55 The Manager's Role in a Successful Transition to Object-Orientation

Normal Kerth, Elite Systems

Convention Centre
Room 13

Object-oriented thinking is just the latest of many technologies promising to improve software development. We hear claims such as increased productivity, higher quality, extendibility, reuse and portability. Whether these claims remain as dreams or are actually realized is dependent on the manager's ability to guide their organization to new, effective uses of this technology. The pressure to participate in the internet, as soon as possible, only adds to the importance of the manager's role. This highly acclaimed tutorial discusses what managers should expect and need to do as their organization grows in its maturity to use objects. It is a course loaded with a great deal of wisdom and experience. To realize these benefits and avoid the pit falls it is not good enough to simply let a few engineers use an object-oriented language. There is a great deal that needs to be managed, controlled and nurtured. In this tutorial, you learn how to develop a program that allows you to manage the introduction of this new technology into your projects.

This tutorial explores how managers can assure that their group makes a successful transition to using object-oriented technologies. It explores the appropriate deployment of the technology as well as the management issues that must be attended to. The tutorial takes the view that the transition is a long term project and discusses a manager's role over a many year period. It pays special attention to the process by which people work through a paradigm shift.

Attendee Background: No specific background required.

Norm Kerth is a consultant working with companies interested in ensuring that they make a successful transition to using the object-technologies. He includes the wider issues of specification and design activities, quality assurance, continuous process improvement, project management and building effective teams. Prior to starting his company, Elite Systems, he was a professor and researcher at the University of Portland. He has a decade of engineering experience with Tektronix and is a master teacher, with over 25 years of experience in front of students and computer professionals. He has been a frequent participant at OOPSLA since 1987.