This old house [software development]

Comparing the improvement of existing software development processes to fixing up an old house, the author argues that working on one item at a time can be more practical than starting from the ground up. The author works at a software company that he imagines resembles many others. The company started out with five employees, including one programmer, and has grown to about 170 employees and $35 million a year in sales. Naturally the organization has experienced growing pains, and it is currently redefining what development means at the company. The article presents the author´s view of the company´s struggle to improve