Optimizing Application Development A Key to Business Success

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best practices WHite paper

Optimizing application Development

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executive summary

As.IT.becomes.increasingly.enmeshed.in.business.processes,.organizations.are.demanding.more.business.

applications.in.shorter.time.frames..To.meet.the.demand,.many.organizations.are.striving.to.improve.

their.application.development.processes..This.has.been.traditionally.achieved.through.adoption.of.agile.

development.methods,.implementation.of.various.lifecycle.management.tools,.and.off-shoring.part.of.

development,.as.well.as.through.other.approaches.

Traditional.means.for.development.optimization,.however,.do.not.address.one.key.process.that.is.a.major.

consumer.of.time.and.effort.on.the.part.of.developers.

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.application.problem.resolution..It.has.been.

estimated.by.analysts.and.other.industry.experts.that.software.developers.spend.30.to.60.percent.of.

their.time.identifying.and.correcting.defects.reported.by.the.quality.assurance.(QA).group.during.the.testing.

phase.and.escalated.by.support.staff..This.process,.referred.to.as.application.problem.resolution,.is.

common.to.all.development.organizations,.regardless.of.their.industry,.development.method,.and.platform.

An.innovative.technology.has.emerged.that.addresses.application.problem.resolution.head-on..Solutions.

based.on.this.technology.can.help.save.up.to.one.half.of.the.time.developers.spend.resolving.problems.

by.automating.problem.resolution.processes.over.the.entire.application.lifecycle..As.a.result,.the.

development.staff.can.deliver.more.applications.in.shorter.time.frames,.without.jeopardizing.functionality.

or.quality.

What’s.more,.by.substantially.improving.developer.productivity,.an.application.problem.resolution.solution.

can.reduce.the.number.of.developers.needed.to.meet.the.ever-shrinking.application.delivery.times.required.

by.the.business..That.means.fewer.developers.that.need.to.be.hired.to.meet.schedule.commitments.or.

replace.developers.that.leave.the.organization.through.attrition..The.combination.of.advantages.achieved.

through.implementing.an.automated.application.problem.resolution.solution.gives.the.business.a.decided.

edge.that.helps.ensure.greater.success.

This.paper:

Describes.the.problem.resolution.process.and.the.demands.it.places.on.application.developers

Discusses.how.new.technology.can.reduce.the.time.developers.spend.on.problem.resolution

Presents.the.criteria.for.a.solution.that.addresses.these.issues

Describes.the.resulting.business.benefits.and.examples.of.organizations.that.have.achieved.them

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application problem resolution, the Major

consumer of Development effort

The.demand.for.business.applications.is.increasing,.while. application.development.teams.are.also.under.pressure.from. senior.management.to.reduce.application.development.costs.. Complicating.the.problem.is.the.increased.proliferation.of. multi-tier,.Web-based.applications.and.the.rapid.emergence. of.service-oriented.architecture.(SOA)..While.constructing. such.highly.distributed.applications.is.easier,.isolating.and. pinpointing.problems.is.increasingly.more.difficult.due.to. the.great.number.of.moving.parts.and.constant.changes. As.a.result,.application.development.managers.are.always. faced.with.making.tradeoffs.in.application.functionality,. quality,.and.time.to.market..In.addition,.development.man-agers.face.the.problem.of.having.to.hire.and.train.skilled. programmers,.either.to.speed.up.a.project.that.is.getting. behind.schedule,.or.to.backfill.developer.positions.vacated. through.attrition.

To.address.these.issues,.IT.organizations.are.taking.a. close.look.at.their.application.development.processes.and. searching.for.ways.to.improve.them..This.quest.is.of. particular.importance.to.senior.application.development. managers,.whose.success.is.measured.by.their.ability.to. deliver.needed.applications.that.meet.functional.and.quality. requirements.—.on.time.and.under.a.growing.pressure.to. cut.costs..

Consequently,.some.application.development.managers. are.now.off-shoring.a.part.of.their.development.projects.. Others.are.investing.in.application.lifecycle.management. tools.that.allow.for.better.management.of.software.develop-ment.projects..Many.organizations.have.also.either.turned.

to.agile.development.methodologies,.or.are.considering.it.. These.methodologies.minimize.risk.by.developing.software. in.short.“time.boxes,”.called.iterations,.that.typically.last. one.to.four.weeks...

