Integrating Software by Integrating People

Like many companies, Landmark Graphics is a globally distributed organization and has faced challenges associated with distributed development. The leadership at Landmark knew that software is developed by people and that if they wanted to produce integrated enterprise software they needed to get the people developing the software better integrated. Todd shares some of his experiences at Landmark (and parent organization Halliburton) with specific examples and techniques that were used to bring multiple diverse corporate, geographic, and domain cultures towards a unified objective. At first the challenges were related to blending cultures of organizations through acquisition. Over time Landmark started working with offshore outsourcing providers and discovered new challenges. Ultimately it comes down to communication and understanding. The agile community often talks about changing culture, but often it is more effective to understand culture and then work to maximize effectiveness. By understanding culture, and understanding individuals and interactions, it is possible to adapt and to be agile.