There are more methodologies in software development than possible solutions. So the question arises, why one more methodology? Good question. Adaptive Systems do not present a methodology per se, but a way of life that helps organizations attain their goals by dealing with problems from a project's inception.

All methodologies have five to six discrete tasks viz. Strategy, Requirements, Design, Implementation, Testing and Deployment of software. Despite the best intentions and a lot of effort, most software projects do not deliver the initially specified system on time. The problem that clients often face, is that even when a particular methodology is selected because its promise of on-time delivery, seldom does it result in a complete system, even after incurring large cost overruns.

Software systems today are typically divided into two phases: Development, and Operation. Traditionally, the development and operation of a system are considered disjoint activities completed in a linear, sequential manner.

This approach is based on the classical process model. In process model, the belief is that system needs are known a priori and will remain static for the foreseeable future. Such a classification would enable an organization to operate the system in a deterministic manner.

It is our belief that this line of reasoning is inherently flawed.

A direct consequence of this philosophy is that by the time a system becomes operational it is characterized as legacy system. All the ROI (Return on Investment) promises are out the window in the first six months of a new system.

A software system is a living thing that is born (deployed), grows with the time (enhanced), and eventually dies (replaced). The death of a system can be a complete loss or a rich inheritance of ideas, metaphors and lessons for future systems.

A main characteristic of living beings is their ability to communicate with other living beings. A less appreciated fact about living beings is their ability to adapt in foreign and even hostile environment. Based on this definition, very few software systems used today would qualify as living, adaptive systems.

Today, business events happen at an extremely fast rate. The ability of systems to react and respond to changing scenarios is of critical importance. In the very near future, the survival of a business will depend on its ability to process data and produce competitive information in response to external events.

The time to react to external events will shrink as communications bandwidth continues to expand and increase. Real-time and near-time decision making ability will be paramount in discerning the winners from the losers.

So how do we create living, adaptive systems that address ever-changing business needs and which assimilate future needs, without having to re-author the system at every turn?

The solution is in the mind - the way we manage and define systems. xFact has developed a process for developing solutions that addresses the issue of ever-changing requirements. Our approach to developing adaptive systems is based on meeting the unique needs and requirements of each project with an emphasis on designing flexibility into the system.

Building on a diverse set of skills and expertise in technology, user-centric design, business process re-engineering, and systems integration, xFact delivers solutions that meet mission-critical business challenges to help deliver today's needs and render tomorrow's vision.