Yet,.none.of.these.initiatives.addresses.the.time-consuming,. inefficient.process.that.is.common.to.all.development. organizations.—.application.problem.resolution..This.process. involves.significant.developer.time.in.both.the.application. development.and.application.maintenance.stages.of.the. development.lifecycle.

Application Development

The.various.activities.carried.out.in.the.development.stage. of.the.application.lifecycle.may.be.grouped.as.following:

Requirements.gathering Design

Coding Testing

Typically,.more.than.half.of.the.total.software.project.time. is.spent.in.testing..This.involves.a.wide.variety.of.tests,. such.as.unit.testing.(usually.done.by.the.developer),.as.well. as.testing.for.integration,.component,.system,.system.inte-gration,.user.acceptance,.and.implementation..The.purpose. of.testing.is.to.uncover.and.resolve.as.many.problems.as. possible.before.the.application.is.released.to.production.. That.means.that.just.about.all.of.a.developer’s.time.spent. in.testing.is.spent.diagnosing.and.investigating.defects. reported.by.the.testing.team..Because.testing.accounts.for. more.than.half.of.the.time.a.developer.spends.in.the.appli-cation.development.stage,.streamlining.problem.resolution. in.testing.will.contribute.heavily.to.speeding.the.application. development.process.

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Design and Coding Unit Testing System Testing User Acceptance

Testing Maintenance

% T

ime Spent on Problem Resolution

Lifecycle Stage

0% 50% 100%

Problem Resolution Time

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Application Maintenance

Developers.may.also.get.involved.in.the.resolution.of.prob-lems.detected.in.the.maintenance.stage.of.the.application. lifecycle..Problems.discovered.here.do.not.have.as.much. impact.on.developers’.time.as.those.discovered.in.the. development.stage..That’s.because.far.fewer.problems.are. detected.in.the.maintenance.stage.than.in.the.development. stage..Moreover,.not.all.of.the.problems.encountered.in. maintenance.require.developer.involvement,.as.many. problems.are.resolved.by.the.application.support.team. Problems.in.the.production.environment,.however,.typically. have.greater.impact.on.the.business.than.those.discovered. in.the.development.stage,.and.they.can.distract.developers. from.their.primary.task.of.developing.new.applications..Not. only.that,.but.these.problems.are.more.difficult.to.diagnose. than.problems.detected.in.the.QA.lab..A.study.by.Ziff-Davis/The.Strategy.Group.for.BMC.Software.revealed.that. when.reacting.to.IT.incidents,.most.companies.are.employing. manual.processes.that.require.significant.human.intervention.. On.average,.14.staff.members.are.involved.in.responding.. to.and.repairing.service.outages1_{..As.a.result,.application.} development.optimization.must.also.encompass.problem. resolution.in.the.maintenance.stage.

the application problem

resolution process

A.closer.look.at.application.problem.resolution.reveals. areas.that.present.opportunities.for.improvement..The. problem.resolution.process.consists.of.two.steps:.root. cause.analysis.and.problem.fix..Typically,.the.vast.majority.

of.the.time.that.developers.spend.in.application.problem. resolution.is.spent.on.root.cause.analysis.

Root.cause.analysis.presents.a.challenge.because.the.symp-tom.does.not.usually.point.to.the.source.of.the.problem.. For.example,.during.integration.testing,.a.particular.transac-tion.may.not.execute..Potential.causes.of.the.failure.are. many.and.varied,.and.may.include.a.source.code.bug,.an. application.server.service.failure,.a.network.problem,. improper.configuration,.or.a.combination.of.these.

As.application.complexity.grows,.the.difficulty.of.root.cause. analysis.increases..Consider.the.difficulty.of.finding.a.root. cause.in.a.multi-tier.application.built.on.service-oriented. architecture..The.application.may.involve.multiple.services. provided.by.multiple.resources.that.may.be.scattered. geographically.and.may.reside.both.inside.and.outside. the.organization.

