GAX and GAT are really the foundation of Microsoft's Software Factories initative. Software Factories built on these technologies are collections of guidance that help architects and developers build specific types of applications with improved consistency, quality and productivity. This is achieved by integrating automated guidance related to the factory's application scenario deeply into Visual Studio - for example, using templates, wizards, recipes and code generation, along with supporting patterns and architectural documentation. The patterns & practices team is currently working on several Software Factories, including the Web Service Software Factory, Smart Client Software Factory and Mobile Client Software Factory.