Analyst's Photo Name and Title Contact information
Dave West

Dave West
Senior Analyst

Research Coverage

Agile Methodologies, Application Development, Application Development Metrics & Benchmarks, Application Development Processes & Methodologies, Application Development Processes & Tools, Application Infrastructure Technologies, Application Life-Cycle Management, EA Modeling & Repository Tools, Enterprise Architecture, Enterprise Architecture Practices, IT Management, Portfolio Management & PMOs, Programming Languages, Project Management Tools & Processes, Requirements Definition & Management, Software Change & Configuration Management, Software Modeling

Research Focus

Dave works with Application Development & Program Management professionals. He is a leading expert on software development process, Agile development, Lean thinking, process improvement, project management, and requirements management. His interest in software modeling and application development led to his authoring the book Head First Object-Oriented Analysis and Design. He also covers the area of product development and its relationship with software systems development.

Previous Work Experience

Dave has more than 16 years of experience in technology working with both software vendors and end user organizations. After university, he worked for a large financial organization in both traditional and object-oriented development and on both the mainframe and client/server platforms. Dave then moved to the software tools business, working as a consultant implementing new development processes and tools for numerous companies in Europe, America, and Canada. Moving from consulting to product development, he was responsible for the development of the Rational Unified Process (RUP), adding componentization, SPEMM, and support for Agile development. Taking that experience, he then ran the development of a series of industry solutions in support of financial services, product development, and government sectors. After leaving IBM/Rational, Dave moved into a consulting organization building and later ran Ivar Jacobson Consulting for North America. During that time he worked with clients implementing Agile processes, introducing process improvement, and improving the practices of those customers.

Education

Dave earned a B.A. in computing and business from Huddersfield University in the UK and a M.Sc. in computer science from Southbank University (UK).

Latest Research

Planned Research

Harnessing The Benefits Of Communities Of Practice March 2010
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Did You Know?

Dave competes in triathlons in the Clydesdale division.


Dave West serves Application Development & Program Management professionals.
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Recent Media Citations
SearchCIO, "FAQ: Agile Practices And Their Role In Software Development," November 17, 2009
Federal Computer Week, "Does 'Early And Often' Work For Software?" October 15, 2009
Application Development Trends, "More Enterprises Lean Toward Hybrid Agile Development" Oct 13, 2009
eWeek, "Enterprises Need To Secure Data During Application Development," August 21, 2009
IDG News Service, "Silverlight Adoption Hampered By Economic Crisis," January 28, 2009