The selfish path to agility
I read yet another article about the need to align IT skills and business needs: The IT workers of tomorrow will be those with the broader skills, the appreciation of business and processes, of project and programme management. Like it or not, many technical skills are being commoditised - what is the difference between an IT expert trained in, say, Java, who is based in India, and one based in the UK? The skills are identical. The cost differential is well-known. IT is no longer a silo, safe in the knowledge that nobody else understands what it does and therefore is irreplaceable.
Yup, I agree with that.
Then the article goes on and concludes: The IT professionals of tomorrow will be those that learn the business skills that ensure they maintain their influence.
Erm, no. I think that the IT organisations (and IT professionals) of tomorrow will be those that make the transition to agile. The inclusivity, collaboration and communication required of agile teams not only reduces the "business - IT gap": it also increases productivity (as Mary Poppendieck describes here). In the short to medium term I'd say that the potential to affect the bottom line (e.g. through better targeting of business value) is going to be the most important factor in the widespread takeup of agile. It's certainly thought-provoking to imagine that an appeal to individuals' self-interest ("go agile or bust"?!) could further the spread of co-operative team working...