The complexity of the issues surrounding identity management -- managing user access to applications and information based on proof of identity -- is exploding as a direct result of the connectivity underlying the Internet.

Two years into my work on my company's metrics program, senior management decided to outsource all the development work. Obviously, this changed things a lot. Suddenly, defining the right service levels for the outsource contract became critical and metrics collection became very important!

What we found out:

A developing theme across agile project management discussions is the criticality of dealing with reality -- discovering the truth about code, customer, competition, control, or calendar, and acting on it quickly. The reasons are obvious and can be summed up as speed and relevance. This is the essence of agility.

Many businesses embrace the notion that the Internet can be a source of real competitive advantage, but it is the rare business indeed that can effectively handle the complexities the Internet has introduced. While the most forward-looking companies are able to manage these opportunities and threats in order to create flexible, scalable Web-enabled architectures, other companies are not.

I believe that productivity is very important. Productivity means doing more for less. Productivity means lower costs to consumers, which, in turn, frees consumers to spend the money they save on new products and services. That leads to economic growth.