(This week, WhatTheyThink is “reprinting” some key articles from 2023. This article originally appeared on June 13. Look for our regular publishing schedule to resume on Monday.)

Back in 1974, a book called Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance came to market. Robert Pirsig wrote the book to explore what quality meant in contemporary America, using his motorcycle and a road trip as metaphors. As a snarky high schooler, I was intrigued by the concepts. My father was a quality control professional in manufacturing, so talk of quality was common at the dinner table. This book offered a more extensive view beyond the lift truck parts my father managed. It planted a seed in the back of my brain. Quality involved measurement, accountability, and analytics, but there was also a case for bringing art and harmony into the conversation.

The road to quality includes paving the way with maintenance. In the software world, maintenance means updating the installation to fix bugs, improve performance, adapt to a changing environment, and ensure the long-term stability of the software platform. Due to the growth of cyber incursions, another critical focus is security!