This old house [software development]
D. O'Day · IEEE Software · 1998
Comparing the improvement of existing software development processes to fixing up an old house, the author argues that working on one item at a time can be more practical than starting from the ground up. The author works at a software company that he imagines resembles many others. The company started out with five employees, including one programmer, and has grown to about 170 employees and $35 million a year in sales. Naturally the organization has experienced growing pains, and it is currently redefining what development means at the company. The article presents the author's view of the company's struggle to improve.