A short introduction

[Lucas Gonzalez]

Hi Tom

> If I understand what you mean "bring the system in one room" to be
> bringing the stakeholders together in the place where the work is to
> be done, then yes.

I don't know much about software developement for such huge things as,
say, a hospital information system.

I know a little about how a hospital works - but so do most people -
and it's complex: many different people doing different things and
asking for different pieces of data all the time (and I mean ALL the
time).  And most of the times you have to change the engine of the
plane while it's flying.

I would guess you have to develop specifications, write the software,
test it, evaluate it - I guess open space "sessions" for each of those?
 Would you do smaller open space gatherings around "the broad picture"
and also about smaller "facets"?  Those who care will come in any case,
they say.

The ant-nest picture I can imagine is quite interesting, with the heart
and toenail specialists and software composers all breathing in and out
of their places within the hospital, also in and out of the gathering
room (as part of the hospital), and much of the time in open space.

> There are other interesting approaches that have
> bearing on this - notably the so-called agile, or lightweight,
> development methodologies. Agile development is predicated on short
> bursts of activity, with various checks and balances to ensure work
> is on task or able to respond to changes in project's business
context
> - not the least of which is garnering feedback from stakeholders.

I agree, and I also think feedback runs both ways.  There was this
quote about a person filling up a glass of water: as the system
specialists put it, you *can't* just fill up the glass - rather, you
enter a system in which you control the water flow and the level of
water in the glass, as you see it, controls *you*.  Then the water you
drink is good or bad and that's another loop.

> I can see agile development, open space and open source as
> significant mechanisms for the production of high quality, high value
> software systems in a short period of time. Regarding bringing it all
> in one room, I'm imagining a company set up as a ongoing "creative
> space" where work and decision making is framed within a series of
> open space meetings, each focussing on a particular broad set of
> issues. I could be misunderstanding the use of open space here - I'll
> readily admit I'm a bit of a dreamer.. :)

My bet here is you'd like to try and you'd get help from the list.  How
to start?

Lucas



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