A plea for lean software process models

Abstract

Over the last 30 years we have tried very hard the rich process models approach, and we have not been extremely successful at it. Maybe we should try "lean and mean" software process models, rather than making them "richer." At minimum, we should try to analyze why the rich approaches have not worked; where they failed. Could it be that we were trying to solve the wrong problem? or that the real problems by far overshadow the process model issue? Or maybe the whole construction paradigm we use for software development is not suitable anymore? My position is that we should try the route of very simple software process models, to ensure a wider applicability, greater versatility, and acceptance. Possibly these new process models would be based on other paradigms of software or system development than the "technical-rational" construction idea. I would be wary of richer process models.