Channel Innovation Requires A Channel Agnostic Architecture

A an insightful blog post from Jost Hopperman VP at Forrester Research.  I've copied out a short section from the summary but I would recommend reading the full post here.....

"Multichannel applications and architecture today need to take care of the different behavior of channels to provide a basis for the full emergence of ubiquitous banking (Intelligent Devices Will Drive Ubiquitous Banking). Bank executives involved in application development and delivery as well as architecture need to ensure that their applications don’t support any individual channel, but consist of a layered approach isolating channels and business functionality. App dev and delivery staff needs to:

• Focus on either building functionality or delivering functionality over the channels within the framework of a defined multichannel framework or solution – but not at both at the same time. 
• Build or select the multichannel architecture in a way that channel-specific aspects are located in a clearly defined and cohesive layer of the architecture.

With this approach, a bank’s business decisions will become independent from channels that may or may not be used for a given product or service: The mobile channel won’t exist anymore. As soon as we will see more convergence of channel technology, the need for this kind of multichannel approach will become smaller and smaller."

Agile Is Now Mainstream In Large Organisations According To Forrester

In a recent report Forrester acknowledge agile as mainstream. "In the past few years, Agile processes have not only gained increasing adoption levels; they have also rapidly joined the mainstream of development approaches. And while more organizations are adapting to Agile conventions, Agile is also adapting to the workplace. Perhaps the clearest sign of the mainstreaming of Agile is the abandonment of orthodoxy: Teams are puzzling out the mix of methodologies and combining them to fit within their organizational realities, blending Agile and non-Agile techniques and practices to create a hybrid methodology that fits larger organizations. Other changes, such as new team dynamics and the redefinition of roles such as the business analyst, show the genuine force behind Agile adoption. It's time for software development professionals to stop sitting on the fence where Agile is concerned. According to those who have successfully adopted Agile, the benefits are well worth the effort, and with the recent dramatic increase in Agile adoption, the probability of working in or with an Agile team has increased for everyone."