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From: alpope@token.Sun.COM (Alan L Pope)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: Information Systems is an Engineering Discipline
Summary: generalizations are too general
Message-ID: <124703@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>
Date: 14 Sep 89 17:17:39 GMT
References: <6429@hubcap.clemson.edu> <10835@riks.csl.sony.co.jp>
Sender: news@sun.Eng.Sun.COM
Lines: 47

> _Business Week_ writes:
> 
> >       Put senior, nontechnical management in charge of the project to
> >       help ensure that it is finished on time and within budget.
> 
> In article <6429@hubcap.clemson.edu> wtwolfe@hubcap.clemson.edu (Bill Wolfe) writes:
> 
> >    Rubbish!  Managing a large information system development project is
> >    a professional skill requiring significant technical and engineering
> >    background.
> 
In article <10835@riks.csl.sony.co.jp>, diamond@csl.sony.co.jp (Norman Diamond) writes:
>
> Absolutely true.  Business Week's advice results in products that don't
> work.  It is important to produce the wrong answer as quickly AND as
> 
This topic was noticed only in time to see this last excerpting, so I may
have missed some main point.

Speaking of managerial hierarchies:  There is no problem if the
top-level management is non-technical.  As long as no micro-
management is done.  I.e., the non-tech sticks to profits, markets,
etc., and the tech mgmt stick to technical matters.  Mutual respect --
if the Mgr (tech, or otherwise) is forced (or insists) upon having
direct responsibility for realms not within their expertise, they
are not good managers.  Delegation of tasks to experts is appropriate
management.

I have managed projects under tech and non-tech people.  The more they
interfere the less likley the project will end successfully.  I have
worked for managers who did not know what a byte was (other than some
computer term) but who had respect for my technical ability -- these
projects cmae in under the proverbial "on time and within budget"
category.  I have worked for technical managers who were micro-managers,
continously overriding any authority I was supposed to have.  Staff were
in constant turmoil -- projects didn't get done on time and went way
over budget.

I think Business Week is correct (based on just the quote above, not
having read the article): if the company exists for "bottom line", as
do most, get an expert in "bottom line" to manage.  I presume that
BW was referring to upper-level mgmt and not that for every four engineers
you need one non-tech manager.

I acknowledge that the Summary line is like "This is not a pipe".
Alan L. Pope   alpope@sun.com OR sun.com!token.Eng!alpope OR sun.com!Eng!alpope
			(depending on which mailer is running this week)