EFx - An Architectural Guidance Package

Its flattering to hear from a well respected authority and author in the field of Software Factories, that EFx and its toolkit is in fact a Software Factory.

Now, I don't fully understand what it means to be a whole software factory, even though I understand the initiative very well.

(Yes - believe it or not, reading the book doesn't necessarily mean you get a full definition of one from it - its over 600 pages long. Full respect goes to the authors though, they have a whole industry to sway towards this thinking, and a simple 2 paragraph explanation ain't gonna do it for most people). The webcast is more concise about, it and to be fair.

Now from that video, the combination of EFx and the toolkit fits the definition very well. But then again the definition is pretty broad, so many people will be happy to know they have factories already too!

Most of my customers don't know much (more like - never heard of) Software Factories either, so it seems pointless to describe this framework and toolkit as one. Instead, after a little discussion with Wojtek today, and full thanks to him, we have decided that this is better termed a 'Architectural Guidance Package' . That is much easier to explain to customers in 60secs than what is a software factory. I am finding that describing a software factory sufficiently, often leads to a long monologue about the history of software and how its soon to be revolutionised. Its takes to long - no matter how interesting it actually is.

'Architectural Guidance Package' is much easier to explain since the words speak for themselves. So we are keeping it.