Organizations creating software are grappling not only with today’s tough economic climate, but also with increased complexity in their processes and supply chains. Many factors serve to complicate software delivery, but competition lies at the heart of this complexity. Effective quality management creates opportunities to deliver key business benefits, such as improved market share, higher customer satisfaction, and increased brand equity. But top quality in the completed product cannot serve as the single guiding principle by which products are produced and delivered. Time to market is also key; costs and risk factors must also be part of the balancing act. Get these things wrong, and you may face un-sustainable costs, missed windows of opportunity, un happy customers, even a massive recall or the complete failure of a system at a critical moment. Get these things right, and you can achieve a positive operational return on investment from efficiencies gained in development activities.