Hi 'KT', I'm studying (among other things) the 'Rational Unified Process' at Uni. >From what I've read, it definitely looks like it would both speed up software development and lead to more flexible, maintainable software. A useful text is 'The Rational Unified Process Made Easy': http://www.amazon.com/Rational-Unified-Process-Made-Easy/dp/0321166094/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-5774099-6701420?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173121169&sr=1-1 Not familiar with Agile development, so I can't comment on that. Paul