Radical new events are strongly becoming the norm in 2010. Everything from new healthcare reform to the worst environmental disaster America has ever seen to the final episode of the ABC hit show Lost. What do all of these big events have in common? They will all need people with software developments and project management skills to accomplish new goals. All of these massive events call for new or improved infrastructures, both technical and physical.
Hospitals and insurance companies nationwide are dealing with new standards and regulations that will ultimately mean massive change over a long period of time. The disaster in the Gulf has required immediate action across the country calling for people to mobilize supplies and efforts to reduce the damage that is being done. Thousands of new workers have been hired to deal with this very dynamic problem. The end of the popular television show Lost means ABC will need to find a new golden child to produce millions of dollars in advertising revenue that also maintains and grows their current audience. With so much money on the line you can bet ABC will spare no expense in getting the best in software development and project management to guarantee success.
What does this mean to you? SDLC skills are in high demand and that demand will continue to grow. That being said, what are some of the trends we are already seeing in 2010 for SDLC professionals?
I was speaking with Brian M. Rabon, an ASPE-SDLC instructor who is a CSM, CSP, MSEE and PMP. Brian is also the president of The Briantrust Consulting Group, you can read his blog, find him on Facebook, and connect with him on Linkedin or Twitter. He shares with us a few of the trends he has seen so far.
- For Project Managers PMP is a pre-requisite today. You won’t even be considered for a position without it. However, having a PMP is no longer rare and doesn’t help you stand out from the crowd
- Reports are coming in that CSM is being requested more and more (salaries are increasing and rivaling traditional PMs too) .
- Scrum is becoming mainstream in tier 1 markets. However in tier 2 markets it has just come out of the chasm (Geoffrey Moore analogy). I believe that Scrum utilization is going to increase (in 2010 keep an eye on Scrum.org and how Ken S. may challenge the Scrum Alliance)
- Lean is hot and will continue to grow; obscure Agile frameworks (Crystal, DSDM, etc) are fading into obscurity
- There appears to be a major shift in what types of projects are being worked on in 2010. There are fewer “re-invent the world” projects being started from scratch. There is an increase in the number of customization/integration projects with COTS. Also, smaller scale app dev is skyrocketing (look at the number of apps in the iTunes store)
- Experience is definitely valued right now, especially in deep verticals (healthcare, etc…). I wouldn’t want to be a new grad right now
- PMI is going to be pushing the CAPM exam for recent grads (because it focuses on book knowledge, not experience) – heard this from the PMI COO
To give people some perspective I’ve included some research we did in 2009. Skills like Domain Knowledge and Business Alignment made SDLC professionals indispensable, while Agile methods skills and specialized certifications made you more marketable. (This is a very small excerpt from a larger article; you can view the whole thing here.)
So far 2010 has had some hard hitting trends that directly affect those in these professions. Considering this subject affects so many people, I’d like to throw a couple questions out there: What trends are you seeing? Instructors and readers who are in the trenches what have you noticed?
[UPDATE: check out the comment section for some great feedback]
Brian's comment on experience really resonates with me. Since SDLC professionals are counted on to link the business need with technology capabilities, the strongest SDLC professionals are those with strong domain knowledge. Domain knowledge is a detailed understanding of the internal business processes and technology tools that make an organization run. It is like being Corporal Klinger from MASH, knowing the system so well you can get anything done. Domain knowledge increases indispensability, which is job security. In a difficult economy I think making your self as indispensable as possible should be a top priority.
The main skill for a Business Analyst continues to be abstraction—the ability to create an appropriate solution from a series of concepts. Good analysts are able to abstract at multiple levels, multiple subject matters, and multiple perspectives. Abstractions are usually realized as models—precise representations of concepts capable of being read and understood, evaluated, and ultimately translated (coded) into system implementations. Great analysts understand and practice precision in modeling—they don’t just draw UML or BPM diagrams for the sake of diagramming; they use pictures that can represent ideas far more accurately than often imprecise and fluffy text.
Good insights in to the Business Analysis world Marc!
BTW, Marc is one of our instructors who teaches the Business Modeling course.
Gosh I wish it was simply an extension of the 2007/08/09… models. The current economic model that we are operating in is turned upside down. Companies are reluctant to invest in strength building and when they do they hold the educational participants to a standard that is difficult for them to attain.
Post recovery, the training segment for IT professionals will involve both a global and a business as a service segment. The days of IT as a support function will be long gone. Some would argue that this has been the case for sometime when in fact it has been only shallowly implemented. Training will have segments like: core technical (skill competencies), operating in a global context, and IT strategic innovation. Without this, Western markets will continue to struggle in the new world paradigm.
What was once a vision of West using East will now become a case of East and our the West will participate.
True, looking at these trends on a global level only makes since. Very interesting insights! This could be a whole other post ‘what are the global effects of post recession on the IT and SDLC professions?’