Launching many small software projects instead of enhancing existing programs may seem easier, but it often results in redundancy and inefficiency. But starting too many software projects creates its own complexities, with more than 600 programming languages, dozens of metrics for measuring progress, and more than 30 different development methods for compliance and at least 15 different approaches to software testing. And perhaps most disturbingly, companies adding a plethora of small applications over time will end up with a huge collection of systems that perform comparable but not identical functions, each with its own maintenance costs that can't be shared across applications. Focus instead on consolidating applications and standardizing the corporate infrastructure. Also, have tight control over communication protocols, allowing applications to be merged more easily.
To read more about why many small software applications is short-sighted:
- read the article [1] at Baseline
Links:
[1] http://www.baselinemag.com/article2/0,1397,2103396,00.asp?kc=BARSS03129TX1K0000628