9.1 Is interoperability your responsibility?

Interoperability is important when you are developing a product that has to work in a larger universe of like or complementary technologies. It tends not to get the attention it deserves until crisis emerges as a result of its neglect. As one senior executive from Intel has admitted, Interoperability has been a bigger challenge than anticipated ^[1] [1]. This statement is true when there are multiple companies creating products that have to work together to create a total customer solution. What remains hidden from view are the reasons why interoperability (or interop) testing marks a period over which product development tends to stagnate.

During this difficult period, credibility of the innovative technology in the market suffers. This quickly leads to the deflation of hyperbole surrounding the introduction of a new product, which impacts future customer purchase decisions. Expenses associated with development increase significantly as well during this period. There are many reasons for quickly passing through this painful phase of system integration, yet for all of the motivation behind improving interop testing, it still remains a neglected endeavor. Reasons accounting for slow progress can be traced to the following:

• You may encounter reduced project control because you must now include another company in your development process and you have no control over their efforts.

• Your initial development plan will also have to include the plans of the other vendor in terms of what the final system will offer.

• Test coverage will have to expand beyond...