In a previous post, I talked about the benefits of Joint Application Design (JAD) sessions. In case you missed it, or you are unfamiliar with the concept, a JAD session is a workshop in which multiple project members collaborate to outline the development of a software system. Typically, a JAD is lead by a single person given the important responsibility of being the “Facilitator.” In today’s post, I’ll offer a few suggestions that will help you JAD Facilitators out there lead a successful session. These are some of the very same practices used to great success by our own Sagitec delivery teams.

If you’re looking ahead to a future IT project, or are undertaking one presently, chances are you’ll be involved in a Joint Application Design session (or JAD, for short). A JAD is a structured, facilitated workshop in which multiple teams of stakeholders (e.g., the IT vendor and customer) collaborate to discuss the development of the desired system, producing deliverables and tracing RFP requirements to business rules. (If you’re not too familiar with the concept, a quick internet search will net you a smorgasbord of information.)

Earlier this year, in an article for Digital Software Magazine called Building Corporate IT Systems That Remain Relevant, Bruce Ballengee of Pariveda Solutions makes a strong case for agile software development as a means to foster perpetual value (i.e., strong ROI) in an IT system. We couldn’t agree more with Mr. Ballengee’s conclusions. But there are several other important benefits of an agile (or iterative/incremental) methodology that are worth mentioning and which potential customers should be aware of.