Adjusting Paradigms for the Millenium

"Extreme Programming", what exactly is it? Java Server Pages, what's being served? Portals, why should I care? All very good questions, but what's the answer? Well, it depends on who you are. The Chief Financial Officer probably doesn't need to know about Java Server Pages or Extreme Programming, but she sure might be interested in a Corporate Portal. The same could be said for any non-technical manager, executive and staff member. If you are an IT manager, then you are very interested in emerging technologies, best practices and more efficient methodologies. Regardless of who you are within your organization, you should be concerned with accessibility.

You've seen the buzzwords come and go. You've also sat back and watched other managers buy in to the latest fad methodology. The point is that sometimes it pays off and other times it does not. In the Information Technology industry, we have to take risks in order to enjoy greater than everage rewards. Risk taking also must be leveraged by stable, proven methodologies that ensure continuity of operations and service. Often in business, we cannot afford to completely drop our current processes and methodologies. What we can do, is sowly adapt and migrate these methodologies to incorporate change. One of the most important changes to incorporate immediately is to regard accessibility as mandatory.

I will not go into a full discussion of "Extreme Programming", but I will discuss one of it's most central assertions: Assigning two programmers to every task. This is not necessarily a new idea, but it had not been widely adopted until recently due to supposed added expense. In actuality, it does NOT add expense in the long run. Smaller tasks should be completed by one staff member, but larger tasks and projects should have two assigned. The benefits are many and include:

• Collaboration - Two heads are better than one. Problems are worked through much faster hwen two staff, who are intimately involved with the issues, can bounce ideas off each other.
• Redundancy - Ever had a developer go on vacation and have his system go down? When you need a bug fix or a modification to business logic, the timing cannot always be optimal. With two staff in the know, it is far more likely that one will be available.

There are many worthwhile methodologies introduced regularly. The wise manager will stay aware and adopt those that are relevant and fit within their organization. As part of Extreme Programming, both developers should be aware of accessibility issues from the beginning.

Java Server Pages are becoming increasingly popular as a means of producing dynamic data-driven web content. Many Web Application Servers support JSP and some incorporate them into the development environment. J2EE has been adopted by many software vendors, including Oracle Corporation. Their new Oracle 9i Application Server is built with J2EE and they are driving development of JSP's. Not everyone uses Oracle as the Enterprise database or App Server, but JSPs do run on other web servers as well. More and more, we want everything web-enabled. That means intgrating Enterprise applications, remote data and even external apps or data. How do we integrate? Well, that is a loaded question with no single answer, but many solution architects include server side java to interface with disparate sources. Start out slowly .. train one developer and work on a small pilot program. Be daring, test the waterss. Maybe even hire an experienced consultant to solve a business need and transfer some knowledge to you and your team. Make sure that Accessibility remains a priority in any new development.

Lets discuss further web-enabling existing applications and data. We've all heard of a much abused industry term called "portals". It seems every vendor today is selling one. The truth is that you don't need to pay seven figures for a "portal" product which may or may not meet all of your goals. A portal is simply this: a single point of entry into required information, applications and corporate data. Although many vendors offer appealing front ends and even demonstrate unbelievable sample sites, it remains up to you and your company to integrate your many myriad of back-end sources. A very simplistic approach to building a corporate portal is to organize, effectively, information that your intended audience needs and can locate quickly and easily. Many current systems have built-in web interfaces which can be linked to your new "portal". When buying into an expensive portal product and system integrator, all of your applications and data will most likely have the same front end look and feel. While the native web interfaces for your other systems will not have the same front end, you've given your users a single location from which they can locate what they need. It's a first step. When working with application vendors, be sure to discuss accessibility. Any vendor that sells to the federal government is required to have their software be accessible, so they will be used to these questions.

Through all of your planning, design, development, there are many things to remember. Define best practices for your organization and periodically review them for relevance and ease of use.

Don't forget to plan for ACCESSIBILITY from the beginning. When evaluating new technologies, it is very important to consider all of your potential audience and ensure that you not leave anyone out. Vendors are gradually coming board to the accessibility compliance bandwagon, so for almost every technical advance, you should be able to find a product with accessibility features built in. When implementing technology, don't forget to "plan for accessibility" during your project planning stage. Contact Accessful Consulting early on so that we can help you understand the impact and plausibilities of accessibility. Don't just aim for a successful project, make it an Accessful project.

Remember that in order for us to remain successful and to put our business ahead, we must be flexible and adjust our paradigms for the millenium. As part of your "model" for IT, don't forget to include "Accessful Development". Plan for ACCESSIBILITY.