Software - Art to Science to Factories ?

It has been my long standing viewpoint that Software
Development is fast on it's way to becoming a science.

Once it does so, then software manufacturing is not far away.

Once the concept becomes reality, will China overtake India
in Software Services ?



I found the concepts of the above book Software Factories (written by Senior Microsoft Executives) and it's associated link interesting.

Hope you do too.

When is WALMART Coming to India ?

Exactly 2 months ago, I had written an article on
the same topic on our website.

Today's business newspapers have confirmed their imminent entry
to India on their front pages.

Good news for all Consumers and all IT Professionals since
the arrival of WALMART with it's emphasis on Every Day Low
Pricing and Strong Systems Usage will help both the above
categories of people.

There are 3 links in the above article which demonstrate how
WALMART has used IT to change the landscape of not only the
Retailing Industry but also the US Economy.(As per Mckinsey,
they have played a major role in increasing the overall
productivity in the US).

A Software Development Supply Chain Works in Both Directions.

A few months ago, somebody asked me a question - " Can Software Development be like Manufacturing ? "

My answer was "Yes."

However, there is one key difference.

Normal manufacturing supply chains work in one direction.

From Raw Materials to Work-In-Process to Finished Goods.

From the Suppliers to the Customers in a single directional flow.

Software Development Supply Chains work in both directions.

Specifications from Customers to Developers (Suppliers).

Deliverables from the Developers to Customers.

A Two-Way Flow.

Think about it.

It has profound implications for the manner in which Software Development Supply Chains should be organized and managed.

A World Of Mountains and Valleys.

It is not a flat world as mentioned by me a couple of days ago.

But of Mountains and Valleys.



High Quality, Low Cost Mountains.

Difficult to climb.

Low Quality, High Cost Valleys.

Easy to get into.

Difficult to get out of.

Between the Mountain Peaks and the Valley
Bottoms lie a wide range of products and services
of different qualities.

So, it is definitely NOT a flat world.

It's not a Flat World.



Thomas Friedman's latest Book titled "The World is Flat" speaks about how India and China have integrated themselves with the global economies and flattened the world via low cost services and manufacturing respectively.


Instead of calling it a flat world, perhaps we could call it a World full of Slides.

Anything that is low-quality and high-cost anywhere in the world will slide to a global location where there is high-quality and low-cost.

So, the world is not really flat.

But one where :

- If our offerings (products and services) are at low-quality and high-cost, we are at the top of the slide (and nowhere to go but down).

- If we offer high-quality, low-cost products and services, we are at the bottom of the slide.

Attracting customers from all over the world.

Perhaps, a World of Mountains and Valleys.

International Labor Day - 1st May 2005

Last year, on the same day, in an article titled 'Saturday Slumber Surely Shell-Shocked' I had written about how Labor had got internationalized in the 21st Century.

I read a few days ago that Call Center Employees in India were forming unions.

With a Central Government backed by Left Parties, they would perhaps get some political support too.

On 1st May 2005, International Labor Day, this is surely a new twist - First Ever Union Movement of High Technology (ITES - Information Technology Enabled Services) Employees in India.