We could, of course, keep our heads down and build your spaceship, but we never want to be in a position where we feel we need to protect preconceived notions at the cost of building what you actually need. At Band of Coders, our teams are very much a part of that early learning process and are often key players in uncovering what it is you truly need to build. If what your business requires is really a paddleboat, you CANNOT risk spending unnecessary time building a spaceship. Through early stage learning you discover what you actually need and what your customer actually wants. In the early days of building a new software-enabled business, learning has to be one of the top items on your list of goals. We also learned your customers wanted a lower cost option, etc. We learned that we’re primarily crossing a river not going to space. How did we figure out you actually needed a paddleboat? Well, we started building, we talked to customers, we iterated, we learned.
/pic4426367.jpg "space ship construction")
Oh, and there was a moment there when we thought a skateboard was the answer. The problem is that two weeks into building your spaceship, we all figure out you don’t need to build a spaceship. You have pretty pictures of what the spaceship will look like and even experimented with what customers are willing to pay for rides on your spaceship. You’ve built a few parts, tested a few things. You’ve written up your specifications for your spaceship. Today, you think you’re building a spaceship.
#Space ship construction software#
The challenge when scoping software development is monumentally more complicated than this. And this is where the metaphor falls apart. Maybe a few ugly messes are uncovered when they start the demolition work but in the end it’s a basement and will likely always be a basement. Sure, the price of 2×4’s could increase by $1 or a wall may need to be moved. While there are a few unknowns in the project, each of these contractors has likely built hundreds of basements just like hers. In Kristin’s example, the gap between her two potential vendors is mostly created because of staffing and timing of resourcing. However in most cases it is a terrible metaphor.
#Space ship construction how to#
The house construction metaphor works in a few isolated cases when describing how to build software and a software-based business. They are a larger company, have more employees and will likely cost us more but…”Īt this point I cut her off, politely I think… Another one gave me a very precise end date and cost. One said it could take a couple of months but they couldn’t give me an exact end date or price. Just last week I met with several contractors. We’re having our basement at home finished right now. I’m paraphrasing here but she expressed it something like this… We were outlining a few examples of how our teams work with our clients on scope management and how we explain software development when Kristin jumped in to summarize her perspective. As it often does, the topic of process, and specifically, scope management came up. Thousands of smaller pieces were used to make a continuous glass wall that will stretch more than six kilometers.Our team spent some time last week reviewing our marketing and messaging. The main building actually houses the world’s largest piece of curved glass. “There’s not a straight piece of glass in the building,” he said. He noted that using curved glass all the way along the building would be expensive and complex, but well worth the effort. In the presentation, he outlined his plans to make a beautiful building inside and out.
Jobs presented his plans for the project to local officials in June 2011, just months before his death. Apple’s late chief Steve Jobs once described the future building as looking “like a spaceship landed.” The main structure of Apple’s new headquarters was built as a complete circle with glass walls on all sides. Even the toilets seemed similar to the iPhone’s square shape with rounded corners, they added. Some also said the elevator buttons reminded them of the iPhone’s home button. However, some employees did tell Reuters that one iPhone design theme found throughout the building is rounded edges and corners. (Courtesy: Apple)Īpple employees and people involved in the construction have not said much publicly about the project. Company officials have said they expect the new building to be ready for move-in sometime in 2017.
An artist rendition of Apple's new 'spaceship' headquarters in Cupertino, California.
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