Abraham Maslow; Architect

The title of a posting is intended to solicit readership... did I catch you on this one?

As a St. Cloud State undergraduate in the College of Liberal Arts, I found intellectual refuge and meaning in Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. It explained a lot, and gave me a basis for further study in human behavior.

I still refer to this model today (along with others, such as Festinger's Frustration-Aggression theory) when I consider motivators and forces that drive us as individuals in Corporate IT America.

As an IT Architect, I use models daily to describe and communicate framework and separation/layering principles which support effective and cost efficient solutions. A recent model is my (well, er... my implementation of) a Solution Hierarchy, based on our Marketing Services Architecture ©.

Here is a comparison of the two models:














The core feature that spans both models is the relationship that each layer has to the layer directly below it. Higher levels can be achieved only when lower level needs/attributes are satisfied.

Does this model contrast/comparison resonate with you?

What's been your experience with Maslow, with Architectural Laying?

Cheers,

- KeelFish

Process or People?

As I suspect of most of my valued readers, I've worked in many different IT shops... each with their own unique culture and development methodologies.

Have you noticed a common theme of those which are successful in developing solutions which served the business well?

In this post, I posit a foundational element of my core belief system... that people, not processes are the central key to successful IT efforts. I'll also comment on basic structural process components which (when applied in small doses) can support the development team and help them thrive in Corporate America IT.

Stay tuned!