Software Development Archetypes — What's Your Sign?

November 2nd, 2010

Jeffrey Hammond

With contributors:

Mary Gerush , Adam Knoll

Summary

While each development shop has its own unique characteristics, we see recurring patterns of staffing, structure, processes, and technologies that help us predict an organization's capabilities. We've distilled these patterns into three development archetypes: Solid Utility, Trusted Supplier, and Partner Player. Solid Utilities create software factories through standardized processes and tools. Trusted Suppliers, like general contractors, invest in project management and use trusted subcontractors based on specialized functionality. Partner Players invest heavily in talented, creative development professionals instead of processes and tools, betting that their staff's skills will counter the risks that business and technology complexities impose. Which archetype is right for you? By understanding your environment and the types of work you need to do, you can adopt the right archetype for each of your development teams, improving productivity.

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