I have a favorite shirt. The shirt has a cool gray tweed color and is made of a cotton fabric that feels like it has a hint of silk. The only problem is that it does not have a pocket. The lack of a pocket reduces the utility to the point that I actually have to think about whether I should wear it or not. Software processes are typically designed to have all the bells and whistles so that customers will not have to think about whether to wear the shirt with a pocket or not. If this story ended it frankly it would not be worth of blog entry.
The problem is that most process is to look more like a cargo pants replete with every possible pocket and utility compartments. Adding all the bells and whistles cause process bloat which generally increases the amount of effort required both when using the process as well as to use the process. Bloat is a major reason words like bureaucratic and red tape are used when describing processes.
Fighting bloat needs to become an obsession for anyone involved in developing processes and procedures. One of the best tactics I have seen for insuring only what is needed is built is to take a minimalistic purview. Build the base process, the process that everyone will use then build extensions that can be used to handle the extras. Regardless of the tactic you choose to right size your processes keep in mind that overbuilding can be as problematic as under building.
PS – I saw someone with MY shirt and they have a pocket. Darn! Someone has found process improvement heaven or is it is it just shirt nirvana.
