Why we’re not software engineers

When the idea for DEVSIO was conceived, I was desperately attempting new ways of communicating with my clients and stakeholders, and within my software engineering teams. 

I had just come back from an attempted sabbatical, when a company I had been working with got way off track. They decided to tackle risky work at a time where we should have been user testing, tuning and preparing for a successful launch of new capabilities to a brand new set of customers. Despite all the collaboration tools, roadmaps, decisions and contracts in place, the client made a few rounds of sprint-by-sprint decisions that took them off course from their budget and timeline goals. 

The product team in place followed their lead (naturally, they’re the client and own their priorities and how their dollars are spent.) Needless to say, we ran out of time and didn’t get everything to the level of quality we’d hope for. That risky feature needed more love. It was hard. Together, we missed the mark and everyone was disappointed. 

Then there was a lot of explaining to do on both sides of the business relationship. I had to spend time diving backwards into the task boards, weekly check-ins and decisions to build a presentation to explain “how we got here.” And I’ll never forget…after I walked through all the details… fully backed by historical data… my client calmly and simply said, “that’s not how I remember it.” 

We made it through this uncomfortable time and went on to support additional product development. But the trust had broken down and I realized the partnership would never quite feel as close or be the same. It hurt and reflecting back still does.

What became clear to me is this… at the end of the day, my paycheck came from the engineering firm hired to deliver. Even though I’d fight hard for our clients to create value everyday by our contracted teams, they would never be able to fully trust me if I’m not directly in their court.

In these early months at DEVSIO, being embedded and on the side of my clients in their offices and executive teams, has been a total game changer. 

I’ve experienced:

1. Honesty — Increased openness in our day-to-day communication. No longer getting the “sky is blue” filtered status of things within their business. Being part of the “us” in Us vs Them feels really nice and I am finding a deeper sense of belonging.

2. More Magic, Less Mystery — Better understanding of the overall business objectives and goals, and how the work we’re doing fits into the bigger picture of the organization. In my past, my teams were commonly hired to solve specific problems and the bigger context was vague. Now I can make even better targeted strategic recommendations and connect more dots.

3. Competency Gap Clarity — Ability to see first hand where the client’s internal resources might need some upskilling and empowerment. People are often tasked to lead product or engineering engagements in addition to their other job responsibilities, and end up on the hook to make critical technical and strategic decisions. Companies hire third party agencies because of a lack of ability or time or attention to get a job done in-house. Confidence comes from experience and know-how, and both sides of the partnership collaborating with intention is a must.

4. Flexibility — More focus on the WHAT and the WHEN, and allowing the HOW to be more flexibly achieved. Engineering firms can often do many things well, and will offer to tackle problems outside their wheelhouse. However, efficiently solving technology problems may require a mix of specialized teams across different firms. This flexibility has opened new doors and I can now help my clients find the right mix of partners and collaborators to meet their needs, no strings attached.

I’ll always be supporting clients to design and build software solutions… It's what I do! Ahead, it will be from this new and powerful point of view. 

How about it be from yours? 
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We want to help teams work on the right-next-best-thing, together. If you or someone you know is developing a new digital product or enhancements to an existing app or overwhelmed by creating one, we can be by your side.

We will help design and test new ideas, and uncover related technology needs to deliver your mission. I can also support the prep, onboarding and ongoing support of your delivery or engineering teams to ensure they are set up for success. 

If you’re feeling uncertain, stuck, or you’re growing so fast you’re overwhelmed, we can jump in at any point of your journey and assess the status and the whys, help get you back in sync, go from red to green, no matter what stage you’re in.

Can’t wait to connect and to be able to tell you more about it! Let’s  schedule a time to talk more about digital product & delivery.