In.performing.root.cause.analysis,.developers.and.testers. (in.the.development.stage),.and.developers.and.support. teams.(in.the.maintenance.stage).typically.collaborate.in.a. reiterative,.cumbersome,.three-step.process.that.is.often. based.on.trial.and.error:

Gather.problem.information

Re-create.the.problem.scenario.in.a.controlled.environment Analyze.the.re-created.problem.to.determine.its.root.cause Many.of.the.tasks.are.performed.manually..As.a.result,.the. problem.resolution.process.is.inefficient.and.time.consuming,. driving.up.both.test.time.(in.the.development.stage).and. support.time.(in.the.maintenance.stage).

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Figure 2..Developer.time.breakdown

20%

Writing Code

30%

Other

50%

Problem Resolution

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Gather Problem Information

When.a.problem.is.uncovered,.the.tester.or.support. technician.manually.documents.the.problem.and.passes. the.information.to.the.developer..To.do.so,.he.or.she.must. manually.collect.the.problem.information.from.multiple,. disparate.sources,.such.as.screen.captures,.internal. application.log.files,.operating.system.log.files,.memory. dumps,.and.configuration.information. The.developer.usually.has.to.make.several.round.trips.to. the.tester.(in.the.development.stage).or.to.the.support. team.or.end.users.(in.the.maintenance.stage).in.order.to. gather.the.information.necessary.to.ferret.out.the.root. cause..This.process.is.time.consuming,.error.prone,.and. communication.intensive. It.is.important.to.note.that.while.not.all.problems.are.diffi-cult.—.nor.do.they.always.take.multiple.iterations.to. determine.root.cause.—.one.of.the.key.challenges.of.the. problem.resolution.process.is.that.developers.and.testers. can.rarely.predict.if.a.certain.issue.would.be.hard.or.easy. to.pinpoint;.therefore,.highly.detailed.information.needs.to. be.gathered.for.each.issue.

Re-create Problem

Using.the.gathered.information,.the.developer.must.re-create. the.problem.scenario.exactly,.usually.through.a.manual. process..The.developer.typically.begins.by.making.assump-tions.as.to.why.the.problem.is.occurring.and.using.these. assumptions.as.a.basis.for.recreating.the.problem..Accurate. problem.re-creation.is.extremely.difficult.because.every. problem.can.have.literally.hundreds.of.possible.causes.. In.many.cases,.the.developer’s.original.assumptions.are. incorrect..As.a.result,.the.developer.has.to.make.several. attempts.at.re-creating.the.problem.before.successfully. replicating.the.original.problem.scenario. If.the.developer.doesn’t.re-create.the.problem.exactly,.the. same.symptom.may.surface,.but.be.due.to.a.different.root. cause..Here.is.an.example:.

A transaction failure caused by a program bug occurs in the QA system during testing. In attempting to re-create the problem in the development lab, the developer inadvertently misconfigures the application server. The incorrect configu-ration results in the same transaction failure and masks the real root cause, which is a program bug.

While.many.problems.are.relatively.easy.to.re-create,. those.that.aren’t.consume.huge.amounts.of.time..In.fact,. some.problems.are.deemed.“non-reproducible,”.because. the.developer.cannot.accurately.re-create.them.

Analyze Root Cause

Once.the.developer.has.re-created.the.problem,.he.or.she. must.then.perform.an.analysis.to.determine.its.root.cause.. Here.again,.the.developer.typically.employs.a.manual,.reit-erative.approach.based.on.trial.and.error. The.developer.often.uses.a.variety.of.tools.and.techniques. in.the.analysis,.employing.different.specialized.tools.for. different.categories.of.problems..The.developer.must.first. try.to.categorize.the.problem.to.determine.which.tools.to. use..For.example,.if.the.developer.suspects.memory.leak,. he.or.she.may.use.a.memory.analyzer.tool..Here.again,.a. wrong.assumption.results.in.wasted.time. Even.if.successful,.the.developer.may.have.to.re-create. the.problem.multiple.times.in.analyzing.the.root.cause.. For.example,.when.using.a.debugger,.the.developer. sets.breakpoints.at.various.locations.in.the.source.code,. re-creates.the.problem,.and.steps.through.application. execution..The.developer.then.sets.different.breakpoints,. re-creates.the.problem.again,.and.steps.through.a.different. execution.sequence,.repeating.this.process.until.the.root. cause.is.uncovered. In.summary,.the.application.problem.resolution.process,. which.consists.of.information.gathering,.problem.re-creation,. and.analysis,.is.manual..As.a.result,.it.is.often.error.prone. and.inefficient..Optimizing.this.process.would.result.in.sub-stantial.efficiency.gains.to.the.development.organization.

