I’d like to question some decisions made in tough economic times. When the economy gets soft many companies look at software projects for possible cuts. And, usually, they look at non-developers first. The thinking goes, “if I have software developers I can still develop applications. I like having dedicated architects, business analysts, project managers and QA staff, but I don’t really need them.” Depending on circumstances, that may prove not to be true.
Software developers provide the technical expertise to make applications run. But non-developers provide the higher level meta-intelligence about the processes being automated, the environment in which they will integrate, the best delivery method(s) for that environment and the necessary steps to ensure quality. Without them, teams may do a great job of delivering software that doesn’t solve problems or automates unnecessary processes. Predictable delivery and quality often get lost in the mix.
This is not to say developers don’t understand the value of testing, etc. But their role is highly technical and needs to be focused on turning technology into magic. Non-developers fill roles that are both technical and process: they focus on the connections between systems as well as human and business factors. In many cases, it is this “human intelligence” that makes the difference between cool software and applications that really meet business needs.
So I’m thinking companies don’t do themselves any favors by cutting the environmental, process and human aspects of a development team just to keep writing code. Often times, the worst trouble a development team can have is when they don’t understand the problem they are solving or how it relates to the rest of the business.
