Voyage in the MSD Memeplex or a perspective of the way MSD class operates

Unlike other posts which discuss various points and perspectives regarding concepts, theories and practices in systems development management, this post is dedicated to express my feeling of the “culture” of our class – Or in simple word, the way our class runs.

 

Since the first days, I feel something special about the way our class runs. In no other classes that we played games such as Running-base design, robot assembling, spaghetti cantilever etc. One more noticeable fact is that I feel it a bit hard to be a part of it. I thought it was the problem of language barrier, but it was not.

The fact is, the way we holds the class creates a culture, a bit similar to the way agile developer creates their agile world in “Voyage in the Agile Memeplex” (Kruchten, 2007). Following the way the author defines the agile world, I can create some terms and definitions to define our “MSD world”:

• MSDise: In our class, though not creating jargons, we used a lot of them such as “activity checklist”, “user story”, “planning poker” ect. The use of jargons become widespread in class since this practice makes people save time and at the same time make them feel more involved in the MSD class.
• MSDism: Our class is a group of people coming from different background, but we have the same interest in technology, particularly in managerial matters in systems development. The gather of like-minded people in MSD class and the spread of the use of jargons only in MSD class will create a culture. I coin this process “MSDism”.
• MSDist: An artist in MSD class – or in other words, the professor. In some sense, everyone is trying to become a MSDist by preparing and participating very actively in the class.
• Decontextualization: In MSD class, terms and conclusions and propositions are often mentioned in their own context. However, when re-quoting, they are used in different context, of little or much similarity with the former context. 

In conclusion, MSD class has done a useful work: to form “MSD Memeplex” in our minds.