"If I Only Changed The Software ...."

Recently I finished reading the book, "If I Only Changed The Software, Why Is The Phone On Fire?", by Lisa Simone. The book narrates the story of a team developing embedded software.

What Resonated (a very small selection)

1.  Li Mei’s systematic recording of lessons learned and Josie’s insistence on dissemination (page 262-263). That is what creates a learning organization. While an oral tradition is important, it is only documents that transcend space and time.

2.  Pg 261. “ … as long as you put a descriptive comment block above it…”

3.  Pg 261. “... not well architected … you have to wonder what other time bombs …” In other words a Bhoot Bangla

4.  Pg2. “… customer, who pulled one out of the box, turned it on and found the failure.” This is what I call RM’s extension to Murphy’s Law: If anything can fail, it will. And it will happen when the customer is watching.

5.  Pg 240. “… with out realizing there was another one in a different function?” Our Japanese customer taught us this was SUHEI TENKAI.

6.  Pg 141. “The sense of hearing …” Many years ago, when I was young engineering officer in the Indian Air Force, I remember a wizened Warrant Officer telling me, “Sir, these test equipment will tell you a lot, but your five senses will give you your first indication that something is wrong. And in most cases they also tell you what is wrong.” Of course nothing known as embedded those days no digital too (in India).

A must read for embedded software developers. I hope the book comes out in an inexpensive Indian edition.