[Sigia-l] AIfIA Goals 2004 Survey Results

[David Heller]

Ziya, I can't believe I'm about to jump into this, but here goes.

Can it be that there are good standards and bad standards?

For example, standardizing on arabic numerals. This is the standard in
our society. We don't use roman or hebraic numerals. I could one day
start using roman numerals for fun at the end of movies for copyright
information, or putting it on the cornerstone of a building, but these
are harmless and fun. But for every day use, it is pretty much agreed
that arabic numerals using a base-10 system is the way to go. Is that a
bad thing? Stay focused. Don't worry about the lack of standards around
numbers in other ways, when to use a comma or a period kinda thing. Oh
Wait, maybe we should. Oh! I get so confused because that isn't
standard. I mean we are trying to say the same thing right one thousand
two hundred fifty-five and thirty-nine one hundredths, but one way it
comes out like 1,255.39 and another it comes out like 1.255,39.
Depending where you are they mean the same thing. This is just totally
weird and serves no purpose.

Now I would argue that in an organization that standardizing practice is
in essence the same as standardizing format or carrier. I don't care
what tools are used to do the practice. Pick your choice, but because
there are so many teams involved each with their own specific needs and
understanding that there needs to be a standard for the delivery (not
the creation) of requirements. Use Open Office, or  MS Office. Use Visio
or Flash. I don't care. But in the end the product needs to be
standardized in stuch a way so that everyone involved can equally
understand it, and that it has utility to them. 

Now does this drive down costs? I have no clue. I never did an analysis
of my own. But it does reduce stress and it does improve communication.
Can't imagine how either of those two things don't have some effect on
the economics of the project or organization.

Again, we are, many of us, using bad standards, but that does not mean
that all standards are bad.

-- dave