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Pinnacle of Software Engineering Theory 101:

In the past, it has been the paradigm that one was to be successful if they followed in the footsteps of their forefathers developing industry-wide solutions for vast majorities via workplaces that encompassed large populations.  Successful businesses have been identified as the Fortune 500 companies and a few fast growing smaller bodies.  The fascination of large corporations symbolized stability to the public and holding steady growth, at a low-risk investment.  Likewise, people employed within the corporation have also been considered as successful; marking a pinnacle of the industry’s best in many fields; business, engineering, etc..,

In the early 1990’s, unexpectedly, a slight paradigm shift occurred where smaller third-party vendors became popular as their products progressed expeditiously to market.  Many factors contributed to this outcome -- one of the pertinent differences was that products developed by large companies were implemented on proprietary machines, therefore inhibiting speedy design, development, and maintenance cycles.  The outcome was the start of a revamp of human resources and training.  The development of software on third-party hardware platforms gained popularity tremendously. This modularization of product development expedited the product life cycle by eliminating the need for hardware design and implementation, software development processes were made commonplace, and manufacturing of products have become streamlined.  Steady growth was once again enjoyed throughout the mid-1990’s.

The late 1990’s marked the start of the next paradigm shift.  More households and industries have accepted the advantages of computers: Computers have been recognized as tools that can assist companies deliver their products and enable their communications within their organizations more efficiently. Additionally, the number of households that have computers has grown exponentially. The outcome marked the demand for computer products.  Likewise, there has been a great demand for a more efficient product life cycle as compared to the past.  In addition to the modularization of product development, the product life cycle will now also enjoy a modularization of the workforce.  Engineers of the software development industry has become and will continue to become more project-based, rather than hiearchial-based.  With this recognition, employees will now enjoy the freedom of transitions throughout projects within large organizations.  Other factors that support this paradigm is the growing popularity and need for smaller software firms and supplemental labor such as consultants.  Thusly, shifting the paradigm of the pinnacle of software engineering.
 

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