Want it all? Better, Faster AND cheaper? How about highly valuable IT solutions that pay for themselves in the first third of the project and are infused with quality at every step?  The Speed 2 Value (S2V) approach promises to make that dream a reality.  S2V bridges the gap between IT and business, by investing the time up front to understand customers’ most pressing needs and learn what will create real value for the business.  It then focuses on developing the most needed and valuable solutions first, delivering them early and often with Six Sigma quality and Sarbanes Oxley compliance.

S2V is deeply rooted in eXtreme Programming (XP) and the Agile Methodology.  The revolutionary thinking in these approaches, including Value Focused Deliverables, Test-Driven Development, Short Iterations & Releases, Continuous Integration, Collective Ownership, Simple Design, Responsiveness to Change, and Customer Collaboration, are all fundamental practices within S2V.  S2V, however, goes several steps further to address a number of areas where XP and Agile are sorely lacking.

A typical IT budget allocates about 90 percent of funds just to “keep the lights on”, leaving only 10 percent for new projects.  S2V flips that equation.  By testing first, to develop solutions that actually get better over time, S2V creates systems that require less maintenance and support. This allows organizations to invest more of their IT budgets into building new functionality, instead of maintaining older, flagging solutions.

Does this way of doing things work?  Using this approach, Pillar Technology has won GM’s CIO Award for Excellence for the OnStar application with 100% uptime three years in a row, and produced seven systems with only four defects over a four-year period!  Come hear how the S2V concepts and approach can improve the way you manage, develop, and deliver software in your organization.

SPEAKER: Alec Finn, Senior Program Manager, Pillar Technology

Alec Finn is a Senior Program Manager with Pillar Technology. He has been instrumental in helping sculpt the S2V methodology through practical application. He has successfully utilized the practice in numerous complex .Net and J2EE environments ranging from single developers to large, cross-platform teams at multiple locations. Aside from his project related duties, Mr. Finn is also responsible for mentoring new and existing Pillar project managers in S2V, as well as working with executive management to continually refine the process. Prior to joining Pillar, Mr. Finn successfully deployed large-scale projects for Rand McNally, Ford Motor Company, and the American Bar Association.