"If we can imagine it, we can now build it." That, in a single sentence, is what - according to Dave Wolf, VP of Consulting at Cynergy Systems pictured) - characterizes the disruptive moment of opportunity that Flex has arrived right in the middle of. In his session, intriguingly titled "Front to Back Development," Wolf contended that "If we don't know what the app has to do, we build everything."

But 80% of the users only want 20% of the features, Wolf continued - so why don't we predict that and developers could save themselves 80% of their time?

We need to build software the other way around, said Wolf.  There is a different way to look at the development process. "A way that has proven to deliver better software faster and cheaper," he said. "A way that makes users an integral part of the development process, not an outside antagonist. A way that encourages us to develop all the functionality the user community wants and needs, and no more."

Dave Wolf, VP of Consulting at "Real-World Flex" in New York, August 14, 2006