Agile Development Blog

I’ve been talking with colleague and friend Israel Gat about the upcoming Rally Success Tour March 18 in Denver. In anticipation of the event, Israel has been talking with some of the people to be involved in both a panel discussion and breakout sessions. One of the panelists, Peggy Reed, R&D Director of Performance Solutions with Avaya, is someone I have known for several years.  With 30 years in the software industry, Peggy has expertise in many areas of software development. This includes enterprise integration, data visualization, data warehousing, and product development. She began her career in 1979 writing Motorola assembly language and has since moved into development management. She holds a degree in Computer Science from Colorado State University.

I know of Peggy’s passion around organizations, teams, software, and Agile in particular. She holds a conviction that this Agile forward thinking is the true foundation of delivering better software faster.  So, it was great to hear from Israel that Peggy spoke with him about something she calls “Beautiful Software.” I had an immediate warm reaction to this! Only Peggy could come up with such an intriguing notion about software.

In this post, I interview Israel about that very enticing notion that Peggy mentioned to find out his reactions and experiences in the world of “Beautiful Software.” We promise to not giveaway any spoilers from the upcoming event. We just want to poke around what  ideas come to us with the  term “Beautiful Software.”

Jean: Israel, thanks for joining me here. First of all, could you tell us a little about yourself?

Israel: I was born and raised in Israel. I served in the paratroop corps there and fought in the ’67 and ’73 wars. I came to the United States in ’76 and have lived here for most of the time since. I thought it would be good when I came in ’76, but little had I realized then how good it would actually be. I am very thankful to the country and the people for helping me make the United States my home. I actually feel that by sharing my Agile expertise I pay back my “debt” to the United States and to its software industry. For the better part of my professional career I have been doing system management. Since I got exposed to Agile in 2003, my passion for it has been steadily growing. About two years ago my passion for Agile had surpassed my passion for system management.  As of the beginning of this year I am devoting all my cycles to Agile, particularly with respect to consulting and coaching on enterprise level Agile deployments.

Jean: Great, Israel. Can you tell me about some of what struck you most about your interview with Peggy?

Israel: The PASSION. While I could not see her body language (this was a telephone interview) her passion for software was radiating through the receiver. I felt privileged and honored to speak with a professional who put so much of both her mind and her heart to software.

Jean: Thinking about Peggy’s passions and then about your own experience in the world of software, how do you think this term “Beautiful” applies? I mean, isn’t it a rather provocative and unusual description to ascribe to software?

Israel: I had a revelation many years ago when I first read the Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual. I realized then that I was a craftsman, not an assembly line worker. A true craftsman is proud of the intricacies of his/her work, striving for excellence and elegance while respecting the nature of the medium with which he or she is working. To borrow the title of a recent book, a software craftsman dreams in code. This sense of great discovery I had savored so long ago (while reading the Cluetrain Manifesto) was rekindled in me while I was listening to Peggy.

Jean: I don’t want to give away too much here about what Peggy will bring us next week. Still, can you tell me where, in your experience, a notion of “Beautiful” impacts organizational structure and business motivators?

Israel: Jim Highsmith talks of Intrinsic Quality versus Extrinsic Quality. Peggy’s notion of the beauty of the software is in some ways conceptually similar to Jim’s Intrinsic Quality. It is like the visceral feeling you get while holding an iPod in the palm of your hand – you know you are touching something very special!  I will restrain myself not to get deeper on the subject here as I might unintentionally steal some of Peggy’s thunder. I definitely plan to dive deep into Beautiful Software → Intrinsic Quality topic during the March 18 event in Denver. Stay tuned…

Jean: Well, thanks Israel for giving us some of your reactions and feedback. For people in the Denver area, I encourage you to come meet Peggy and the other panelists yourself March 18 for more about Agile adoption, Agile practices, and yes, even “Beautiful Software.”  Meanwhile, Israel and I will check-in here again after the event to report how others learned about and reacted to “Beautiful Software.” See you then!