Shoot movies and develop software

In order to understand the defects in the software development process, it may be instructive to draw a comparison with the process of making a film.

Assumption: The results of management consulting is equivalent to writing a novel, the development of software is equivalent to film, for example, Mo Yan wrote a novel called "Red Sorghum", director Zhang Yimou filmed a movie called " Red Sorghum ", we all know that film to rewrite the novel as a screenplay, while the design of the film script to guide the shooting, and finally based on film script and movie scripts to shoot movies. So why don't the director just follow the novel to make a movie, but join the process of writing scripts and scripts?

This is because the film, although the original novel as the main story, but with the performance of the film to re-organize the story, so that the novel from the "Language of the story" into "the story of the film Technology", the film script and script gave the shooting of each shot of the dialogue and design, did the preparation work, So you can finish the shooting before you have mastered the effect of the shot finished. Here are a few points to summarize:

-The process of compiling a screenplay and a script is the process of "re-designing" the story using the techniques and techniques of making movies. (A script: a description of a story in words; an image, location, sound, etc.)

-Film scripts and scripts are "design materials" for films, and the people involved in the film (including the original author, script, script, investor, producer, director, actor, etc.) are communicated and confirmed through this design, which is the essential foundation for the success of the film.

-The finished film is not a "faithful simulation" of the original novel, but the use of cinematic techniques to enhance the value of the novel (add visual, music, audio ...) and other technologies).

Understanding the film's filming process, it is understood that in the software development process also need to have corresponding "software scripts and scripts." This so-called "software script and script" should show how to convert the results of demand analysis (fiction) into software (film), with the software "scripts and Scripts", before the development of the system will be able to grasp the effect after the completion. When a problem occurs in the filming process, the director will first adjust the script and script (instead of changing the movie directly).

Again to examine the software development process, in reality why often happens exactly in accordance with the needs of customers to do the system, the development will appear after the application effect is not good, the practical value is not high, the customer is not satisfied, even said this is not what they want the result? One of the important reasons is because there is no clear, complete "software script and Script", in the actual software development process, many software is in the "Requirements specification" to develop, belonging to the direct "use it technology to simulate the customer's business status" development method, This is why the management software has been completed and the above problems have arisen. This kind of software development way is like the film director uses "according to the novel to shoot the film" The way, the accomplishment result is impossible to succeed. Here are a few points to summarize:

-The lack of a set of methods can support the understanding before development, simulation, certification after the completion of the software results, problems.

-There is no "common language" between the customer, the demand analyst, and the development engineer, as there is a lack of means to support accurate communication between the relevant people, because the three use different ways of expression.

-The finished software too "faithfully simulates" the customer's needs, which are based on their perennial "work habits", which cannot bring about the value of information in the Computer Management.

Software industry lacks the use of software "script and script" method to redesign the "customer needs", this redesign process is precisely the realization of the value of management information is the most important link, if the end users do not feel the information brought about by the changes and value of this link does not do enough.

So it can be said that in order to complete a valuable software system, you want to film, like to create a set of "Software scripts and scripts" to support the development results of the system, this method is the management of information technology methodology (to be continued).

Note: Readers should be able to understand that the work of writing software "Scripts & Scripts" does not equal UI or artwork.

Shoot movies and develop software