The Systems Development Dilemma -- A Programming Perspective

Information Systems (IS) is facing a dilemma: software is absorbing an ever-increasing portion of the total IS budget while maintenance is absorbing an ever increasing proportion of the software budget. In the not too distant future, unless this trend is arrested, or reversed, nearly all software resources may be required for maintenance. There are certain projected developments which give hope for the future – though not in the short term. In the meantime IS management must use other approaches, approaches that are available today, but that have been adopted very slowly. This article discusses one viable approach – the use of automated programmer productivity tools. It presents a classification of programmer productivity tools presently on the market and outlines the ways in which each class addresses productivity. It also discusses the important considerations IS management must make when evaluating the adoption of such tools.