Companies that are still chronically unable to meet their schedules are that way because they just haven't paid their dues. I think two companies that have done a lot to help that are QSM and SPR, both of which provide suites of metric tools and help in building databases. The companies that were strongly process-focused in the 1990s are becoming even more adamant about fixed process and CMM improvement. But I think this is a rear-guard action because most of the movement in our industry is the other way, toward adopting lighter processes. The places that are the most process-bound are clearly having more trouble hiring the people they need.
People everywhere are terribly busy.
So companies, in general, are slowing down. But they don't put those two things together. The busier you are, the bigger stack of things you have to do, and the longer it takes for you to get to items in your stack. In order to be fast, you can't be busy all the time. Most people know that in their hearts, know that infernal busy-ness is part of their problem.