Software development used to be like Advertising. You knew 50% of the spend worked, but you didn't which 50%. Today both advertising and software development are becoming more data-driven, as the breadcrumbs become ever more accessible.
9. 9
“The lumber industry sells what used to be waste
— sawdust, chips, and shredded wood — for a
pretty profit. Today you’ll find these by-products in
synthetic fireplace logs, concrete, mulch, particle
board, fuel, livestock and pet bedding, winter road
traction, weed killing and more.”
Jason Fried, 37signals
10. 10
“In contrast to most traditional survey methods,
search data are collected as a by-product of normal
activity”
- the Bank of England
13. 13
Wrapping Up
The business is demanding that you deliver more products to market faster.
response: Agile, DevOps, and Continuous Integration/Deployment
The War for Talent hasn't even started yet - use data for resource allocation and human resources.
Software development is an art but also science – data is a bridge.
Let developers do their jobs and make infrastructure choices, but measure the results.
Watch, don’t ask.
Agile wins, precisely because it is data-driven. Developers thrive on good data.
Break big problems and projects into smaller pieces run by smaller, more responsible, teams.
(At Netflix) the Developer is responsible if they break the build.
With large, legacy code bases, data allows you to find the best likely fix(er).
Use data to reduce organisational disagreements.
Open source is central to good software development engineering practice
Higher quality apps lower support costs.