Leveraging technology to streamline

application problem resolution

New.technology-based.solutions.are.available.to.help.appli-cation.developers.streamline.and.greatly.accelerate.the. problem.resolution.process..Through.the.implementation. of.best-practice.application.problem.resolution.processes. and.the.automation.of.manual.tasks,.these.solutions.can. significantly.reduce.the.time.and.effort.developers.now.spend. on.resolving.problems..Developers.can.leverage.these. solutions.across.the.entire.application.lifecycle.—.from. development.through.maintenance.

Streamlining the Development Stage

A.problem.resolution.solution.can.help.the.application. development.staff.to.streamline.all.problem.resolution. steps.performed.in.testing.in.the.development.stage,.. dramatically.shrinking.testing.time..The.solution.should. streamline.the.collaborative.processes.among.developers. and.testers.by.automating.information.capture.and.facili-tating.information.flow.between.the.two.groups.

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P A G E > Information Gathering The.solution.should.also.automate.documentation.of.defects,. providing.a.comprehensive,.digital.documentary.of.any. problem.encountered..In.this.way,.it.can.improve.tester. productivity.by.automatically.capturing.and.attaching.com-prehensive.documentation.of.failures.to.a.software.defect. report..It.can.also.ensure.that.the.developer.receives,.in. the.initial.defect.report,.rich.contextual.information.that. facilitates.root.cause.analysis..Because.of.the.complete-ness.of.the.information.provided.with.the.initial.report,.the. developer.does.not.have.to.go.back.multiple.times.to.the. tester.for.additional.information,.saving.considerable.time. Problem Re-creation Using.the.digital.documentary.that.is.created.in.the.infor-mation-gathering.phase.and.provided.with.the.initial.defect. report,.the.developer.is.able.to.literally.replay.the.problem. scenario.exactly.as.the.tester.experienced.it..This.is.much. like.using.a.DVD.to.replay.a.movie..This.replay.capability. eliminates.the.need.for.developers.to.manually.re-create. the.problem.scenario,.saving.a.substantial.portion.of.the. developer’s.time..It.also.eliminates.“non-reproducible”. problems.that.soak.up.considerable.time.—.not.only. that.of.developers,.but.also.that.of.testers.and.application. support.technicians. Information Analysis Because.of.the.rich.information.provided.by.the.digital. documentary,.the.solution.should.also.eliminate.the.need. to.manually.categorize.problems.when.performing.problem. analysis..This.also.minimizes.the.time.needed.to.resolve. the.problem.by.eliminating.the.multiple.problem.analysis. cycles.typically.needed.to.determine.the.root.cause.. Moreover,.a.well.architected.solution.can.replace.the. patchwork.of.disparate.problem-analysis.tools.with.a.single,. comprehensive,.and.integrated.tool.suite..This.eliminates. the.need.to.make.multiple.passes.through.the.problem. with.different.tools,.resulting.in.increased.developer.pro-ductivity,.and.enabling.the.developer.to.get.to.the.root. cause.much.more.quickly.

Streamlining the Maintenance Stage

A.problem.resolution.solution.should.also.streamline.the. problem.resolution.process.in.the.maintenance.stage.of. the.application.lifecycle..Just.as.the.solution.can.optimize. the.collaboration.process.between.development.and.test. engineers.in.the.development.stage,.it.can.also.optimize. the.collaboration.process.between.developers.(who.are. often.the.last.line.of.support).and.other.groups.involved.in. problem.escalation.in.the.maintenance.stage.(service.desk,. support.team). The.solution.can.streamline.the.incident.documentation. process.by.capturing.a.comprehensive.digital.documentary. of.incident.occurrence.in.the.production.environment. (including.user.behavior,.the.complete.problem.environ-ment,.and.code.execution)..This.ensures.that.all.requisite. information.required.to.replay.a.problem.scenario.and. analyze.the.root.cause.accompanies.the.initial.problem. report..The.advantages.include: Eliminates.the.need.for.time-consuming,.back-and-forth. communications.among.the.developer,.the.support.team,. and.the.end.user.to.gather.sufficient.data Eliminates.“non-reproducible”.problems.that.soak.up. considerable.time.on.the.part.of.many.groups Eliminates.the.need.for.developers.to.directly.access.the. production.environment.(an.industry.best.practice.that. helps.organizations.comply.with.regulations,.such.as. Sarbanes-Oxley) Makes.the.development.organization.substantially. more.efficient Results.in.faster.problem.resolution.and.reduces.. business.risk

