Fantastic list but just to add a few items from my experience. 11) COTS enterprise software, as often as not, is a Frankenstein mismatch of packages purchased

Fantastic list but just to add a few items from my experience. 11) COTS enterprise software, as often as not, is a Frankenstein mismatch of packages purchased by the vendor and stitched together. Our major software system is on its third owner. We have access to the source code. It dates back 20 years to mainframe software that has been ported. It's written in a combination of COBOL, C, PL/SQL, Java, Oracle Forms, and a smattering of browser scripting languages. The vendor's software suite is completely purchased and thrown together (a.k.a integrated) in the cheapest way possible. 12) Developers of enterprise software often get requirements from a dedicated analyst. Perhaps it was me but when I tried working from another person's analysis, I found it hard producing software the users actually wanted. 13) Software developers are not interface/user experience designers. Enterprise software vendors hire many more of the former than the latter. I'm not a fan of having the analyst role split out from the development role. Coming to understand the user requirements is a major part of development. Requirements are not facts to be memorized and worked through like a check list. They have to be internalized to the point that you understand why something is a requirement. Much the same argument as with the analyst role. I would rather have a developer with a passion for UI design get the proper education in design instead of having a developer and a designer as separate people. My experience is that some developers naturally gravitate towards the visuals, so harness it. EDIT: Removed footnote marks because they looked confusing.