A general lecture on major trends and current issues in (global) software development. The presentation compares the outlook for IT in Ireland and India, identifies major trends and current issues in software development and looks at the applicability of agile methods for the future

1. Dr Niamh O Riordan
Whitaker Institute,
National University of Ireland, Galway
July, 2013

2.  Ireland
 India
 Major trends
 Current issues
 Common thread
 Implications
◦ Absorptive capacity
◦ Agility
◦ Business ecosystems
Dr Niamh O Riordan

3. “Our concentration on the digital economy is
paying off... Software exports now total
€23bn and The National Skills Survey
showed a 6pc growth in ICT jobs, now
employing 73,000 people
There is “a gap of up to 5,000 skilled
positions at ICT companies in Ireland today”
“We will need to rely on inward
migration for sourcing highly
experienced IT professionals and those
with multilingual skills until the level of
domestic supply can be built over the
next five years”

4. The share of IT (mainly software) in total
exports increased from 1 percent in 2001 to
18 percent in 2012. IT-enabled services such
as backoffice operations, remote maintenance,
public call centers, and other bulk processing
are rapidly expanding.
Bangalore: The Silicon Valley of India
Dr Niamh O Riordan

6. Dr Niamh O Riordan

7. 1. Big data and actionable analytics
2. In memory computing
3. Cloud computing
4. Mobile apps
5. The Internet of things
Dr Niamh O Riordan

8. A. Future Networks & Communications
Scalability, capacity, throughput, mobility and trust
B. Data Analytics, Management, Security & Privacy
Smart data
C. Digital Platforms, Content & Applications
Human-Machine Interface, multi-media, multi-modal service creation environment
D. Connected Health and Independent Living
Technologies that facilitate remote delivery of healthcare and assisted living
Medical Devices
F. Diagnostics
Personalised medicine/companion diagnostics, nutrition related diagnostics, point of-
care devices
K. Smart Grids & Smart Cities
Effective management of complex infrastructure systems using software, sensor
hardware, control and interface systems
Dr Niamh O Riordan

9. Dr Niamh O Riordan

10. 1. Big data and actionable analytics
Querying, visualisation, data governance, audience
2. In memory computing
Standards, recovery, distributed archi, monitoring
3. Cloud computing
Security, legislation, identity management, availability
4. Mobile apps
Privacy and security, usability, revenue models
5. The Internet of things
Situational awareness, sensor driven analytics, process
optimisation, complex autonomous systems
Dr Niamh O Riordan

11. Dr Niamh O Riordan

12.  “Big data has become a major driver of IT spending. The benefits to
organizations for adding big data to their information management and
analytics infrastructure will force a more rapid cycle of replacing existing
solutions.”
 The most demanding use of the Internet of Things involves the rapid,
real-time sensing of unpredictable conditions and instantaneous
responses guided by automated systems
 “The conventional notion of business analytics as a reporting and
analytics platform is passé. Business today requires real-time decision
making and forward-looking analytics.”
 The Internet of Things has the potential to transform industries and the
way we live… enterprises [must] assess the levels of risk, maturity and
hype that are associated with a transformative early-stage trend
Dr Niamh O Riordan

13. The age of sustainable competitive advantage is
no more…
Tomorrow’s successful competitor
1. Quickly sense what is happening in the environment
2. Rapidly and proactively respond to change
3. In a coordinated fashion
Dr Niamh O Riordan

14. Agility is based on a
continual READINESS to
rapidly or inherently CREATE change,
to proactively or reactively EMBRACE
change, and to LEARN from change
Dr Niamh O Riordan

15.  is not my area… but is based on:
◦ delivering value to the customer;
◦ being ready for change;
◦ valuing human knowledge and skills;
◦ forming virtual partnerships.
Dr Niamh O Riordan

16. http://youtu.be/PHS-ycbRwqI
Dr Niamh O Riordan

17. Given what we’ve said about the major trends
and current issues in software development
in general, and in global software development in
particular, how would YOU evaluate the
potential of agile methods?
Dr Niamh O Riordan

18. Dr Niamh O Riordan
niamh.oriordan@nuigalway.ie
ie.linkedin.com/in/niamhoriordan/
This research is supported by the Irish Social Sciences Platform
(ISSP), funded under the Programme for Research in Third Level
Institutions, administered by the HEA and co-funded under the
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and also
supported in part by Science Foundation Ireland grant
10/CE/I1855 to Lero.