solution criteria

Because.an.application.problem.resolution.solution.is.cru-cial.to.optimizing.application.development,.it’s.important. that.the.application.development.organization.choose.the. right.solution..This.section.presents.a.set.of.criteria.that. the.staff.can.use.in.evaluating.solutions.

Support Entire Application Lifecycle

The.solution.should.support.problem.resolution.processes. across.the.entire.application.lifecycle,.including.both.the. development.stage.and.the.maintenance.stage..This.requires. a.solution.that.implements.and.automates.best-practice. processes.that.streamline.collaboration.between.develop-ment.and.other.groups.involved.in.problem.resolution,. throughout.the.entire.application.lifecycle..These.other. groups.include.test.engineers.(in.the.development.stage). and.the.application.support.team.(in.the.maintenance. stage)..The.solution.should.cater.to.the.specific.needs.of. each.of.the.groups..For.example,.it.should.help.testers. easily.document.detected.defects.and.enable.developers. to.perform.quick.analysis.of.recorded.information.

Support Applications Across the Enterprise

Look.for.a.solution.that.can.support.applications.across.the. enterprise..This.requires.the.ability.to.capture.data.on.all. platforms,.regardless.of.the.platform.operating.environ-ment.(such.as.Microsoft..NET,.IBM®_{.WebSphere,.or.BEA.} WebLogic),.and.regardless.of.where.the.platform.is.running. (such.as.in.a.test.lab,.a.production.data.center,.or.at.a. remote.end-user.site)..The.solution.should.also.be.indepen-dent.of.the.development.methodology.used.and.the. development.environment.employed. > > > > >

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Provide Thorough, Yet Unobtrusive, Data Capture

It’s.important.to.look.for.a.solution.that.can.automatically. capture.complete.problem.data.in.a.single.pass.to.minimize. re-creation.of.problems.and.facilitate.root.cause.analysis.of. any.type.of.application.problem,.including.bugs.in.the. source.code,.configuration.issues,.performance.problems,. user.errors,.and.other.issues. The.solution.must.be.capable.of.capturing.information.across. all.tiers.in.a.multi-tier.application.environment..It.should.also. capture.virtually.all.application.behavior.at.the.source,.including. user.interface,.all.interactions.with.external.components. (including.database.calls,.Web.Services,.and.operating. system.calls),.the.exact.sequence.of.code-level.execution,. and.the.values.of.program.parameters.and.variables.. Data.capture.should.be.fast.and.easy.to.activate,.and.should. not.add.excessive.overhead.to.application.execution..Most. importantly,.it.should.not.require.application.change.or. disrupt.business.services.in.any.way.

Integrate Easily with Other Systems

The.solution.should.integrate.easily.with.other.systems.that. are.currently.used.in.application.development.and.mainte-nance.processes..This.includes.integration.with.systems. that.maintain.problem.data,.such.as.defect.tracking.tools,. testing.tools,.and.homegrown.logging.mechanisms..It.also. includes.integration.with.problem.detection.systems,.such. as.IT.infrastructure.monitoring.systems..In.addition,.this. includes.integration.with.systems.that.implement.and. automate.processes.relative.to.problem.resolution,.such. as.incident,.problem,.change,.release,.and.configuration. management.systems.

compelling business benefits

The.implementation.of.an.application.problem.resolution. solution.delivers.several.business.benefits.

