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CM Journal Articles 2002 Trends for SCM
CM Journal Articles 2002 Trends for SCM
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| In 2002, some companies will see the light, and recognize that their digital assets are just as important as their data. Others will toss CM out with the bathwater. What are the current trends and what do they mean for configuration management? More importantly, what do they mean for you?
Aligning IT projects to business opportunities Business matters again. The dog has asked for its tail back. CEO-types are tired of the IT shell game, investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in pet projects and skunkworks that didn’t amount to anything. Discretionary income is a thing of the past, at least for now. Most projects will relate directly to features that customers will see and use. Cutting Costs The number one trend for 2002 is cutting “unnecessary” costs. We will see companies risk long-term success and stability for a short-term profit increase. Quality Assurance initiatives will be replaced with Cut-the-Fat initiatives. Your executives will expect you to do more with less, use your current CM tools to their limits instead of investing in new ones. Companies will be extending the use of enterprise CM tools into other areas- using them for content management, documentation management, physical asset management and even for product data management. Asking Questions As executive teams assess their options, there will be a greater need for information about digital assets and development projects. Are resources being used effectively? Are we getting the most out of our digital assets? You can expect that they will ask about productivity metrics, defect and loss metrics as they quantify where they spent money last year, and what would be the best use this year. For most companies, there will be new process initiatives, but they will be small, cheap and tactical in nature. Enterprise Digital Asset Management The need to integrate Mainframe and C/S development is higher than it’s ever been, as companies look to make the best of all of their digital assets. Companies with both types of development are looking for solutions that provide a holistic view of their data, and a standardized development methodology. Collaborative Development As companies cut travel budgets, the need for online collaborative development increases. We’ll see some configuration management tools add to or integrate with collaborative development solutions. The use of internet GUIs will also increase as global data accessibility becomes faster, more reliable and necessary. Distributed Development As companies look to cut costs further, there will be a significant investment in offshore development. When half your team is in India and the other half is in California, distributed development becomes very important. The argument for a central repository vs. distributed development continues, which is good news for the consumer, as CM tool vendors work on faster, better solutions. Addressing Security Risks Cyber-espionage may not be likely, but nobody is taking any chances. System and Data security risk management is at an all-time high. As business continuity plans take shape, Digital assets will (finally!) get the respect and security they deserve. We will see an increase overall in the number of companies that use Configuration Management tools. Looking for the short-term payback Most companies are requiring a short and high return on investment for any IT infrastructure solution. Tools or resources that quickly cut the costs of doing business are still considered a good investment. The Bottom Line It’s an assessment year for most companies. Are you part of the team that makes the business work, or are you a process wonk on the sidelines? How important are your digital assets to your company’s ability to serve customers and gain revenue? Does your company know how their CM practices impact their success? Most companies are still willing to invest and support solutions that make good business sense. Make sure you’re part of the solution. Bridget Pilloud is a contributing editor for CM Crossroads and is the manager of customer relationships at MERANT. Prior to MERANT, Bridget spent 8 years developing software development and management methodologies for companies in the financial services sector. You can reach Bridget by email at bridget.Pilloud@merant.com
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| Last Updated on Wednesday, 26 July 2006 04:35 |
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