LONDON, UK: 2011 - 2012 will see software development and lifecycle management taken to new heights, predicts Ovum.

In a new report, the independent technology analyst firm has identified four key trends in software development and lifecycle management which will shape the prospects for businesses in 2012:

* There will be greater adoption of second-generation Agile and Lean ideas
* DevOps is changing the roles of developers and operators
* HTML5 will dominate rich-user interface development
* Software lifecycle management for embedded software will become instrumental in avoiding future crises in product manufacturing.

Chandranshu Singh, senior analyst, IT Services at Ovum and co-author of the report said, "The software lifecycle management (SLM) market has continued on its evolutionary trajectory since 2011. Application development cloud services continue to play a role in the market as customers look for cost savings and confidence grows in using off-premises solutions."

Ovum expects to see more large-scale projects adopting Agile practices in 2012, but with some fine tuning to fit the needs of particular business and engineering domains. Kanban is a practice that is being melded into Agile practices. This second-generation approach has grown from the influence of Lean development on Agile development.

While Agile is using a second-generation approach, the DevOps movement is a grassroots initiative for process reform in IT operations. It takes its cue from the development side, which has adopted newer development methodologies and practices, such as various flavors of Agile.