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Two Modes of Product Development: Head-Oriented vs. Release-Oriented

Authors:

Abstract

In this paper, the concept of two different modes for product development process is proposed. One is “release-oriented” product development, which is a fairly common way to develop various products up to now. The other is “head-oriented” product development, which is recently observed especially in the field of software/content development. The distinguishing difference and possible merits and demerits of two modes are scrutinized.
I. Hammouda et al. (Eds.): OSS 2012, IFIP AICT 378, pp. 368–370, 2012.
© IFIP International Federation for Information Processing 2012
Two Modes of Product Development:
Head-Oriented vs. Release-Oriented
Masayuki Hatta
Surugadai University,
Faculty of Economics,
698, Azu, Hannou, Saitama, Japan
hatta.masayuki@surugadai.ac.jp
http://about.me/mhatta
Abstract. In this paper, the concept of two different modes for product devel-
opment process is proposed. One is “release-oriented” product development,
which is a fairly common way to develop various products up to now. The other
is “head-oriented” product development, which is recently observed especially
in the field of software/content development. The distinguishing difference and
possible merits and demerits of two modes are scrutinized.
1 Introduction
In the manufacturing industry, the product development is typically performed in
aiming at the market release of a product. That is, trial experimentations are repeated
inside the company, and a prototype is created when the concept and key features are
stabilized to some extent (or scheduled deadline is imminent). After the so-called
Quality Assurance work and some fine tuning are done, a final product is released to
the market. This is mostly the same in the software industry until recently (Brooks
1975, Krishnan 1994).
However, recently, a different mode of product development has emerged, espe-
cially in the area of Open Source software/contents development and the development
of on-line services such as SaaS (Software as a Service). In this mode, the target of
development (typically the source code or running service) is always open to the
public, and the insider developers and mere users share the same “forefront of
development”, or often called as “HEAD” in the developers’ circle (Fogel &
Bar 2003).
2 Release vs. Head
In this paper, the former, more conventional type of the product development process
will be called "Release-oriented". The release-oriented product development process
has an independent Quality Assurance (QA) process and a discrete release (Fig.1).
Two Modes of Product Development: Head-Oriented vs. Release-Oriented 369
Fig. 1. The Release-oriented mode of product development. The dotted arrow indicates non-
disclosed development. The solid circle means an officially released version of product.
By contrast, the latter one will be called “Head-oriented”. The head-oriented way
has no QA, no official releases, but the HEAD is open to the public (Fig.2).
Fig. 2. The Head-oriented mode of product development. The head never released officially
(except “snapshots”), thus indicated in the dotted circle.
The current development (writing/editing) process of Wikipedia is an excellent ex-
ample of Head-oriented mode of product development. There are no “official re-
leases”. Instead, what you can see is always the latest edition.
370 M. Hatta
3 The Key Elements Which Enabled the Head-Oriented Mode
The head-oriented mode enables the project to grow fast and mostly developer-
friendly, however it is highly probable that imperfect and unstable products will be
delivered to the users if the head-oriented mode has taken place. In order to realize the
head-oriented product development, some external conditions should be ready. In this
research, the author emphasizes the importance of technical progress in the realm of
development infrastructure, and especially, the attribution of users.
Finally, the author will investigate the recent confusion at the scene of the KDE
Desktop 4.0 release. Some Open Source projects have faced strong and sudden
criticism from users when they put the new release out. This can be explained by the
difference of orientation toward product development and releases, between core
developers and users.
References
1. Brooks, F.P.: The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering. Addison-Wesley,
New York (1975)
2. Krishnan, M.S.: Software release management: a business perspective. In: CASCON 1994:
Proceedings of the 1994 Conference of the Centre for Advanced Studies on Collaborative
Research, vol. 36 (1994)
3. Fogel, K., Bar, M.: Open Source Development with CVS, 3rd edn. Paraglyph Press, New
York (2003)
4. Von Hippel, E.: Democratizing Innovation. MIT Press, Boston (2005)
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The process of user-centered innovation: how it can benefit both users and manufacturers and how its emergence will bring changes in business models and in public policy. Innovation is rapidly becoming democratized. Users, aided by improvements in computer and communications technology, increasingly can develop their own new products and services. These innovating users—both individuals and firms—often freely share their innovations with others, creating user-innovation communities and a rich intellectual commons. In Democratizing Innovation, Eric von Hippel looks closely at this emerging system of user-centered innovation. He explains why and when users find it profitable to develop new products and services for themselves, and why it often pays users to reveal their innovations freely for the use of all.The trend toward democratized innovation can be seen in software and information products—most notably in the free and open-source software movement—but also in physical products. Von Hippel's many examples of user innovation in action range from surgical equipment to surfboards to software security features. He shows that product and service development is concentrated among "lead users," who are ahead on marketplace trends and whose innovations are often commercially attractive. Von Hippel argues that manufacturers should redesign their innovation processes and that they should systematically seek out innovations developed by users. He points to businesses—the custom semiconductor industry is one example—that have learned to assist user-innovators by providing them with toolkits for developing new products. User innovation has a positive impact on social welfare, and von Hippel proposes that government policies, including R&D subsidies and tax credits, should be realigned to eliminate biases against it. The goal of a democratized user-centered innovation system, says von Hippel, is well worth striving for. An electronic version of this book is available under a Creative Commons license.
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Increasing competition in the software industry, constantly changing customer needs, along with the usual problems associated with software maintenance, have made timing of a new software release extremely important for the success of a software vendor in the market place. Once the base release of a software is introduced in the market, based on the customers experience, a number of new features and enhancements are identified. Moreover, the complexity of maintaining the software increases over time because of the increase in the installed customer base and change in the entropy of the system. This paper proposes an economic model to capture the various tradeoffs involved in software release decisions and further discusses methods to obtain optimal software release time. Also investigated are the potential effects of factors related to the software development process, product characteristics such as size and the changing market needs on the optimal time of software product introduction.
Book
Innovation is rapidly becoming democratized. Users, aided by improvements in computer and communications technology, increasingly can develop their own new products and services. These innovating users—both individuals and firms—often freely share their innovations with others, creating user-innovation communities and a rich intellectual commons. In Democratizing Innovation, Eric von Hippel looks closely at this emerging system of user-centered innovation. He explains why and when users find it profitable to develop new products and services for themselves, and why it often pays users to reveal their innovations freely for the use of all. The trend toward democratized innovation can be seen in software and information products—most notably in the free and open-source software movement—but also in physical products. Von Hippel's many examples of user innovation in action range from surgical equipment to surfboards to software security features. He shows that product and service development is concentrated among "lead users," who are ahead on marketplace trends and whose innovations are often commercially attractive. Von Hippel argues that manufacturers should redesign their innovation processes and that they should systematically seek out innovations developed by users. He points to businesses—the custom semiconductor industry is one example—that have learned to assist user-innovators by providing them with toolkits for developing new products. User innovation has a positive impact on social welfare, and von Hippel proposes that government policies, including R&D subsidies and tax credits, should be realigned to eliminate biases against it. The goal of a democratized user-centered innovation system, says von Hippel, is well worth striving for. An electronic version of this book is available under a Creative Commons license.