Increase Business Agility

A.well-architected.solution.can.help.the.application.develop-ment.staff.save.substantial.time.in.problem.resolution..As. a.result,.the.staff.can.deliver.applications.faster,.without. jeopardizing.functionality.or.quality..This.permits.the. development.staff.to.increase.business.agility.by.responding. more.quickly.to.the.needs.of.the.business.for.new.and. enhanced.applications.

Reduce Development Costs

Based.on.the.experience.of.organizations.that.have.already. implemented.application.problem.resolution.solutions,.a. developer.can.save.up.to.half.the.time.spent.in.problem. resolution..Using.an.assumption.that.developers.spend.half. of.their.total.time.in.problem.resolution.during.development. and.maintenance,.this.translates.to.savings.of.more.than. one-fourth.of.the.developer’s.total.time.per.year..Assuming. a.fully.loaded.cost.of.$100.thousand.per.developer,.a.problem. resolution.solution.would.save.$25.thousand.annually.per. developer..For.a.team.of.50.application.developers,.this. translates.into.cost.savings.of.$1.25.million.per.year..It.can. allow.developers.to.focus.more.of.their.time.on.innovative. projects.that.can.make.a.company.more.competitive,. instead.of.on.problem.resolution.

Reduce Defects

Because.the.solution.greatly.facilitates.problem.resolution,. it.permits.more.rigorous.QA.testing.in.the.development. stage,.without.extending.the.time.to.market.(and.often. even.shrinking.it)..This.results.in.fewer.defects.in.the. production.environment,.which.means.less.business.risk.. It.also.means.less.distraction.for.developers.in.handling. problems.in.the.maintenance.stage.of.the.application.life-cycle..What’s.more,.by.eliminating.non-reproducible.bugs,. the.solution.permits.the.development.staff.to.remove.a. greater.number.of.defects.

Reduce Hiring Requirements

Reducing.the.time.developers.have.to.spend.on.problem. resolution.substantially.reduces.staffing.requirements.for. application.development.projects..With.an.automated. application.problem.resolution.solution.in.place,.develop-ment.managers.can.meet.the.functionality,.quality,.and. time.demands.for.new.applications..

some real-World examples

Many.organizations.have.already.begun.to.optimize.applica-tion.development.using.new.problem.resolution.technologies. and.solutions..The.results.have.been.compelling..Here.are. just.a.few.examples.

Financial Services

The.private.wealth.management.division.of.an.international. financial.services.provider.has.deployed.more.than.80.soft-ware.applications.to.support.its.day-to-day.operations..The. majority.of.applications.have.been.developed.internally.and. tested.in.an.offshore.location..The.company’s.development. organization.is.required.to.release.a.new.build.of.most. customer-facing.applications.every.four.to.eight.weeks,.and. has.found.this.objective.to.be.a.challenge,.primarily.due.to. developer.attrition. The.development.organization.addressed.the.challenge.by. implementing.an.application.problem.resolution.solution. that.automated.the.problem.resolution.process..As.a. result,.the.division.significantly.improved.the.productivity. of.its.developers.and.testers,.reducing.the.developer.hiring. plan.by.more.than.10.percent..At.the.same.time,.the.solution.

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P A G E > enabled.the.development.organization.to.fix.defects.that. were.previously.difficult.to.reproduce,.increasing.software. quality.without.delaying.delivery.schedules.

Healthcare Software Provider

A.leading.provider.of.healthcare.software.solutions.was. developing.a.new.healthcare.system.to.improve.patient. care.and.management..The.system.would.replace.traditional. paper.charts.with.intelligent,.interactive.electronic.forms.. The.company.was.eager.to.get.the.system.to.market,.but. in.the.healthcare.industry,.high.quality.is.critical.in.software. systems.because.people’s.lives.are.literally.at.stake. Using.an.application.problem.resolution.solution,.the. software.provider.was.able.to.shrink.the.time.to.market. without.jeopardizing.quality..The.company.cut.the.time.that. developers.had.been.spending.on.root.cause.analysis.by. about.80.percent..At.the.same.time,.the.company.was. able.to.reduce.the.manual.burden.on.its.QA.engineers.by. 25.percent,.enabling.that.much.more.testing.before.release. to.production.

