Comments on: Your Software Process Sucks : The Prelude http://www.codesqueeze.com/your-software-process-sucks-the-prelude/ Ideas for building efficient developers and software Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:03:44 -0500 hourly 1 By: Max Pool http://www.codesqueeze.com/your-software-process-sucks-the-prelude/#comment-8 Max Pool Thu, 14 Jun 2007 14:09:30 +0000 http://www.codesqueeze.com/your-software-process-sucks-the-prelude/#comment-8 Dave, I agree that resistance to change does come from the feeling of discomfort, but there are many factors of "why" that I am exploring in my next post. I slightly disagree with your second point for two reasons: 1. Putting lipstick on a pig, still makes it a pig. People will notice the difference when it affects them directly. 2. Most developers (I have met) do not have enough salesmanship to package and pitch a change. It is my belief that as a community [of developers] we need to get much better at the latter if we want to start selling our ideas. Dave, I agree that resistance to change does come from the feeling of discomfort, but there are many factors of “why” that I am exploring in my next post.

I slightly disagree with your second point for two reasons:
1. Putting lipstick on a pig, still makes it a pig. People will notice the difference when it affects them directly.
2. Most developers (I have met) do not have enough salesmanship to package and pitch a change.

It is my belief that as a community [of developers] we need to get much better at the latter if we want to start selling our ideas.

]]> By: Dave http://www.codesqueeze.com/your-software-process-sucks-the-prelude/#comment-7 Dave Wed, 13 Jun 2007 18:41:54 +0000 http://www.codesqueeze.com/your-software-process-sucks-the-prelude/#comment-7 Resistance to change is human nature, I think, to some degree. We want to be comfortable, and change is usually uncomfortable, even if it's for the better. So change in organizations is usually a reaction to severe pain, like not selling enough product, having catastrophic system failures, or being on the wrong end of a PR disaster. Maybe the best way to sell change is to not call it change. "Let's improve upon our current process that works really well." To do that, you have to measure the current process somehow, and get other people to buy into the idea that results could be improved. This is much easier if the results are crappy. Resistance to change is human nature, I think, to some degree. We want to be comfortable, and change is usually uncomfortable, even if it’s for the better.

So change in organizations is usually a reaction to severe pain, like not selling enough product, having catastrophic system failures, or being on the wrong end of a PR disaster.

Maybe the best way to sell change is to not call it change. “Let’s improve upon our current process that works really well.” To do that, you have to measure the current process somehow, and get other people to buy into the idea that results could be improved. This is much easier if the results are crappy.

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