, fifty years later, I still feel the same way, with nothing in the intervening half-century to change my mind, and lots to reinforce the thought.
You, sir, are a pioneer. Thank you.