In our era when speed to market with mobile apps is crucial, GlobalLogic's use of agile was a winner.

Aug. 09, 2011 The biggest hit headlining the news this week - and as proven over time - is the Agile software development process.

In our era when speed to market with mobile apps is crucial, GlobalLogic's use of agile was a winner. GlobalLogic's U.S. and Argentina teams used Agile to develop a groundbreaking iPad content review and approval management application for Hollywood's Sample Digital.

Sandhill.com asked GlobalLogic to explain its quick path to the market with the app. "When Sample Digital asked us to develop an iPad app that would enable movie producers to review and approve film clips in a mobile environment, they had an aggressive time line and high standards for success. The end product needed to please Hollywood's most demanding content producers. GlobalLogic's media, mobile, and cloud computing experts collaborated with Sample Digital's in-house team to conceive, design, program, test, and launch the full-feature app in just seven months," said Shashank Samant, President of GlobalLogic. "Because we managed the project through our Agile software development process, we were able to incorporate user feedback in real time, which not only helped get the product to market quickly but also resulted in a product that matched the needs of Sample Digital's customers right out of the gate."

At Accept Software, Agile was paired with crowdsourcing among all company employees in a two-week project to spur innovation. "Innovation Jams," developing new product ideas in three to four days, is the subject of a presentation at the Agile 2011 Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah August 8-12.

A highlight of the Agile 2011 Conference is the onstage reunion of 15 of the 17 co-authors of the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. They pointed out that Agile programming has moved beyond software development and is now used in business units other than IT. A publishing company was structured around agile practices. One of the co-authors predicts that the agile process will also emerge in a middle-management framework.

Agile expert Scott Ambler says it's a good idea to switch to Agile for legacy apps in maintenance mode. But he warns that the maintenance team would need to work collaboratively and learn some new tools and new skills.

Benjamin Day Consulting says the collaborative aspect of Agile is driving change in the development process. The result: software architects are morphing into project managers, forward thinkers and business analysts.

Aside from Agile, the iPad is also touted as a tool for increasing productivity because it allows working anywhere, anytime through mobile apps. Micro Strategy, a BI software developer gave iPads to its sales force and created iOS apps for customers as well as employees. It also developed tools that enable customers to create their own mobile BI apps.

Speaking of Apple, what's bound to be a big hit soon to hit the market is the iOS 5 software released in beta last weekend. It's rumored to have an "Assistant" functionality, a speech recognition feature for natural speech. It also combines device and cloud processing. There's a feature for hearing-aid mode, too.

Also slated to be a big hit is MIIAtech's, new enterprise software platform called Tautona. The advanced search software, available in SaaS and on-premise models, combines natural language processing with semantic search technology, thus achieving more accurate results than keyword searches.

Portland, Oregon's city government is the first user for a new IBM product (which includes Big Blue's services). It breaks up information silos and thus enables the city's 18 agencies to understand how their separate decisions affect the future of the rest of the city government. Just change the name (System Dynamics for Smarter Cities), and Big Blue will have a big hit in siloed enterprises, too.

Finally, 1,000 IT industry leaders and solution providers attending the CompTia Breakaway 2011 voted Autotask Corp as the world's leading hosted IT Business Management Software. The SaaS app makes it easy for tech solution providers to optimize their business processes based on factors that drive profitability.

Link to SandHill Article