Challenges to Implementing Component-Based Development (CBD)
...CBD as they relate to reuse and scalability. However, they failed to see the value in using COTS equipment that significantly degraded their success. Looking at their decisions to implement CBD I would have to agree that this was the right decision at the right time based upon the information they had at that time. Although this decision seemed appropriate given the circumstances, in hindsight, I would have to say it was the wrong decision to make. I would suggest that not enough information was known about the organizational issues surrounding successful application of Component-based Development to justify going forward with the project. I believe the most valuable lesson learned was to do more research upfront and develop a more appropriate plan taking into account the known organizational barriers to such an endeavor. Also, I believe an invaluable lesson is to realize the full potential commercial-off-the-shelf equipment has to offer. This would have prevented the delay that Case 3 experienced where the performance of the system is very low and development had not been quick because they developed everything themselves and did not use COTS components. (Kunda, Brooks, 2000) As far as assessing a winning or losing grade to the venture I would have to categorize all three case study companies as the winners insomuch as they were the ones to realize what their weaknesses were. Through the case study the companies were able to identify with the various aspects of CBD implementation that were of concern. For instance Case 2 when dealing with organizational and business strategy realized that most of their goals and strategies were short term, whereas medium to long-term strategies would be more beneficial to CBD implementations. Incentives were also an area of concern during the case studies that might be counter-productive to CBD employment. The way incentives were being used was based upon new production where as reuse is an essential element to effective CBD. The losers in this situation would have to be those within each company who refused to accept the findings as to what their company could do to improve the implementation of CBD. These people would most likely be found through their resistance to an organizational culture change as this seemed to me to be the most difficult area in the case studies. These might include those whose jobs were at stake to include project mangers, programmers, and developers. By changing their traditional roles within the firm they will lose some if not everything, from developers losing control of the project to the programmers whose job security has turned into a one-time requirement. The part played by the information technology in this development was significant in that it didn’t support the efforts to implement CBD. The existing IT infrastructure and software were designed and implemented for a pre-CBD environment, adding yet another barrier to the task. I believe to improve the effectiveness that IT played in the implementation process one would have to develop a starter or basic IT infrastructure that would be conducive to the CBD framework. I also this would aid in solving other areas such as the shift in corporate culture. The value of socio-technical design and the related ways of thinking about organizational information systems is critical in the fielding of CBD. Understanding the existing design and ways of thinking is essential as the first step; this would allow analysis of what challenges lay ahead and what changes need to be made. Once that foundation has been established and the preliminary challenges...