Here is a post in the Eclipse Process Framework newsgroup that describes OpenUP as “a solution looking for a problem”:

“It may sound naive, but to me OpenUP looks like a solution looking for a problem.

There are already many excellent agile and formal methodologies out there. What development teams need is integration of these methodologies into tools they use daily, not another new methodology created by methodology high-priests. Jazz (Team Concert) is a great example of such a tool. It would be even better if IBM just open sources RUP, so we don’t spend any more time coming up with a new open source methodology. We may just have to accept the bitter reality that after two years (of marketing and promotion) there is not enough interest in OpenUp for a genuine community to form around it.”

If I tried, I couldn’t have said it better ! This is exactly what I had been reflecting on yesterday.

In the past I have pointed out the issues with scalability and lack of enactment (both in context of EPF and IBM’s RMC). However, this sentiment goes beyond and actually questions the need for “spinning the wheels” without adequate clarity on a direction to follow. Rather than wasting so much time, IBM could have been generous and open sourced RUP and not some percentage of it. Also it could have ensured that through a more thought out tool implemenation the historically high overhead related to process, could have been lowered and process “high priests” exposed. But for whatever reasons this was not done.

On Jazz, though I welcome this focus on collaborative development environment, first introduced a couple of years ago by Microsoft Visual Studio Team System, I have a feeling that this idea of “Open Commercial” license may end being a repeat of this half-hearted openness demonstrated by EPF.

Last 5 posts by Kamal Ahluwalia

• Is my process true to my methodology of choice? - January 7th, 2008
• EPF – Failing grade on collaboration - January 2nd, 2008
• Governance Webinar Recording - December 7th, 2007
• Webinar - Effective Software Development Governance - November 28th, 2007
• IRIS Process Central is here... - November 19th, 2007

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