Recording of This Webinar from VDC Research and Jama Software is Now Available

New variables continue to emerge, making software development in both the embedded/systems and enterprise/IT domains more complex – and in many ways, more similar. For instance, the requirement to design software in accordance with regulatory mandates, which is increasingly common in the embedded industries, now also extends into several segments of the enterprise, such as banking. Likewise, the Cloud and IoT are becoming more of a focal point for technology and innovation in both realms. This is driving an explosion in new software-focused business plans, devices, categories, and features, which are more closely tied to high-value corporate and consumer activities. The future of connected, intelligent products – while providing new opportunities – also raises the expectations for continued content delivery and functionality evolution.

As reliance on software to deliver value and differentiation increases, the amount and range of employees involved in the management of software creation is expanding. More organizational stakeholders, including many who may lack direct software development experience, now need direct insight into the software development lifecycle in both embedded and enterprise organizations. And with this expanding pool of software development stakeholders, it’s increasingly important to ensure the proper  processes and the right tooling – like a formal requirements management solution – are in place to help facilitate effective communication and collaboration through the full development lifecycle. Among other changes, it will be critical for these tools to provide socially collaborative features, to automatically link critical development data from other tools, and to present it in an easy-to-comprehend format for all development stakeholders.

With the Shift from Project- to Product-Based Software Design Approaches, IT Developers More Closely Resemble Their Embedded Peers.

The embedded – enterprise/IT convergence also includes organizational strategies for software development teams. Many IT groups are now trying to move from a project-based approach for software delivery to one that defines products and organizes teams around them. This organizational structure more closely resembles the typical configuration in embedded or systems development teams. While significant differences remain in place, we also see that decisions around tooling, programming languages, and development methodologies show similar signs of convergence between the embedded and enterprise development markets. As IT organizations continue to evolve, they will have a greater need for system lifecycle management tools focused on optimizing iterative development methodologies with capabilities such as contextual collaboration, impact analysis, and decision tracking over a traditional focus on formal reviews or approvals and change management.

To hear more about this and other pressures facing developers that raise the importance of requirements management solutions, I encourage you to listen to our recent webinar with Jama Software.

View the 2017 IoT & Embedded Technology Research Outline to learn more.