The 21st Century Software Development Organization

Hi! My name is Rini Gahir. I’m the Senior Product Manager for Developer Tools here at Microsoft Canada. It’s an honour to be granted a regular blog spot on the Canadian Developer Connection blogosphere. I will attempt to provide a product management perspective on the business of software development. My counterparts do a great job in explaining the technology aspects of our platform and connecting with the community. I will try to overlay that with industry analysis, product management insights, and Microsoft developer tools and platform news and views. My goal is to add value by providing business and marketing insight along with fresh thinking on the art of application development.

Having been a product manager for many years now, I firmly believe that every product manager must make a pledge to “get out there and become a market expert” – especially during economic downturns and recessionary times. Understanding the customer, your market, the competition, technology trends and the economy are all part of the product lifecycle equation.

Economic disturbances impact all of us. There’s a great perspective we’ve written on the impact to the Canadian economy and resources to help you through this downturn on our Microsoft Canada site - check out: The Canadian Economy. I have also been meeting with real companies, our SI and ISV partners discussing the current economic challenges and the impact they’re facing. In general, there seems to be a mixed bag of really busy organizations and others who have some capacity to fill. But they remain bullish knowing that investment in technology can’t just disappear. Here are some of the other observations I’ve gathered during our discussions:

• Quest for Talent – The complexity and sheer speed of markets have intensified the need for critical thinkers with rich and varied backgrounds across organizations. The ideal profile is someone with a mix of business insight, specialized aptitude, professional know-how and versatility - especially in IT. Here’s an article that discusses the difficulty in finding skilled workers and the changing job market. ITAC has also published a list of the Six Priorities for Canada in order to secure the future and remain competitive.

• Growth and Innovation is Still Important - Although economic fluctuations hit businesses hard today, the pursuit of market growth, new customers, innovation and the expansion of a global brand remains. While short-term budgets get cut, well-built strategies do not. In this aspect, businesses must look for people who are prepared, equipped and willing to lead change and using technology as a driver. In fact recessions can inspire great entrepreneurship and force new ways of thinking and doing business. Here at Microsoft Canada we have a number of resources to help foster innovation through programs such as BizSpark and support organizations such as the Waterloo Innovation Centre to inspire and create a community for the next tech leaders.

• Globalization Will Not Disappear – Globalization opens new markets, new sources of talent, and new options for individuals and employers . Economic, educational and professional interdependencies will intensify as information and knowledge represent greater proportions of regional economies, and as regional centers of excellence emerge. Investing and fostering the next generation of local IT professionals must continue. ICTC provides a fantastic skills-to-job matching service to help IT professionals land the right contract. Also, to help support and inspire students into the field of software we have DreamSpark which provides professional-level developer software for free to post-secondary students. 

Software and technology companies must strive to once again be market-driven. They must get back to understanding what problems their solutions solve and build products the market wants to buy. It’s easy to forget or lose focus on this strategy especially in economic downturns and market pressures. Becoming agile and responsive to market shifts in concert with global economic trends will help support the sustainability and fighting power of your organization.

In upcoming blog posts I will continue to discuss about investing in innovation, positioning for differentiation, building efficiencies and productivity in your application lifecycle management and look at new technologies that can help solve real-world problems. Here are a few additional resources for you to explore:

· Ignite Your Career Webcast Series

· Microsoft Partner Program

· Visual Studio Team System Weekly Webcast

· 30% Savings on Visual Studio Team System

Rini Gahir | Senior Product Manager | Developer & Application Platform | Microsoft Canada

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/rinig     Email:  rini.gahir@microsoft.com