When the going gets tough, it is time to get agile

The US sub-prime mortgage crisis has resulted in lenders around the world unwilling to take on new debt.
This credit crunch could affect every aspect of the global economy, with the likelihood that most businesses will now be more cautious over short- to medium-term plans. Uncertainty has become the business theme for 2008. So how does this affect IT?

It is usual to assume that IT budgets will be slashed, projects frozen or cancelled, and the service life of hardware and software extended. While that may have been the case during the last big slowdown of 2001, businesses’ fortunes now depend on IT considerably. It is likely that the business will expect the IT department to react quickly as events unfold, so that the organisation can prosper.

Cutting back on IT budgets is not the way to achieve that. The answer lies in getting your IT people and processes organised in such a way that short-term projects, of no more than a few months, are the norm.

There are two reasons for this. First, volatility of the business in uncertain times will result in volatile user requirements. Second, when calmness returns, a responsive culture will enable the business to consistently introduce new initiatives faster.

This is not to advocate short-term thinking at all levels. Long and short-term plans of any kind are subject to change. Moving to such a delivery environment always begins with a cultural shift. Once people buy in to the idea, the delivery processes can then be redesigned and tools adapted or replaced to suit.

Of course, taking this one step at a time approach comes with its own set of challenges. So what is the best way to ensure that it works?

This is where a methodology such as agile development comes into its own. Agile development is an approach that embraces fast-changing schedules and specifications. To succeed, it requires people, processes and tools that can adapt.

An appropriate set of development tools requires an underlying software configuration and change management (SCCM) system that does not obstruct the people or the processes.

If your view of SCCM is incompatible with the term agile, you may be used to the old school of cumbersome, resource-intensive tools that were built to enforce a specific style of working. The new breed of SCCM system provides an effective balance of control and freedom for software development and delivery.

Addressing some truly heterogeneous development approaches, these tools are open to a vast array of third-party products, support a range of operating systems, enable distributed teams to work together and, crucially, have no predetermined view of what development process is being used.

The technology for rapid response application delivery is out there. It is tested and it is proven and, if you are not using it, 2008 may be the year you need it most.

Dave Robertson is director of European operations for Perforce Software and a BCS contributor