Don’t rely on a pure technology expert…

Question

…to do the right thing for your business

Software development has exploded worldwide over the last thirty years. The mass adoption of personal computing devices sparked the first wave of significant investments in software development. The technology expert became a new dream career. Then came the World Wide Web and, finally, handheld computing devices. Today's world is vastly different from thirty years ago. Software is eating the world and, like Captain America, it’s just begun. AI, drone delivery, self-driving cars – all are rapidly expanding as you read this.

As a result, software developers have become valuable personnel. The gap between supply and demand in the labor market makes these professionals even more valuable. Salaries and wages for software development work reflect this trend.

As customers, we rely on service providers to do the right thing for us. The quality of service providers varies greatly, but if the provider is technologically accomplished, that should be a guarantee of quality, right?

Wrong!

What’s the problem with a technology expert?

The qualification of the service provider in software development is crucial. Any software development project is expensive and risky. Lack of skill can lead to overbudgeting, schedule overruns, software defects, and maintenance issues.

However, technical expertise alone is not enough. The key lies in applying technology to business needs cost-effectively. Many service providers are happy to do any technology work you ask for, leading to the following reality:

"Hey Doc, I need a coronary artery bypass surgery!"
"Awesome, I’m getting the lancet already!"

No real doctor would be so irresponsible. While risks in software development versus medicine are vastly different, wasted money is common in such cases.

The dark side of a perfect technology expert

A perfect technology expert loves and values code and architecture. Imperfect solutions disgust them. They live in the perfect world of their creations and hate bending these perfect creations to meet business requirements.

I was once such a technology expert. Obsessed with code quality for its own sake, I changed my perspective by seeing projects from a business viewpoint. That changed everything. Code isn't valuable on its own; it's valuable when it serves business goals. This doesn't mean I don't care about code quality anymore; the definition of good and bad code now includes business value as a primary metric.

Ideal business and technology product owners are inherently antagonists – the former wants as much scope as quickly and cheaply as possible, while the latter envisions perfect, expensive code that takes forever to create. It’s crucial that these two roles find a middle ground. It's especially productive to change hats between the two roles, if possible.

Getting out

The solution sounds simple in theory: ensure the technology expert you hire is also business-savvy. In practice, this is more complicated, but here are a few key things to look for:

If a technology expert is an owner or co-owner of a business, it indicates hands-on experience.
A good overall perspective outside of technology with a focus on business activities is a plus.
Great soft skills are essential.
However, even if they are a business superstar, if their technology expertise is lacking, your problems won't be solved.

Good luck!