Software development methodologies are like opinions – everyone has one. Some methodologies are written by experts and can be found described in books along with professional consulting.  Other methodologies are proprietary to a single company or organization.  With the fast information sharing of the web, there are groups of like-minded individuals creating micro-adoption of variants of virtually every methodology ever described.

Most company’s software methodologies or process documents bear only slight resemblance to the reality lived by software development teams who actually write code for the company.  The real methodology and the real processes are always in evolution (or de-evolution) and are the ones that are actually used every day.  In other words, the only process that matters is the one actually in use.  Given these blanket statements, is there any benefit from having documented processes?  Yes, there is.  They form the basis for teaching, coaching, and mentoring to form a group of individuals into a team that functions together. 

If every different group has their own ideas of what process they should use and every company’s methodology is different, how is an individual to make sense of the variations they will see?  The answer is “tailoring”.  Tailoring was introduced formally as part of the Rational Unified Process (RUP).  Tailoring means that the software team’s processes can be adjusted to the situation.  In RUP, this meant having variations of the standard process(es) for specific project types.  It does not mean that the process gets thrown out the window.  So, if an individual considers that each team they join may require them to “tailor” their individual behavior to meet the team’s needs AND that they will help the team tailor its methods using each individual’s strengths, the software development team functions more effectively.

For a software development services firm like TechDiscovery, how is one to make sense of the situation described above? How is a company like TechDiscovery to integrate their activities with their customer’s organization and with other vendors who might work on joint projects?  The answer is that TechDiscovery should have a core set of processes and methodology that can be tailored to meet the needs of each customer, team, or project.  TDFlex provides just that foundation.  TDFlex consists of documented project phases, defined project execution models, core document artifacts, specific oversight milestones, and clear visibility and reporting that can be “tailored” as needs dictate. 

While this may seem like the holy grail and a tall order to deliver, it actually works in practice. If you would like to learn more, please reach out to me.

To find out more about Tailoring your Methodology, contact Craig Guarnieri, TechDiscovery’s CTO.