Author Description

60 Minute Software: Proven solutions for software developers and MIS professionals. The latest volume in the revolutionary Ernst & Young Information Management Series provides an in-depth examination of a key issue concerning IS development: cycle time compression in the development of business software—and its impact on the ability of businesses to meet new customer, product, or market requirements. Based on a three-year study by Ernst & Young's Center for Business Transformation, 60 Minute Software offers a variety of practical solutions that can be implemented quickly and efficiently. Acceleration strategies that have been used by such companies as Ameritech, IBM, and Hewlett Packard, among others, are analyzed in-depth. The results are of vital importance in light of the increasing demands on IS professionals in a technology-driven environment. 60 Minute Software examines: Strategic vs. tactical improvement issues. Myths that slow down the improvement process. Why some cycle times can't be compressed—and shouldn't be. Management styles for processes with different characteristics. Projected vs. actual effects. Strategies that have decelerated process times. How fast can we really get? The limits to cycle time compression. Implementing a cycle time reduction program. By identifying the main problems with cycle time compression, offering strategies to address them, and reviewing the successes—and failures—in applying acceleration strategies, 60 Minute Software points to the lessons to be learned from the efforts of leading IS organizations, and the best practices they have developed.