Writing the Year End wrap-up for 2009 feels like I am describing my personal experience taking a rubber raft through for an afternoon ride through a tsunami.  This was an incredible year with highs and lows that were breathtaking. The financial services meltdown had a catastrophic effect on many businesses with its impact felt throughout the entire world. Still my phone rang constantly with recruiters and businesses looking for Configuration Management experts including Build Engineers, Release Managers and Source Code Management (SCM) tools administrators. New ALM solutions raised the bar for SCM and best practices highlighted the value of Configuration Management. Businesses were cash strapped, many in danger of bankruptcy but still needed to also safeguard their source code – especially when caught by Federal Regulators. Many great things happened this year and will continue to shine in 2010. Read on if you want to share a retrospective on the year coming to a close.

Are we there yet?
For many, taking a vacation involves a long car ride with kids begging to know if “we are there yet”. This year was a Journey that seemed to “never end” – and even today could very well still be in formation. There were many points in which the situation (and the economy) seemed to have completely hit rock bottom – only to surprise us with even more challenges. It seems fair to ask whether or not we have finally turned the corner or are we still diving deep into the abyss.

The Silver Lining or Was it a Shining Star
Anyone who really knows me (or read anything that I have written) is well aware that I don’t wallow in the negative. Having grown up in the world of the physically disabled, I just don’t accept failure and could never comprehend accepting defeat. My operating mode is to look for the silver lining and set my direction forward. 2009 did indeed have some golden moments and configuration management was certainly center stage for many of the changes that occurred.
Still failing to understand the root causes of problems is a missed opportunity and a guarantee to make the same mistakes over and over again.

Challenges
There were many challenges in the technology world as budgets were chopped or erased and entire company divisions (along with large corporations) were eliminated. Uncertainty was the normal operating mode throughout 2009 with stress felt by anyone who was not in a catatonic state. Carl Jung coined the phrase, “collective unconscious” to refer to a shared experience that all members of a species just seem to collectively experience. From my seat on this ride, we all seemed to be experiencing incredible challenges that were part of our collective experience. One reason for this is that we do not live in an isolated world any longer.

Understanding the Ecosystem
Just as the classic Ecosystem is impacted by both internal and external forces, our environment and experiences were very much impacted by the forces that were at work or often reacting to other world events. We certainly learned once again that the world is a very tiny place and we are dramatically affected by all of the forces in this ecosystem that we call the world economy.

CM Center Stage
Even as Corporations were filing for bankruptcy or begging for capital from the international community, recruiters were calling me to find build engineers and release managers. The reason was that this was just not the environment to fail a compliance audit. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) continued to require that Banks enforce a separation of duties which meant that Release Managers were considered essential personnel in many organizations. I have also received the phone calls from Directors who needed me to secure the source code before a major layoff in the hope that the project could be restarted at some point in the future. Admittedly, many technology professionals found themselves first-time recipients of a pink slip and forced to settle for less compensation just to stay employed. But there were also some new technologies that emerged – in many ways the result of necessity.

New Technologies
A number of new technologies emerged as Cloud Computing and virtualization were “must-have” competencies. New Application Lifecycle Methodologies (ALM) solutions were introduced raising the bar for Source Code Management and configuration management solutions. Companies with enough cash on hand surged ahead of their competition by taking advantage of the environment and developing new technologies to support both IT Service Management (ITIL) and Agile development practices. System had to be maintained and some were developed just to keep the company afloat.

One Thing that Did Not Change
One thing that did not change is the heavy focus on access via the internet and secure, easy-to-use websites to support any business that was going to stay in business. There were times when it seemed that companies were prepared to close stores, cut staff – but still make sure that their website stayed up and functioning. The internet, webcasting, and communicating over IP were just not going anywhere. You might not get on a plane – but you didn’t miss your meeting with your remote team intent on meeting their deadline.

Financial Challenges Getting Personal
Unemployment at record levels and many technology professionals working for less money definitely made the financial meltdown very personal for lots of people. Fortunes were erased and each of us felt violated by some of the really horrible things that occurred this year. But from these depths and against all odds we had to put forth our best efforts to rise and move forward.

The View from a Wheelchair
I have always been very open about growing up blind and spending most of my younger years in the company of other people who had severe disabilities. In my college peer group we had a collective experience of knowing deeply that none of us volunteered to be blind, para- or quadriplegic. We also refused to be defeated by our handicaps. Walking through a plate glass window as a blind kid and being covered by sharp glass did not make me stop getting around independently. To master Calculus (without being able to see a blackboard) was tough as a math major and I just kept taking the Calculus classes over again until I passed. My teachers and advisors were mystified and then impressed at my fierce determination. Every quadriplegic who drinks a cup of water unassisted knows the sense of accomplishment that comes with overcoming a severe physical handicap. Frankly, I had no patience for baseball players who had egos larger than life, but cheering my friends shooting basketball from a wheelchair was a thrill and a victory for all of us. Mission accomplished.

Disabled Veterans
Disabled Veterans were extreme war heroes to us as some of them developed Martial Arts for the handicapped. These disabled vets showed leadership in protecting our country and then greater leadership in being warriors against disability. Many of my friends (and heroes) practiced karate punches from a wheelchair (remember to grab the guys belt so he can’t run) and I developed Aikido throws using my white cane. Incredibly some muggers actually purposely victimize handicapped people since they are an easy mark. Many of us just refused to give up and accept society’s view that we were helpless. We had one thing that they did not have and that was an unstoppable spirit and the deep conviction that every step – no matter how small - was an accomplishment.

Meeting the Challenge of 2009 and 2010
In my January column I will give you my view of the year ahead. But one of my Karate teachers (Sensei) always reminded me that I must know where I have come from in order to understand where I am going. The year in our rear view mirror was indeed very challenging and we need to recognize the challenges, our own accomplishments and embrace the year ahead with the ferocious determination that it deserves.

For 2009 – I say – Mission accomplished!

Conclusion
2009 was a year of challenges and we may not really be out of the woods yet. Yet there were many accomplishments and seeing our environment with the right perspective will help us embrace the challenges ahead. With a “can-do” attitude we are certain to succeed against all odds.

2009 - Mission Accomplished now carry on.

Bob Aiello is the Editor-in-Chief for CM Crossroads and a Software Engineer specializing in Software Process Improvement including Software Configuration and Release Management. Mr. Aiello has over 25 years experience as a technical manager in several top NYC Financial Services firms where he had had company-wide responsibility for CM, often providing hands-on technical support for enterprise Source Code Management tools, SOX/Cobit compliance, build engineering, continuous integration and automated application deployment. Bob is the Vice Chair of the IEEE 828 Standards working group (CM Planning) and is a member of the IEEE Software and Systems Engineering Standards Committee (S2ESC) Management Board. He is a long standing member of the Steering Committee of the NYC Software Process Improvement Network (CitySPIN), where he serves as the chair of the CM SIG. Mr. Aiello holds a Masters in Industrial Psychology from NYU and a B.S. in Computer Science and Math from Hofstra University. You may contact Mr. Aiello at raiello@acm.org or link with him at http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobaiello

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