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The Future of Software Development
have its analogue in the executable software form, even if versions remain
in passive book form and in peoples’ brains. And we will increasingly see
the knowledge-in-software form as being the most valuable. Sam Palmis-
ano, the CEO of IBM, asked what is left after we have automated the back
office, reengineered our business functions, and outsourced noncore busi-
ness activities. He answered his own question by noting that the job will be
to get all the automated systems working together to respond quickly and
flexibly to the changing world.* This means that all the critical business
knowledge and the knowledge of how to leverage that critical business
knowledge are being moved into software systems. As we get more ...