The Applications Handbook.pdf - Nexus Technologies Inc.

Application Lifecycle Maturity: How to Get There From Here ■ 93
applications for cross-browser compatibility is maddeningly
labor-intensive work with a lower yield than other
manual activities, and it is one more thing that stands in
the way of improved throughput. Such work is ripe for
elimination by automation. (If you’re not sure of the full
range of automation possibilities that exist, challenge
vendor partners like HP to provide some.)
• Scale quickly and adapt. This connects thinking big and
starting small. By picking a few relatively easy first
steps and knowing roughly where the path ends, you
can plot the remaining course. The important thing is
not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. To borrow
from our friends in the Agile community, favor
adaptability over endless planning. Concentrate on
moving pragmatically toward the goal, adjusting for
reality when necessary, and know what stands between
you and the next step. Application teams care more
about measurable progress than the elegance of endstrategy
or tactical brilliance.
Where once the enterprise’s overriding concern for the application
was stability, the new demand is for agility. The prevalence
of software means the modern enterprise is only as nimble as
its applications.
Modern delivery trends hold the promise of agility, but only
when modern solutions help you master them. Legacy means
won’t produce modern ends.
We hope that something in these pages has struck a chord,
sparked a thought, or otherwise shown that application organizations
need not drown in complexity. Remember, your importance
to the business has never been greater. Indeed, there's no
business without you.