Finally, after a bit less than 4 years from the moment in which I graduated from the university I am getting a chance to go back to the subjects that were so interesting back then. I am now fully responsible for creating a software organization in the company that I am a co owner of.
During those past four years I did a couple of things that I believe me gave me some experiencethat will make my task easier. I worked as a consultant/developer at IBM/Red Hat distributor in Poland. During that time I was given an opportunity to work with a number of companies that deal with software engineering and delivery IT products and services to the customers.
My findings are rather usual:
- it is not the actual need of the customer that drives the most of IT initiatives
- most of the business people do not have a clue why given project is to take place
- most of the spendings (especially in gov area) are a waste of money
- no control over budget – simply the profit margins are so big that nobody really cares about the productivity, the costs of maintenance, number of defects, end user satisfaction
- the only reason for some projects to start is because some “smart sales bonzo” persuaded some truly confused customer to implement the product of “this great company that will solve all the problems at once”
- and a lot of similar things.
Maybe that will sound a bit naive but I really believe that we are now (at least in Poland) reaching the moment in which the business needs, end user satisfaction, quality of the solution will drive more and more sales of the software.
My goal is to have a team, or a number of teams, that will be able to deliver and maintain number of products that will win customers because of quality, simplicity of use, great support, fast delivery, fast improvements. I want those teams to be efficient, I want my people to be satisfied and I want to make money 
(the good thing is that I am not the sales guy in our organization ).
As Nonaka and Takeuchi recognized (or at least I remember it was them) , externalization of ideas helps to systematize thoughts. This is the reason for this blog to exists. I want to have a personal notebook that will help me to think through the experiences, new knowledge, possible obstacles, new directions in the written form.
