A traditional development environment (such as the one depicted in Figure 16-2) in a large, well-established organization has typically grown up over a period of thirty years or more. During this time, procedures and practices have been implemented to control and manage the development, operation, support, and maintenance of the IT function. The environment is mature.
Figure 16-2 A traditional corporate environment
This type of mature technical environment was relatively slow to change, so methods and people were able to adapt easily to the changes. The environment was relatively simple and stable. This slower change and general stability meant that a small number of well-trained staff could investigate change, develop a coherent technical strategy, and adapt the system management practice to take account of this change. The skills required of the majority of development and support staff were relatively low level.