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The Midrange Manager: The Return of the Application Backlog

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It seems as though the IT drought may be coming to an end. More and more IT shops are showing budget increases for the 2004 fiscal year. This is notable timing, considering the return of the infamous application backlog that we heard so much about in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Why is there an application backlog? The backlog has principally been caused by reduced IT budgets and pent up user demand for additional or enhanced functionality in the post-Y2K world. It seems that many corporations cut IT spending after completing their Y2K conversions, apparently assuming that the Y2K changes also fixed everything else. But rather than cut back to normal IT spending levels, many corporations cut IT spending based on pre-Y2K funding levels.

Fortunately, things seem to be turning around. Corporations are starting to hire iSeries IT professionals--a welcome trend, considering the employment problems of the last few years. In my view, the new application backlog is fueling this economic turnaround. Whether it's green-screen application modernization, a client/server GUI application, or a new browser-based interface on an application, this stuff won't get written by itself. In order to stay competitive, corporations need to fund IT projects to help increase their bottom line. Virtually every dollar invested in IT projects is an investment in the company itself.

Of course, your programming staff's skill levels will influence the rate at which the new application backlog is completed. You may want to evaluate the skills of your staff and either supplement those skills with training or hire new, more highly skilled staff members. Many developers have been holding onto their jobs in these bad economic times, but as the job market improves, staff turnover is a natural occurrence. Be prepared, and keep an eye on who is available in your area. You may be able to hire a valuable addition to your staff and attack that growing application backlog a little more aggressively.

Author's Note: RPG World in Orlando was so well-received that Jon Paris, Susan Gantner, and I have scheduled a second one for November in Anaheim, California. RPG World is nothing but RPG, and it's one of the best ways to get your RPG IV programming skills up to par. Visit the RPG World home page for details.

Bob Cozzi has been programming in RPG since 1978. Since then, he has written many articles and several books, including The Modern RPG Language --the most widely used RPG reference manual in the world. Bob is also a very popular speaker at industry events such as COMMON and RPG World and is the author of his own Web site, www.rpgiv.com, and of the RPG ToolKit, an add-on library for RPG IV programmers.

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