The delay problems arose from the failing of the software. A system that worked well with one team or one project could easily fall when used on a different team. The waterfall approach was also to blame for the delay problems. The system relied on the mass launch rather than a sequential launch of the software (Bright pg 2).
Why has the Waterfall Method "stuck around"? i.e. why is it still in use?
The Waterfall method has stuck around since waterfall method mostly offers the stepwise approach to any problem. It shows the developers the steps and the end product and, therefore, become a crucial aspect of measuring developmental achievements (Bright pg 3).
Why did longer product release cycles make sense in the past? Why don't they make sense anymore?
The longer product release cycles in the past made sense in the past due to the uniformity in the publication of the outputs among the software companies. The companies also lacked a system to ensure that the software developed would work across the board. The practice does not make sense now that experts in the have come up with structures that guarantee that programs run across the board (Bright pg 2). There is also increased need of software, thereby, calling for rapid development and release of the same. The presence of the internet has also changed the dynamics of the liberation process where one company only has to upload the link, and the consumer does the rest of the work (Bright pg 2).
Describe Microsoft's Problem of Scale. How did they deal with it?
With the immediate implementation of the agile development practice, Microsoft faced the problem of scale challenge. It was brought about by the fact that Microsoft was and is still a big company with many developers per department. The methodologies of agile development practice are mainly for small teams. Microsoft dealt with this problem by creating a new chain of command and a new hierarchy system to deal and accommodate the new teams. The new management structure managed to combine all the departments enabling proper development process (Bright pg 9).
How are agile development practices impacting Microsoft?
The agile development practices are enabling Microsoft developers to get the input from third parties for a start. With this method in place, the division of the team begins with each team having a defined set of goals enabling the company to achieve different goals concurrently. The definition of each team's role has also ensured that there is no duplication of functions (Bright pg 6).
Identify five problems that impacted the launch of Healthcare.gov
The choice to use Waterfall method opened a can of worms in the launch of Healthcare.gov. Waterfall process did not allow enough time for the end-to-end testing of the software. The large scale launch of the Healthcare.gov was disastrous. The software did not incorporate the evolving requirements and also over-relied on contractors and stacking of all the phases of development (Hu, pg 2).
The sentiment analysis: About 469,000,000 results
Works cited.
Bright, Peter How Microsoft dragged its development practices into the 21st century. Arstechnica.com 2017. Web. 22 January 2017.
Hu, Elise This Slide Shows Why Healthcare.Gov Wouldn't Work At Launch. npr.org 2017. Web. 22 January 2017.
