Working with itemis

Starting December 2008, itemis and I will work together, opening a new itemis office in Stuttgart. There, we will focus (surprise, surprise!) on MDSD, DSLs, software architecture and product lines. Itemis is a leading service provide in those spaces, and there are a lot of synergies between us.

So why am I doing this? First and foremost, I need a way to scale my own work. Working alone, I am not able to help my customers actually implement the stuff I am "consulting" them about. So, by working with a company like itemis, there's a group of people that I can work with.

But of course there's also the opposite: working alone, it is not easy to evolve my own thinking. That's one of the main reasons I go to so many conferences. It is a way to talk to, discuss with and learn from other bright people in my spaces of interest. Working with the folks at itemis, I expect some of the same effects.

Of course, itemis is also a major contributor to Eclipse Modeling and openArchitectureWare (the team in Kiel, the recent cooperation with Ed Merks), so I am hoping to revamp my active involvement in openArchitectureWare.

Another reason for working together is that I want to reduce my travel. We are planning to build a team in Stuttgart which I will lead. I will continue to travel, working with customers, but at a reduced level. I will spend time with the team in Stuttgart, too.

Finally, together we also have plans for eLearning and using podcasts for online education. Needless to say I am eager to explore these areas, since podcasting and audio education is something I am very passionate about - see Software Engineering Radio

So, if you want to join us in Stuttgart, let me know... we are obviously looking for a few team members.  permalink