In SW development, we have a frequently recurring theme: if we put in more time/effort now, it will save us from spending additional effort and time in the future. This can apply to refactoring, testing, build and integration, source control, static code analysis, training, code/architecture reviews, requirements engineering, design documentation etc. Once, a manager interrupted my refactoring presentation with a remark mocking this theme, and caused me to lose some momentum.

So, as good architects who are not technology-obsessed and who let business drive, we approach these improvement topics as an investment. We build a strong business case, calculate the ROI (return on investment), and if the improvement is still looking good, we take it to the management for their affirmative decision and support. The hope is that managers talk money, so they will see the benefit when presented as a monetary value, and accept it.

However, in my experience, this is not enough. An investment decision is not made solely based on a strong business case. It further needs:

• Trust: The architect should have gained the trust of the management. They have to believe that her estimations in the ROI calculation are correct, her forecast of the benefits is fairly accurate, thus her understanding of the business model is sound, and her skills for driving this improvement is sufficient. Starting with smaller improvements to build up trust can be an appropriate approach.
• Self-confidence: The architect should be confident that she can deliver as she is promising. The manager should be confident that she can provide the necessary environment (budget, time, people, equipment etc.) for completing the investment.
• Long-term thinking: Especially in large organizations it may be that managers (more rarely also architects) will soon be leaving for a new role. Then, they won’t care to engage in investments that will cost in the short-term and bring benefits in the long-term when they are not around anymore. An organizational culture that fosters long-term thinking can prevent such situations.
• Courage: Compared to daily work, such investments are more adventurous. You can make more mistakes on the way. You can come into more conflicts with various colleagues (including management) since you are changing things. So, if you don’t have courage for the adventure, it’s better to stick to daily work. A key property of a learning organization is accepting people’s mistakes, which can give people the necessary courage to start such adventures.

These factors are crucial for any kind of investment. You don’t start a company with people you don’t trust, no matter how strong the business case is. These factors can even weigh much heavier than a business case. In one case, I was surprised to learn that a large SW platform project was initiated without a figures-based business case.

Happy new year everyone! Looking forward to your feedback.