What we can expect in 2019: complexity and change
The world of systems engineering has been changing for a while now. Change will accelerate even further in 2019 and will be one of the dominant themes we encounter on many levels: From transforming entire organizations, to better handling change.
This change is driven, among other things, by the exponentially increasing complexity of modern products. This complexity also arises on many levels: Through the networking of millions of devices on the one hand, or through the integration of components that can themselves contain millions of lines of code.
I will actively participate in the dialog on these topics. Among other things, I will be giving a lecture next week on Predictive Product Development at the Software Quality Days in Vienna. At the ReConf 2019 I will a workshop and two Lectures that focus on change and dealing with change.
I would be delighted to see one or two friends at the SQ Days or at the ReConf - or perhaps at the Embedded World in Nuremberg in February (but without a lecture).
But now a little more about change and complexity:
Complexity...
Complexity is the "behavior of a system or model whose many components can interact with each other in different ways". As a result of the interconnectedness of the world, complexity is also increasing rapidly.
Predictive product development makes complexity manageable - at all levels.
These interactions are visible on networked devices such as smartphones or cars. But the networking behind the scenes is even bigger and more extensive. This affects both the infrastructure that keeps our world running and the innards of many systems. The classic example is the car, in which up to a hundred control units are now installed. Each of these control units can in turn contain millions of lines of code.
About Predictable product development - Predictive Product Development - I have already written about this in the past. The complexity I have just described makes this new paradigm necessary.
... and change
As already mentioned, change takes place on many levels. But at all levels, this change is driven by complexity:
- Organizations must change the way they work, because traditional approaches no longer work. The change must ensure that resources are used effectively, customers are heard, departments coordinate, etc.
- Departments must change the way they work, because traditional approaches cannot react quickly enough to changes. Regardless of this more and more requirements from the legislator or customers.
- Teams have to change the way they work, as we rarely know all the requirements when we start our work.
- Individuals have to change the way they work, at least if they want to actively shape their careers. If you don't, you can expect to be downgraded to an "assembly line worker". agile burnout threatens!
If you don't change, you risk agile burnout!
Development patterns for dealing with change
Part of the solution could be development patterns for dealing with change. One I will be giving a talk with this title at ReConf 2019 in Marchand over the next few weeks I will be presenting some of these patterns.
Photo by Ferenc Horvath on Unsplash
