11.6. Conclusions

For more than fifty years enterprise software delivery organizations have been required to adjust and adapt to continual changes in technology, operating environments, and consumer needs. Whether from mainframe to PC or from thick client access to web browsers, these changes have resulted in challenges addressed through new practices and approaches and supported with tools and skills necessary for success.

Currently, the evolving world economy is driving globalization activities at every level of business. Among the several ways in which this globalization will affect the way teams deliver enterprise software, the most important is that software delivery will be viewed from the perspective of a global supply chain in which multiple delivery partners will collaborate within and across organizational boundaries to deliver effective solutions at lowest cost.