Retail

A.large.marketer.of.consumer.electronics.relies.on.250. software.applications.to.support.and.seamlessly.integrate. the.operations.of.its.three.sales.channels:.retail.stores,.call. center,.and.Web.site.operations..The.applications,.most.of. which.have.been.developed.in.house,.are.tightly.integrated. and.all.share.the.same.unified.business.processes.on.the. back.end..This.ensures.that.customers.have.a.consistent. experience.across.all.channels..As.a.result,.customers.get. consistent.access.to.special.offers,.pricing,.and.up-to-date. inventory.information,.regardless.of.the.channels.they.use. The.applications.development.staff.not.only.has.to.maintain. this.multitude.of.applications,.but.it.must.also.enhance.them. and.develop.new.applications.to.maintain.the.company’s. competitive.edge..The.staff.implemented.an.application. problem.resolution.solution.to.optimize.application.develop-ment.processes.and.cut.the.time.it.takes.to.pinpoint.and. resolve.problems.in.production..The.solution.enabled.the. company.to.reduce.root.cause.analysis.times.by.up.to.70. percent,.shrinking.development.cycles.and.improving.ser-vice.to.application.users.through.faster.problem.resolution.

conclusion

By.optimizing.the.problem.resolution.process.through.the. implementation.of.an.application.problem.resolution.solution,. the.development.organization.can.greatly.increase.application. output.in.both.quantity.and.quality..This.enables.development. managers.to.meet.the.challenge.of.delivering.more.applica-tions,.in.ever-decreasing.time.frames,.and.in.a.technology. environment.that.is.increasing.in.complexity.—.all.. without.sacrificing.functionality.or.quality..It.also.reduces. hiring.requirements,.and.that’s.welcome.news.to.develop-ment.managers.

Today,.application.development.is.a.key.factor.in.business. success..Application.developers.create.the.innovative. business.services.that.are.revolutionizing.business.and.are. essential.to.business.success..The.more.quickly.and. efficiently.the.application.development.staff.can.deliver. applications,.the.greater.the.organization’s.business.agility. and.resulting.competitive.edge...

BMC.offers.solutions.to.optimize.application.development.. For.more.information,.visit.www.identify.com.

Endnotes

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About BMC Software

BMC.Software.delivers.the.solutions.IT.needs.to.increase.business.value.through.better.management.of.technology.and.IT.processes..Our.industry-leading.Business.Service.Management.solutions.help.you.reduce.cost,.lower.risk.of.business.disruption,.and.benefit.from.an.IT.infrastructure.built.to. support.business.growth.and.flexibility..Only.BMC.provides.best-practice.IT.processes,.automated.technology.management,.and.award-winning.BMC. Atrium.technologies.that.offer.a.shared.view.into.how.IT.services.support.business.priorities..Known.for.enterprise.solutions.that.span.mainframe,. distributed.systems,.and.end-user.devices,.BMC.also.delivers.solutions.that.address.the.unique.challenges.of.the.midsized.business..Founded.in. 1980,.BMC.has.offices.worldwide.and.fiscal.2007.revenues.of.$1.58.billion..Activate.your.business.with.the.power.of.IT..www.bmc.com.

About the Author

Eldad Maniv, vice president of product management at BMC Software,.is.a.leading.expert.in.application.development.optimization..He.has. more.than.20.years.of.experience.in.managing.complex.software.projects.in.various.industries..Since.2003,.he.has.been.collaborating.with.numerous. organizations.worldwide.to.analyze.software.development.processes.and.build.solutions.for.automation.and.optimization..Previously,.he.was. founder.and.CEO.at.NextNine,.a.provider.of.problem.resolution.solutions.for.embedded.systems..He.also.founded.BiTec.Ltd.,.a.consultancy.that. delivered.large-scale.systems.engineering.projects.in.the.telecom.and.medical.industries..He.holds.a.bachelor’s.degree.in.physics,.mathematics,. and.computer.science.from.the.prestigious.Talpiot.program.at.Hebrew.University.in.Jerusalem.

To learn more about how BMC can help activate your business, visit www.bmc.com or call (800) 841-2031

BMC, BMC Software, and the BMC Software logo are the exclusive properties of BMC Software, Inc., are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office,

Optimizing Application Development A Key to Business Success