Creating a Software Engineering Culture

Rarely in history has a field of endeavor evolved as rapidly as software development is right now. The struggle to stay abreast of new technology, deal with accumulated development backlogs, and cope with people issues has become a treadmill race, as software groups work as hard as they can just to stay in place. The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) and hordes of gurus exhort us to improve our development process, but how can we afford the time? Not every member of an organization feels the need to change. It is too easy to dismiss process improvement efforts as just the latest management blathering. Therein lies the seeds of conflict, as some members of a team embrace new ways of working, while others mutter "over my dead body."