The literature of software engineering rarely focuses on time as the dominant factor in software projects. But service velocity -- the rate at which software can be deployed to market or customized -- has a more significant influence on project decisions than quality, predictability, risk, cost, or productivity. Even in the noncommercial software market, where profit considerations may not dominate, the rate at which work can be serviced affects all other measurable elements more profoundly than any other factor.

I have been a software engineer for more than 20 years, and schedules, market windows, and release dates have dominated my work process, my technical designs, and my life. This is generally true of my colleagues as well. As an engineer, I also feel the need to codify my observations and subjective experience with mathematical models so that I can understand my predicament, not merely testify to it.

In this article, I make a case for improving the rate of development and deployment of software applications from the perspective of a business sponsor. My goals are to increase profit, beat the competition, establish a reputation, build market share, and increase shareholder value. My challenge is to select the best software technologies, staff, information-engineering processes, and organizational structures to achieve rapid deployment and satisfy customer demands.