If I was going to give a new corporate architect one phrase to help him or her think creatively about the next several years, that phrase would be "hand-held wireless digital devices." I've purposely used a rather vague p

When it comes to measurement, the IT industry acts strangely. While other industries depend on measurement, tracking, and control as keys to profitability, the IT industry has yet to embrace measurement on a widespread basis. Even when it recognizes the merits of software measurement, the expectations for it are often unrealistic. Software practitioners want a silver-bullet metric that can answer any development question and do it to several-decimal-point accuracy.

I have been working with a large group of traditional software developers, introducing them to the use case technique for documenting system requirements. I have encountered some very strong and unexpected resistance to the use case approach from these developers, as represented by the following comments:

Although rather technical and a bit vague, one of the most important efforts under way in the OMG (Object Management Group) is the development of "profiles."

In the first three articles in this series, I identified a maturity model for Internet technology adoption (below). This article focuses on how companies can move from Level 2 to Level 3.

The world of e-business systems is commonly associated with highly developed technical skills, ranging from Web-wizardry, graphic design ability, and HTML/XML/Java programming to knowledge of component standards such as CORBA, MTS, and EJB. The design talent to configure such systems in very short time periods also receives lots of attention.

Finally, there has been a small amount of substantive discussion of the Y2000 problem in the popular media, although most coverage continues to include only simplistic explanations and completely avoids (the dreaded) macroeconomics. Yet despite the media coverage, the public seems increasingly unconcerned about the problem. This summer, a National Science Foundation poll found the American public's concern about possible Y2000 problems was decreasing.

I once met James Harrington, who was "Mr. Reengineering" at Ernst & Young. We were talking at lunch after hearing a presentation he delivered. One of my colleagues at the table used the now-familiar phrase, "the customer is always right." Mr. Harrington had a different view on this -- one that has proven true time and again.

In the first two articles in this series (see 15 September and 13 October), I identified a maturity model for Internet technology adoption (below). This article focuses on how companies can move to Level 2.